With spring in full bloom, it’s time to share about one of our favorite short long trails, the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway. Running from the summit of Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, to the summit of Mount Sunapee, in Newbury, New Hampshire, this 48 mile trail is one of our go-to spring backpacking trips. Gaining over 10,000’ of elevation over the entirety of the trail, this traverse is anything but easy. However, if you are looking for a great opportunity to train for a longer thru-hike, or just want a beautiful place to spend a few nights outside, this is the trail for you.

The Logistics

The Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway runs from south to north and is blazed with white 2x6 markers. Beginning at the summit of one of the most hiked mountains in America, Mount Monadnock, the trail heads north towards the summit of Mount Sunapee. The trail is well marked and easy to follow. There were no spots where we found ourselves lost or confused about which direction the trail went, even at major road crossings. In recent years, the trail organization has done a wonderful job adding more blazes and signs to make navigation even easier.

Furthermore, the trail has a substantial amount of shelters and trail resources especially considering it is such a small trail. There was even trail magic! There are 5 three-sided shelters and 1 tent platform at varying intervals along the trail. Water is abundant and will not be a problem as this trail runs through several marshy, wet regions. Because this trail runs through a mixture of private and public land, we encourage you to be respectful and only set up your camp in designated spots.

The trail runs through a mixture of conditions, ranging from steep ascents and descents at the northern and southern termini, to a few small balds around the halfway point. There are a handful of marshy sections with small stream crossings as well. Running through the center of the small town of Washington, there is a general store that caters to hikers. This is the perfect spot to stop and have a hot meal and resupply.

Both times we hiked this trail we went from south to north and completed the entirety of the trail in spring. There will be wet areas where you may encounter some difficulty keeping your feet dry especially if you start earlier in the spring, and depending on the winter, you may even encounter ice and snow. We recommend waiting until May to hike this trail to avoid running into snow.

We highly recommend purchasing the Monadnock-Sunapee Trail map. FarOut Guides does offer a paid version of the trail as well, however, we found this trail was easily navigable with just the waterproof map. We also recommend downloading Gaia GPS for navigational purposes. This is a free app.

Fees & Parking

Parking at Monadnock State Park for more than one day requires purchasing multiple day passes. Be sure to contact the park before parking so that you don’t run into issues with getting a spot or being able to keep your car at the park for more than one day. There are no fees required to park at the northern terminus at Mount Sunapee.

Trip Description

Beginning from the south, our first day on trail was a solid twenty-mile push to the Crider Shelter. Thankfully, after the 2600’ climb to the summit of Mount Monadnock, the trail drops back down and levels out a bit more, making it less difficult to push a twenty-mile day out of the gate. The trail follows a large number of dirt and forest roads, passes through the Seaver Reservoir, with a scattering of small ponds, and through Nelson Center, your classic small town in New England. The side trail to Crider Shelter is just long enough to make you feel like you’re not directly on the trail, and the shelter itself is the classic Adirondack Style shelter situated in the center of a logged forest where you will have ample views of the night sky. The most noted features of this section of the trail are Mount Monadnock, Eliza Adams Gorge, and Nelson Village.

Day two we did another twenty-mile day push over a mixture of forest roads, small climbs over a handful of hills and small mountains, most notably Pitcher Mountain. The trail begins on forest roads and takes you past the Nye Meadow Sanctuary. After warming up on this flatter stretch of trail, the climbing begins as you make your gradual ascents and descents over a series of small field-covered hills which we believe are comparable to the bald mountains in southern Appalachia. Of note, the trail along the top of Pitcher Mountain is lined with blueberry bushes and frequented by locals during blueberry season. This section of trail is partially located in Andorra Forest, rich with wildlife and offers a variety of farmland, woodland, and wilderness terrain. The trail passes directly through Washington Center, which is the one place where you can resupply or stop for a meal on this trail at the Washington General Store. The trail passes just right of the store and then continues uphill for the final mountain of the day, Lovewell Mountain. It should be noted that the water source where we spent our second night on trail, Max Israel Shelter, is at the bottom of a steep climb to the shelter. Be sure to fill up before making the climb to the shelter.

The final day on trail was roughly fourteen miles including the descent from Sunapee Mountain to the trailhead. The terrain on this section of trail is more difficult than the terrain on day one. The majority of the day is spent in the forest on classic hiking trails and although there aren’t a substantial number of climbs, it was slower going simply because you’re no longer on forest or woods roads and are now hiking the majority of the time on a single track hiking trail. The final few miles to the terminus brings you over rock slabs known as White Ledges and right along the edge of Lake Solitude before making the final climb to the summit of Mount Sunapee. Although this stretch of trail leading to the summit of Mount Sunapee is slower going than the forest roads of day one, it is much more scenic and rather than cranking out big miles, is meant to be enjoyed. The final climb to the summit of Mount Sunapee is short but a steady climb up one of the ski trails to the summit lodge at the top of Mount Sunapee. There are a handful of ski trails that can be taken to the trailhead however we chose to take the red blazed Summit Trail which is directly south of the summit lodge.

Sample Itineraries

Three-Day Itinerary: (South to North) Monadnock Mountain trailhead take White Cross Trail (2 miles) to Crider Shelter ~ 20 miles; Crider Shelter to Max Israel Shelter ~ 20 miles; Max Israel Shelter to Sunapee Mountain summit, followed by Summit Trail to trailhead ~ 14 miles.

Four-Day Itinerary: (North to South) Sunapee Mountain trailhead take Summit Trail (2.1 miles) to Steve Galpin Shelter ~ 7.6 miles; Steve Galpin Shelter to General Washington Shelter ~ 11.2 miles; General Washington Shelter to Crider Shelter ~ 13.4 miles; Crider Shelter to Monadnock Mountain trailhead via White Dot Trail ~ 20 miles