Boulder Loop Trail

White Mountain National Forest - Boulder Loop Trail
The Boulder Loop Trail is located off the Kancamgus Highway near the Covered Bridge Campground. The three-mile-long trail passes through broad-leafed and evergreen forests to reach its highest point at ledges 1000 feet above the Passaconaway Valley. Allow about 1 to 1= hours for the walk up and one hour for the downward leg. Along the trail are 18 stops which are numbered and keyed to the guide below. Yellow blazes mark the trail route.
Sturdy footwear should be worn on this trail. Hiking boots are recommended. Please stay on the trail and use caution at all times, particularly near the ledges.

Over 50,000 years ago, the Wisconsin Ice Sheet gathered in Canada and grew southward. Eventually it covered every mountain and valley in New Hampshire. On melting, the ice picked up frozen soil and broken pieces of rock. This glacial material acted like a giant piece of sandpaper being dragged across the land surface. The last of the ice melted away some 10,000 years ago.

As you walk this trail you will see the effects and results of glaciers. The scoured and scratched granite was probably covered by soil before the grinding ice dragged the surface material away and exposed the ancient bedrock.