Parking in Glencliff, NH

[FarmerChef]

Looking to park a car at NH25 in Glencliff. According to the Rohland's site it is a large dirt area on the left as you leave Glencliff but I'm a bit confused by the satellite photo. Is the parking area on the shoulder of the road or in the large field through the trees? Has anyone parked there that can provide a tip or two on how to find it?

[Driver8]

Looking to park a car at NH25 in Glencliff. According to the Rohland's site it is a large dirt area on the left as you leave Glencliff but I'm a bit confused by the satellite photo. Is the parking area on the shoulder of the road or in the large field through the trees? Has anyone parked there that can provide a tip or two on how to find it?

It's on the shoulder, Farmer, about 1/2 mile west of High Street, maybe 0.1 southeast of where the A.T. comes in from the north.

[Driver8]

PS: If you're concerned at all about safety in parking, the Hiker's Welcome hostel, maybe 0.1 NW of High Street and 0.2 SW of that parking area, will let you park your car on their premises and will keep an eye on it for you. Not sure what they charge for that, but they have a lot of room for parking.

[redseal]

It is on the shoulder. I have parked there in the past for overnight trips and have not had any issues FWIW.

[Kerosene]

Years ago there were reports of vandalized cars at that parking lot (which is pretty big, by the way). If you're at all concerned then take Driver8's advice and park at Hiker's Hostel.

[FarmerChef]

Years ago there were reports of vandalized cars at that parking lot (which is pretty big, by the way). If you're at all concerned then take Driver8's advice and park at Hiker's Hostel.

I'm not too concerned. Haven't seen any recent postings. Is there something more than the old reports of vandalism? I'll check out the hostel as well. Thanks for the tips.

[Driver8]

I can say, Farmer, that it's nice to stop by the hostel for showers and a soda and such after a long slog over the big M. They charge for everything, but reasonably.

[FarmerChef]

I can say, Farmer, that it's nice to stop by the hostel for showers and a soda and such after a long slog over the big M. They charge for everything, but reasonably.

Oh yeah. Definitely planning on at least that. Might stay the night too. We've got a long drive home the next morning. I'm done with the all night drive thing

[Driver8]

Where are you finishing? Kinsman Notch, so that M traverse is last day?

[FarmerChef]

Nah. We're finishing right there in Glencliff. But it's about a 9 hour drive home. As late as we're getting in, I figured we'd just hike to the hostel on the last day and drive home in the morning. Assuming they're ok with that. I'll call and find out. Otherwise, we'll just stop in for a shower and a soda. Then we'll pick up from there on our Whites hike a week and a half later.

[Driver8]

Oh, right. I'd forgotten you're doing two hikes. Exciting!

[FarmerChef]

Just a quick update to anyone reading this old thread. We parked at the parking area near Glencliff, right where the trail pops out. It was no problem and our car was safe and sound after 10 days.

[peakbagger]

M ore importantly how did you find the hiking? were observations on the difficulty of the trail good?

[FarmerChef]

This was our hike of Vermont up to Glencliff. The mud was not a big deal until after it rained on Sunday night/Monday morning. Up until then it had been kind of a fudgy consistency that didn't stick to your shoes or suck them in. It kind of sloshed to one side like a stiff concrete. Less like pudding.

Many of these climbs were more like humps and switchbacks were few and far between. The roots and rocks were also more prominent and my pads are definitely hurting as a result. Having shoes that had died didn't help. Once the rains came the trail got a lot more wet and the mud got a lot more sloppy. We had wet feet until we were past Kent Pond (staying at Mountain Meadows Lodge), after which the trail improved greatly until we entered NH. Then the trail took a drastic turn for the worse with a lot of old, worn out or missing truncheons in very swampy areas. The roots/rocks were also much more prominent, especially in the 10 miles between NH25A and Glencliff. We barely made 2 miles an hour having to pick our way through some mucky/rooty sections and steep declines. I think if we had been slacking we could have gone faster but we were still packing out packs and low on food and gas.

Loved Stratton Pond, hated the NOBO ascent of Killington/Pico, loved the fire towers, loved the spruce forests and the rock cairns, loved having privies again, had a great time overall. Lots of good stuff going into my journal account so I won't duplicate it here. All in all, the terrain was a bit more challenging than I expected based on when we first entered Vermont on our last trip but we weren't lulled into a false sense of security reading the elevation profiles after NY showed us it was a bit more nasty than the profile would suggest.

Now on to the Whites!

[Driver8]

... the trail improved greatly until we entered NH. Then the trail took a drastic turn for the worse with a lot of old, worn out or missing truncheons in very swampy areas.

It would be great if you could give this feedback to the Dartmouth Outing Club, which maintains the trail from VT line to Kinsman Notch - you probably knew that already, Farmer, but I mention it just in case. The timing would be good with all the kids coming back to school in a month, ready to do trail work.

[FarmerChef]

It would be great if you could give this feedback to the Dartmouth Outing Club, which maintains the trail from VT line to Kinsman Notch - you probably knew that already, Farmer, but I mention it just in case. The timing would be good with all the kids coming back to school in a month, ready to do trail work.

Email sent. Thanks for the push, Driver. For some reason, I thought that was AMC though I'm sure a quick read in my guide would have shown my error.