Bald Cap Peak Ledges (near Shelburne, NH)

INTRODUCTION: 

In mid-May-2019, I finished my springtime maintenance on my adopted Bald Cap Peak Ledges Trail (located near Shelburne, NH).  The trail was in pretty good shape, and so there are not any dramatic ‘before and after’ photos to show regarding maintenance work. 😃  Only a few minor deadfalls were removed, as well as some general tidying by tossing some fallen branches off the trail corridor.

Accessing the Bald Cap Peak Ledges Trail involves hiking the Peabody Brook Trail (PBT).  The PBT was in good shape up to the Giant Falls spur trail and then onward up to the ladder which was newly replaced in Autumn 2018.  HOWEVER, shortly beyond the ladder, the PBT was extremely overgrown, plus there were several downed trees.  And, at the point where the PBT crosses Peabody Brook, one of the downed trees was obscuring the trail, as well as the brook-crossing point.  This situation was reported to the organization responsible for maintenance of this trail.

PHOTOS: 

This is the new ladder installed in Autumn 2018 along the Peabody Brook Trail which is the trail I use to access my adopted Bald Cap Peak Ledges Trail.   As anyone knows who has traveled this trail in years past, this ladder was long overdue for replacement!

I didn’t have time to visit Giant Falls by hiking the spur trail off the Peabody Brook Trail.  However, as you hike along the upper portions of the Peabody Brook Trail, you can catch “through-the-trees” glimpses of numerous unnamed cascades, such as the one shown here.

Upon arrival at the Bald Cap Peak ledges, there are many magnificent views.  The ‘star attraction’ is the vista of mountains in the Presidential Range and Carter-Moriah Range, with nearby Reflection Pond in the foreground.

Another picturesque view from the Bald Cap Peak ledges is this vista looking eastward along the Androscoggin Valley toward Maine.  If you have ever hiked to Middle Mountain, then you might recognize the bald spot opening seen atop the first little mountain in foreground at the bottom/center of this photo.

Springtime is slow to arrive in this northern part of NH.  The only wildflower that I saw along my route was this solo Painted Trillium standing proudly all by itself near a large boulder.

As further evidence that springtime is slow to arrive in this northern part of NH, there were several patches of snow still remaining along the upper portion of the Peabody Brook Trail, as well as along the Bald Cap Peak Ledges Trail.

My route of travel is highlighted in yellow on this map.  The round-trip mileage for this hike is about 6.2 miles. It should be noted that trailhead parking is limited to about 3 to 4 cars along the shoulder of the south side of North Road (at 1.3 miles east of the junction with U.S. 2).