The stunning views and accessibility of Mount Monadnock make it one of the most popular hikes in the world.

No higher mountains in the area match Mount Monadnock, an impressive 3,165-foot peak in southwest New Hampshire and the only one more popular than Mount Fuji in Japan.

Mount Monadnock may not be as tall as many others in the White Mountains, but it still offers a good workout for hiking experts and less experienced adventurers. 

We were in a group of eight people who hiked to Mount Monadnock today. We headed to New Hamshire from Boston early morning and reached Jeffry around 9:30 AM. 

We had a parking reservation, so there was no hustle to park. We started hiking at exactly 9:45 AM and followed the longest trail route, the white dot trail(from park headquarter). It is the shortest, about 2 miles, and takes 3/4 hours, the most direct route to the summit.

Several viewpoints are available along this trail, which passes through mixed forest and over a steep ledge.

There are several direct routes to the summit of Mount Monadnock, most of which take 3-4 hours roundtrip:

• White Cross Trail (from Park Headquarters): The White Cross Trail is 2.1 miles from Headquarters and takes 3-4 hours roundtrip. It is mostly less steep than the slightly shorter White Dot Trail, with a few more vertical spots

• Old Toll Road/White Arrow Trail (from Route 124 Old Toll Road Trailhead) This hike begins with a road walk up the Old Toll Road for about one mile, then follows a rocky trail where the road leads to a private residence (2.2 miles, 3-4 hours roundtrip).

• Dublin Trail: It will take approximately three to four hours to complete the Dublin trail (formerly known as the farmer trail or the darling trail). It is also one of the oldest trails on the mountain and is considered one of the least difficult to reach the summit.

• Birchtoft Trail/Red Spot Trail (from Gilson Pond Campground)There are 2.1 miles to the Birchtoft Trail, marked in red rectangles, and easy, gradual grades along this first section. (3.5 mi, 5-6 hours roundtrip) Birchtoft Trail is a blaze in red rectangles and consists of 2.1 miles of this route.

We finished our hiking around 4:45 PM. Unfortunately, it took us longer than expected, 3 hours, because some of us were hiking for the first time and had a little injury. 

Due to not having much experience, We made some mistakes. We were running out of water. We were feeling dehydrated. As a consequence, we were not able to reach the summit. 

We were heading back to with white cross trail, which is 2.2 miles. We thought down hile would be easier than uphill, but we were wrong. 

Finally, we came back to the parking lot around 4:45 PM. That was my third hiking experience. 

After finishing the Mount Monadnock hike, the world’s second most popular hiking place, I feel motivated. And we were blessed to walk over the 400 million old stones.