DIXVILLE NOTCH REGION
The Baldhead-Kelsey Notch region marks the beginning of the Dixville Notch/Stewartstown plateau section of The Cohos Trail. There is a good "open" trail or service road from Kelsey Notch all the way to Coleman State Park.
| Kelsey Notch Trail | OPEN | The trail off Baldhead Mountain to the original road from Colebrook to Maine. The trail descends two miles to an old rough service road in remote country. The CT moves eastward on it three-quarters of a mile to a junction with the Dixville Peak service road. It is a snowmobile trail in the winter. |
| Dixville Peak Trail | OPEN | This trail climbs out of the Kelsey Notch area, runs over Dixville Peak and down the northern side of the sprawling mountain. It is now maintained as a major snowmobile route. |
| Wilderness Link | OPEN | A link between the Dixville Peak Trail and the top of The Balsams Wilderness ski area, this short old service road is growing in but is easy to follow. It received a bit of ditching work in 2001 to dry it out but it still can be wet in spots following storms or during wet summers. |
| Table Rock XC Ski Trail | OPEN | From the Balsams Wilderness ski lift atop Mt. Gloriette, a XC-ski trail runs on level ground through mixed forest growth out to the Three Brothers Trail and famous Table Rock high above Dixville Notch. |
| Three Brothers Trail | OPEN | Rebuilt, extended and well laid out by the North Country Trailmasters, this old trail with new extension is now in great shape in dramatic cliff and ledge country. |
| Sanguinary Mt. Trail | OPEN | Old, good woods trail up the ledges and cliffs of Sanguinary Mt. A delightful trail. |
| Sanguinary Summit Trail (Low Route) | OPEN | New trail built by the Richards family of Colebrook, NH with help from a college student, Tracy Rexford of Lancaster, NH. Trail leaves the Sanguinary Mt. Trail near the heights along the cliffs and rides uphill and north toward the true summit. Eventually the trail reachs a height of land where the "High Route" takes off to the north. But this trail turns west and immediately falls rapidly downhill to become the "Low Route" into the string-of-ponds valley well north of the famous Balsams Grand Resort Hotel. |
| Sanguinary Summit Trail (High Route) | OPEN | This three-mile trail was completed in July, 2002. It permits the CT to run the long Sanguinary Mt. ridge and Mud Pond Ridge deep into remote country. It reaches several stunning viewpoints and is a fine edition to the trail. It boasts the large Panorama lean-to with its stunning views. |
| Canal Trail | OPEN | A soft old service road for the water canal runs alongside of it. The canal funnels water to The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel complex. The trail follows it to Mud Pond. |
| Spruce Trail | OPEN | Just south of Mud Pond, this lane exits right (north) at a crossroads. Walk gently uphill on a jeep path for half a mile then reach an intersection. Turn downhill to the right (going east) on a poor road called the Nathan Pond Trail into and through lengthy alder thickets to a remote junction. Turn left. Do not turn right! |
| Old OHV Road (Nathan Pond Trail) | OPEN | Northeast bound - very old access way past Nathan Pond to Swift Diamond territory. Once you reach this trail at the junction with the old OHV route, you must turn left (if northbound) right (if southbound) or risk drifting deep into logging country on endless logging roads. Pass Nathan Pond on the ancient corduroy road here. |
| Nathan Pond Trail Link | OPEN | A very short weedy snowmobile link between the OHV Trail and the northern extension of the Nathan Pond Trail. |
| Nathan Pond Trail (northern section) | OPEN | Very weedy ancient logging route just to the north of Nathan Pond. Eventually crosses a snowmobile bridge and then reachs a second one just off the trail to the southeast. Don't cross the second bridge. Instead cut right uphill (going northbound) away from the second bridge. Trail is a wide, weedy corridor steadily climbing toward Tumble Dick Mt. notch. |
| Tumble Dick Mt. Trail | OPEN | An old logging road that has become a nice wooded trail over the years. It rises from the Nathan Pond basin in a depression between Sugar Hill Mountain and Tumble Dick Mountain. It runs over a height of land between the two peaks. We call it by the Tumble Dick Mt. name to avoid confusion with another such trail on Sugar Hill. A little bulldozing work was recently done in the high "S" turn near the notch. |
| Diamond Ponds Trail | OPEN | For lack of a name, we call the extension from the Tumble Dick and Sugar Hill to Coleman State Park, The Diamond Ponds Trail in honor of the two high elevation bodies of water on the Stewartstown plateau, one called Little Diamond, the other called Big Diamond. This trail ends at Coleman State Park, a State facility. |
Photo Albums and More
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