Kid Tracks Column: Hiking Table Rock at Grafton Notch State Park

The kids and I visited Grafton Notch State Park because we wanted to hike part of the Appalachian Trail this summer. It was our first visit to the area because it's rare for us to have an activity-free day in our schedule to make the 4-hour roundtrip drive from our house. It was just as well our trip was so long in coming. The trail to Table Rock would have been too much for my kids when they were younger.

I had hoped that by hiking the Appalachian Trail in August, the kids would have an opportunity to run into some thru-hikers. It turned out that we did see quite a few "professional hikers" as my 9-year-old liked to call them.

"They wear those big backpacks and use metal sticks and hike really big mountains. You know mom, not like us."

We chose to take the white-blazed trail - which is the part of the Appalachian Trail that goes through the park - to the blue-blazed trail on to Table Rock. In the brochure it said that the white-blazed trail "rises moderately" and that was accurate when looking at it from an adult's perspective. For a kid it was a steep, 1.5-mile climb to the top but do-able if they have the endurance and experience to handle it.

We took lots of breaks during the hike to drink water, explore the small streams, identify leaves for my 11-year-old's 4-H forestry project and briefly chat with other hikers.

About a mile up the mountain we saw the blue-blazed trail leading to Table Rock. It was even steeper than what we had already climbed and full of large boulders. My 11-year-old's first reaction was a groan but after a break that included the kids' favorite candy, we continued on our way.

The brochure had suggested that less experienced hikers and families take the blue-blazed trail. But in my humble opinion as a parent, that steep, boulder-covered trail was not for a young, inexperienced hiker. To put things in to perspective, we ran in to four different couples with medium- to large-sized dogs on the trail and none of them made it to Table Rock. Each said their dog couldn't manage the climb over the boulders and one guy jokingly told us there was no way in (expletive) he was going to carry his dog over them.

To get on to Table Rock itself, we had to climb up a half-dozen metal steps drilled into the rock. My 9-year-old thought they were fun and later said that was her favorite part of the trail.

I decided to lead the way up the stairs so I could scope out the area. I immediately identified a boundary line the kids could not cross because there were no fences or barriers to prevent a 900-foot fall off the ledge.

We enjoyed our lunch atop Table Rock and my 11-year-old commented that she would like to hike Old Speck (it was the mountain directly across from us).

"It would be cool to hike in those clouds but I don't want to do that today mom. We're having fun right now on this mountain."

I agreed completely.

We chose to follow the same trail back down because I didn't immediately see the orange-blazed trail markers identified on the trail map and thought it would be easier with the kids to simply go the way we came.

We spent about three hours on the mountain, which included our picnic lunch, and the kids drank about 64-ounces of water along the way on an over-cast, 70-degree day.

Table Rock is a great hike for older kids and teens because it offers a challenge and sense of accomplishment. It can also turn in to an interesting history lesson about the AT. But parents should plan well and be sure their kids are ready for it. My kids' beaming faces on Table Rock made this hike worth the wait for us.

NEED TO KNOW

Trail name: Table Rock
Nearest Town: Newry
Region: Western Lakes & Mountains
Difficulty: Intermediate Directions: On Route 26 just north of Newry

Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram, August 2007