Hiking to Mt. Agassiz the Old-Fashioned Way

Back in the day before the automobile was commonplace, I assume that the folks in Bethlehem would merely step out the door and hike to the top of Mt. Agassiz.  Regardless of whether that was indeed the case, it is something that I occasionally do.  It's about a 5 mile round-trip jaunt from my doorstep to the top of the mountain.   As will be explained later, there is a more direct route available to the public which does not involve leaving from my doorstep. :-)

And so, the journey from my doorstep begins by walking into the woods at the edge of my property. 
(As always, click on any of the photos for enhanced viewing.)

Where my journey begins

A short walk on a pathway through the woods brings me to a rail corridor that once ran through the village of Bethlehem up until the early 1900s.

Old rail corridor

In certain places along the rail corridor, you can still spot some of the old wooden ties.

An old railroad tie

Most of the old rail corridor is wooded on either side, but there is one spot where you can gaze across an opening and see mountains in the Dalton Range.

Dalton Range viewed from old rail corridor

The old rail corridor eventually peters out, and then I head toward Main Street (US 302) where I emerge nearly opposite an eatery called Rosa Flamingos.  Once upon a time, at a spot just a few hundred feet from Rosa's, was the trailhead for Turner's Path which led to the top of Mt. Agassiz.  And actually, at one time this was one of four (4) trails from various locations in Bethlehem that would lead you to the top of this mountain!  In addition to Turner's Path, there was the Maplewood Path, the Strawberry Hill Path, and the Agassiz Carriage Road.

Rosa Flamingos (Turner's Path to Mt. Agassiz once left from a spot nearby)

My walk down Main Street takes me past a picturesque church which has been decommissioned and no longer in use.  It's for sale!  Anyone in the market for a church?

Church for sale

And as I continue down Main Street, I walk past a variety of businesses, such as those shown in the next two snapshots.

Antique store

 Auto repair shop

My amble down Main Street also takes me past a building that has been an eyesore for years.  Finally, the legal and financial obstacles have been overcome, and it will be demolished over the next several weeks.  The current plans are for the property to become the site of a new Public Library for the village of Bethlehem.

This building was built in 1876 as a hotel which was originally called the Avenue House, and later was named the Gramercy.  However, when it was last operational as a hotel it was known as the Maplehurst.  Before its demise it operated for a number of years as the Chase Golf and Tennis Camp.  When John Kennedy, Jr was 15 years old, he stayed at this camp for a month in the mid 1970s.

Here is a composite photo of this old building as it is readied for demolition. (This will eventually be the site of the new Bethlehem Public Library.)

Maplehurst Hotel as it appears in June 2012

And shown below is how this building appeared in its heyday.

Maplehurst Hotel in its heyday

Eventually, I leave Main Street and head up Agassiz Street (NH 142) which will take me to the entrance to the former Agassiz Carriage Road that leads to the top of Mt. Agassiz.

As I walk along Agassiz Street, I can catch glimpses of my destination.  In the next photo, Mt. Agassiz (with communication tower barely visible) can be seen on the horizon just to left of the house seen in the foreground.

Mt. Agassiz (with tower on top) on the horizon

The point at which I leave Agassiz Street (NH 142) is also the where the public can begin a hike to Mt. Agassiz by parking at a wide spot along the shoulder of the east side of road, exactly one-mile south of the junction of NH 142 and US 302 in the center of Bethlehem village. The next photo shows the "trailhead" parking on the shoulder of the road.

"Trailhead" parking for Mt. Agassiz

As you begin your trek, you might think you're at the wrong spot!  On the first 100 ft or so of the road to Mt. Agassiz there are some rusting abandoned cars, plus a couple of rundown buildings.  However, just keep walking and very soon you'll see the sign shown in the next photo. (If you don't soon see this sign, then you're on the wrong road!)

Sign near beginning of road to Mt. Agassiz

Most of the road leading to the top of Mt. Agassiz looks similar to what is shown in the next photo.

Typical section of roadway that you walk to top of Mt. Agassiz

Rather than hike the road, there is a path through the woods for the lower portion of the trek.  However, it's too complicated to explain as to how to access it, and besides you eventually need to emerge back onto the road for the final push to the top.

Path through the woods at lower end of route to Mt. Agassiz

On the way up to the mountain, there is a short side-path that leads to a spot where you can sort of get a preview of the vista available from the top of Mt. Agassiz.

View from short side path along route to top of Mt. Agassiz

When you get to the top of the mountain, the owner has kindly placed a sign which provides a brief history of Mt. Agassiz.

Sign providing a brief history of Mt. Agassiz

Besides the owner's generosity of allowing access to his property, plus providing an informational sign, he also maintains a gorgeous viewing area for hikers to enjoy, as seen in the next photo.

Viewing area at top of Mt. Agassiz

From this viewing area are several vistas including mountains in the Franconia Range and Twin Range.  A sampling of these views are seen in the next two (2) photos.

View toward Franconia Range

View toward Twin Range

While at the viewing area, I took a zoomed photo of the rocky summit of Mt. Lafayette (5,260 ft)  which I had just visited earlier in the week when hiking the Franconia Ridge. (Click HERE for a report of that hiking adventure.)

Zoomed photo of Mt. Lafayette from Mt. Agassiz

Directly behind the viewing area sits the owners house, as shown in the next photo.

Owner's house atop Mt. Agassiz

I didn't linger for very long at the viewing area.  The biting insects were out in force!  And so, I descended the mountain and returned home via the same route as was taken for the outbound leg of my journey.

To sum it up, it's terrific to be able to launch this trek from the convenience of my doorstep.  As indicated in the title of my report, perhaps this is the old-fashioned way of hiking to Mt. Agassiz, back in the days before automobiles were commonplace.  This is an enjoyable hike, and it also has enough distance and elevation gain to keep you in shape for ramblings farther from home.