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About


Mt. Moriah
Gorham, NH, Bean's Purchase, NH

Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below.
The Stony Brook Trail
The Stony Brook Trail

Route: Mt. Carter Road, old Stony Brook Trail, Stony Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, (Mt. Moriah), Carter-Moriah Trail, Stony Brook Trail, old Stony Brook Trail, Mt. Carter Road

After multiple inches of rain two days earlier, we were unsure of what the Stony Brook water crossing would be like. Being that it's a bit of walk to get to the actual crossing, we decided to instead follow the old route of the trail and avoid it.

After parking at the regular Stony Brook Trail parking area, we walked up the paved road, eventually bearing left onto a dirt road. At the end of this dirt road, there was a small parking area and some for sale signs. We continued straight onto a less prominent road, reaching the present day trail just after its water crossing in about five minutes (just a bit under twenty minutes from the parking lot). While an option now, I suspect this old route will not be available once future real estate developments commence.

From there, we continued under the fall foliage on the wet trail, eventually reaching the Carter Moriah Trail. Once on this trail, we had to deal with some mud pits and large puddles from the rain. Most of the minor scramble ledges, though, were dry and passable.

The views from Mt. Moriah were quite strong - the Presidentials were mostly in the clear and peaks to the northeast in Maine were easily seen, aside from the Mahoosucs in a morning fog.

We took our time on the descent, checking out the nice Wild River Valley foliage views.


Hike Ratings
Getting To Trailhead: Easy
Destination: Mt. Moriah
Length: Moderate
Steepness: Difficult
Navigation: Moderate
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Minimal


Hike Stats
Date Hiked: Sunday, October 3, 2010
Hike Commenced: 7:59 AM
Parking Elevation: 930'
Destination: Mt. Moriah
Ascent Commenced: 8:12 AM
Summit Reached: 10:30 AM
Time Elapsed: 02:18
Trailhead Elevation: 1,195'
Summit Elevation: 4,049'
Vertical Gain: 2,994'
Hike Ended: 1:39 PM
Hike Time Elapsed: 05:40
Hike Vertical Gain: 3,399'


The old Stony Brook Trail trailhead
The old Stony Brook Trail trailhead

Looking down the Carter-Moriah Trail
Looking down the Carter-Moriah Trail

Looking at the Presidentials from Mt. Moriah - Click to enlarge
Looking at the Presidentials from Mt. Moriah




Directions to trailhead: Take Route 16 North from Pinkham Notch. The Stony Brook parking area will be on the right, at the beginning of Mt. Carter Road. To reach the old Stony Brook Trail, not posted as of early fall 2010, continue on foot up Mt. Carter Road, eventually bearing left onto a straight grassy road. The old Stony Brook Trail starts at the end of that road, adjacent to some boulders.

Back to Mt. Moriah Profile




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