Mount Monadnock

Between Monte Rosa and Monadnock

Hiked On August 22, 2025

Legend has it that Mount Monadnock is the second-most climbed mountain in the world after Mt. Fuji.  It tracks.  Like Fuji it is relatively close to major population centers.  It is easy to get to.  It is hard...but not too hard.  Why the heck would you not climb it?  This is what we did a few weeks ago.  I have climbed it many times, actually.  It is a wonder that I cannot find a record of it on this blog!

The usual first-time hike up is on the "White Dot" trail, which is kind of too bad.  There is nothing wrong with going that way.  It's just...well...it is steep and crowded.  Knowing that there will be plenty of people at the top, why not take a less traveled route?  On this day we went up "Old Halfway House" to "Monte Rosa Trail" then down "White Arrow".  Our reasoning has already been mentioned.  Also, it is the first hike of our new project.  After "section hiking" the Mid State Trail, we have decided to hike the Metacomet-Monadnock/New England Trail.  This project will be a bit longer...and it will take us right past my house.  So that is fun.  Anyway, the "M&M" starts with the White Arrow, so that is where we started, too.

The view of Monadnock from Monte Rosa.

The beginning of the Monte Rosa climb...

Actually we started White Arrow at the top.  First we went to take a look at Monte Rosa.  It is a trail that Allison and I had climbed before. Old Halfway House trail started from the parking lot at a moderate steepness.  After a while it split to create the top of our "lollipop loop" for the day. We took the Monte Rosa trail to our left and things got steeper. We would take White Arrow down to that same intersection on our way back.

The smaller peak is more lightly climbed and is worth a visit.  The view of Monadnock is lovely.  It also creates a sense of remoteness that is in short supply on this mountain.  While there we met a couple of other hikers.  Both of them were very chatty and wanted to let us know how much they loved the mountain.  That was good to hear.  All natural places need their passionate lovers these days.

In my previous post I compared Mount Williams in Massachusetts to Mount Monadnock and said Williams is harder.  In the case of our hike today (see my note at the end), it was definitely true.  However, every hike is strenuous in some way.  There are steep parts and challenging bits.  Monte Rosa/Monadnock is no slouch in either department so we took care in our ascent. Emerging onto our first peak of the day we were rewarded with a most excellent view.

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Cool view near the top of Monadnock

We took a break on a ledge surrounded by cottongrass

The hike between peaks is relatively straightforward, though the scrambles begin in earnest shortly after leaving Monte Rosa. Stay patient.  You will get there.  As we went, we saw more people converging from different directions.  This is normal.  Then we hit the peak and saw the usual 360 views one can catch there on a good day.  Usually windy, things were relatively calm so we sat and enjoyed our lunch before heading back.

It can be a bit confusing finding the right trail back.  There are plenty of options and they do not all go to the same parking lot!  Most of the main trails have names that are symbols--White Dot, White Cross, White Arrow, etc--look for those symbols! We all know people who didn't and had to climb back up to the top to get back down to their cars.

I do not have a lot of pictures of the first part of the hike down.  White Arrow is very tricky in places.  There are scrambles and vertigo-inducing moments.  This, sadly (or not sadly, depending on your tolerance for these things), is true for most of the trails.  Be prepared!  We made it.  So can you.  One advantage of the slow pace and the need to problem-solve is that you are exercising your brain.  Also, you save on water. It is good to save on water...right?

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White Arrow Trail begins precipitously

There isn't much more to add.  Once we got to the split between White Arrow and Monte Rosa we were ready to get down so, like many people before us, we got on to the Halfway House Road (a literal access road) and strolled down in relative comfort.  In a couple of weeks we will be back to snag a little part of the M&M trail that we missed and keep heading on south to the ocean.

Note: There are harder and easier ways up Monadnock and it is worth doing some research.  One of the steepest and least interesting (in my opinion) loops is achieved by taking "White Dot" up and "White Cross" down.  These trail heads are right by the bathrooms at the main parking lot.  Plenty of people take this way not knowing what they are getting into. They may not even know they have options. It is rough!  It is also crowded and--while plenty of people are enjoying themselves--there will be a number of people--not all of them children--experiencing their own drama. 

I have done White Dot to White Cross at least three times and I bet there are a few more times that I don't remember. When I want to challenge myself in that way I climb taller, less crowded peaks.  When I want to experience this incomparable mountain, I find different ways. For an early explore of this mountain, I recommend "Birchtoft-to-Red Dot" or just take the Dublin Trail.  They will also kick your butt, but you will have a better time.  Or just do Monte Rosa, have a picnic, and go down....