North Moat Mountain Hike & Swim

 Although this hike had many easy sections, because of the long steep sections and the heat/humidity the Moderate/Strenuous rating became Strenuous. Being avid hikers we initially thought this would be a Moderate/Strenuous hike but by the time we finished had upgraded to Strenuous based on the relative abilities of our hiking club.

From Diana's Baths parking lot, twelve hikers and one dog [Sonny] departed at the scheduled departure time of 9:15am. We checked out Diana's Bath [we couldn' find Diana's tiara] and then headed up the Red Ridge Trail.

The air was hot, hazy and humid as we strolled a couple miles through red pines [oops...I stand corrected...these were hemlocks]. We then came to a junction with a logging road, saw our path had an arrow pointing back into the hardwoods from across, and continued forward. We met up with a group in a small ravine who had lost the trail along with us. Together we found out the trail took a sharp left about 100 yards before the ravine to cross a brook. To prevent future hikers from going straight ahead in error, we blocked off the trail with branches.  

We began to climb a little on Red Ridge Trail and then came to rocks and ledges and rested at an awesome lookout area where we could see North Conway and the fire tower on North Kearsage. We journeyed together and leapfrogged upwards with some other hikers. The heat/humidity began to affect Bill so he decided to turn around. It was past noon and we were ready for lunch. We stopped at the junction of Red Ridge and Moat Mountain Trails.

Afterwards, we headed over the beautiful wooded ridge and up some long and steep rocks for the next 1.1 miles to the summit of North Moat Mountain. We enjoyed a 360-degree view. Rich had not carried enough water and became dehydrated. He became dillusional [more on that later] so we gave him some of our water.

We all started the descent together a bit gingerly down the steep ledges of Moat Mountain Trail with little skidding. Jon and I waited up at the brook crossings and/or junctions until those behind caught up. Rich had gone ahead of the pack and ran back towards us indicating he saw two baby cubs scrambling up a tree. [Knowing he was dehydrated and dillusional we had a trouble believing him]. We found this excellent swimming hole and everyone went in to cool off. Everyone was appreciative of the trails but found it tougher than expected factoring in the heat/humidity, 10+ miles and 8 hours we put into it.  

We finished off the day at Moat Mountain Brewery and celebrated the birthdays of Kevin, Corey and Miloe whose birthdays were only four days apart. Happy Birthday Boyz!

A demanding climb above tree line to 360-degree views! Post-hike swim at Diana's Baths!

We begin the hike on the North Mountain Trail, passing by Diana's Baths, a tantalizing mix of potholes, cascades, slides, and small plunges formed by Lucy Brook, and which provides a good swimming hole for everyone to swim after the hike. Wear your bathing suit for this hike! We'll continue to the trail junction with the Red Ridge Trail, and then follow this to the Red Ridge Link. It's an easy hike up to this point, gaining very little elevation.

The climbing then begins in earnest as we begin our 2,000 foot ascent over Red Ridge to join the North Mountain trail upper junction on the ridge crest between North Moat and Middle Moat. Portions of the trail are on open ledges that offer magnificent views facing North Conway. We'll then summit North Moat Mountain [3,196'], which has unobstructed views in all directions. From the summit, it is 3.7 miles back to Diana's Baths on the Moat Mountain Trail all the way. 

We plan on taking a dip at Diana's Baths once we finish so wear a bathing suit for this hike and pack a small towel. Have a change of clothing back at the car. 

Trip summary: 8.9 miles; 2,650 feet elevation gain; 7 hours

After the Hike: What better way to end the hike than have dinner at the Moat Mountain Micro-Brewery in North Conway!

Lodging Option: Bunk beds are available at my house near Waterville Valley, NH for Friday and Saturday night for $20 per night. Coffee/bagels each morning and linen/blankets/towels are provided. We have limited space in the fridge to store your beverages/food so it's best to bring a small cooler. Space is limited so email me ASAP to reserve a bunk!