Winter Sunrise Hikes on Mount Monadnock

February 09, 2021

During the month of January I did two hikes up Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey New Hampshire. One was done solo and the other was with my wife Sonya and our friend Sam. I may have said it before, but Monadnock is one of my favorite mountains. It has the feel of a much larger mountain with its exposed ledges and bald top and although it feels large it is still easily accessible and climbable in mid-winter, besides warm clothing and snacks the only other gear I had was spikes for my boots. (Although to be fair we never went all the way to the summit during either hike).

I made a YouTube video on the climb I did by myself which you can watch Here

For more photos check out my Instagram

Both hikes were started in the dark a few hours before sunrise. Each hike started on the White Dot Trail which begins in the main parking lot at the park headquarters.

The White Dot Trail was fairly easy to follow in the dark with a headlamp. One thing to keep in mind is that if there is snow on the ground the white dot trail markers are painted on rocks on the ground so the snow will cover them up. So many people hike this mountain though that the trail can be easily followed by looking for the well trod path in the snow and at intersections there is good signage. (Also its amazing how good cell phones have got at taking photos in the near dark).

On the first hike we stayed on White Dot the whole way up. Once we broke the tree line we were treated to the glow of the sunrise off in the east.

On the White Dot Trail once you start to really climb there are many ledge areas where you can get a good view off to the east and the sunrise.

On our first hike we made it above the tree line and close to the summit before we stopped to take in the view and then head down.

I went solo on my 2nd hike up the mountain. This time I took the White Dot Trail to the intersection with the White Cross Trail and took White Cross up.

One of the first ledge areas on the White Cross Trail offers a really nice view.

You can see Mount Wachusett in Massachusetts off in the distance.

You also get a nice view of Gap Mountain and one of the ridges of Monadnock.

Once the sun was up I headed towards the summit.

I made it close to the summit on this hike, but since I was taking my time recording video and taking photos my time on the mountain was up.

There are days when the wind really whips over the bald summit, especially in the winter, if you are heading up dress warm.

If you head out there, enjoy the hike, check the weather report, have all the gear you need and be safe!