News

By Tara Giles

It was early August, six months after COVID-19 shut down our normal way of living, that I had an ‘a-ha’ moment. I had been getting out on the trails several times per week, as my new laid-back schedule afforded me more time than I knew what to do with. I took note of how busy the trails had become. This was a refreshing sight, however I knew that what I wanted from the forest and the peaks required something more.

The more time that I spent away from the chaos, bask [READ MORE…]

By Kris Pieper

The sun is shining and the snow is melting – summer hiking season is almost upon us! Are you looking to try out some new trails this year? The Cohos Trail may be known primarily for its thru-hiking experience, but it is made up of a great many smaller trail sections that are perfect for day hikes or a bit of afternoon exploring whenever you’ve got the time. With that said, here are some of our favorite day hikes along the CT.

Cherry Mountain – Owls Head/Mt. [READ MORE…]

By Kim Nilsen

Picture this: It’s mid-August. And it’s bloody hot. It hasn’t rained appreciably for weeks. And you are in the Kilkenny division of the White Mountain National Forest and you’re running low on water. In fact, you drank your last drop. Life is hard!

While finding water is usually no problem throughout the length of the Cohos Trail, there are sections of trail where locating water is a real problem in bone dry summers. And you’re in the Kilkenny and parched. What to do [READ MORE…]

By Kim Nilsen

The Cohos Trail is about 170 miles in length. That’s a lot of terrain to maintain annually. Hundreds hike some or all of the pathway each year. If you are one of those many, you may be able to help the Cohos Trail volunteer trail adopters and crews by doing simple maintenance work on the trails anytime you are out on the trail, even if just for a few minutes. Here are some simple maintenance tasks you could perform by hand or with a simple nonpowered tool or two while y [READ MORE…]

By Ken Vallery

“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign.” Sung in the 70’s by the Five-Man Electrical Band, it became an anthem signifying a culture-call for freedom during an era a few of us still remember. Currently, we are living in a viral-pandemic kind of world and signs are abundant, just signs of a different kind. Signs that tell us to wear a face mask, keep our distance, wash our hands, and more.

As hikers keep socially distant, they look for pathways further from the crowds, making [READ MORE…]

By Kim Nilsen

Each year we try to inform the Cohos Trail universe of potential trouble spots to watch for along the trail system between Crawford Notch and Fourth Connecticut Lake on the boundary with Canada. Here is a rundown of rough edges you may encounter out there in 2021 – from blowdowns and thick grass to logging operations and bridges in need of repairs.

SPRING 2021 LOGGING NEAR COLEMAN STATE PARK
As of February 16, 2021, logging operations are planned fo [READ MORE…]

The Cohos Trail Association has added two new faces to its board of directors. We are excited to have Aaron Goff and Tara Giles helping to run the show – here’s a little bit about them.

 
Aaron Goff – Cambridge, MA
For the past 30 years Aaron has hiked and explored thousands of miles of forests, mostly in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, but also in Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado. He has been hiking the C [READ MORE…]

By Kris Pieper

As of February 16, 2021, logging operations are planned for the winter and early spring in Stewartstown township. Hikers must use caution while traveling the Cohos Trail in the Coleman State Park region. Active logging can pose an extreme hazard to a hiker. Approach all logging equipment and trucks with caution. Please gain visual attention and acknowledgement from all machine operators encountered. Do not assume they can see you. Although the actual impact of this lo [READ MORE…]

By Kris Pieper

We are actively monitoring COVID-19 and assessing its impacts on the Cohos Trail. As the situation is constantly changing, we will be using this page as a space for updates as more information becomes available to us. Check back here and on Facebook for the latest on COVID-19 and its impact on the Cohos Trail.

 
SHELTERS AND TENT PLATFORM REOPENED – WITH RESTRICTIONS
Following State regulations, The Cohos Trail Association has reopened its five shelters and t [READ MORE…]

By Kim Nilsen

Everyone is familiar with the AMC’s high huts in the White Mountains and many have dropped in on the Randolph Mountain Club’s huts 3,000-plus vertical feet above Route 2 in the northern Presis. In Colorado, the 10th Mountain Division hut system stretches across the state. In Europe, of course, high mountain huts and hostels are a continental treasure.

And the Cohos Trail? Could there be a hiker hut in the mighty CT’s future? If so, what stones would we have to look u [READ MORE…]