Modifications Announced For Popular Fall Foliage Hiking Trail

The hiking trail, which went viral last fall for its hordes of tourists, will see modifications that aim to improve crowd flow.

New Hampshire — Last fall, a popular hiking trail in the White Mountains made headlines for all the wrong reasons. The overcrowded trip up to Artist’s Bluff led to hazardous conditions, prompting calls for change. In response, changes are being made to the hiking experience.

Yesterday, New Hampshire State Parks announced revisions to the guest experience for those using the Artist’s Bluff Trail. Four notable changes have been made for this fall:

The addition of more staff members to monitor the trail. This will help ensure a safe crowd flow.
Creating one-way traffic flow to reduce the chances of falls, congestion, and injuries.
Having volunteers assist guests during busy periods.
Opening of facilities at Cannon Mountain’s Peabody base area. The Peabody base area typically only operates during ski season. This includes Cannon’s famous Cannonball Pub.

Visitors are advised to plan ahead, arrive early, and follow posted signage. It should be noted that the next few weeks will be heavy traffic periods, so don’t be surprised if the drive up to Franconia Notch is a bit slow.

“Our goal is to ensure that visitors can safely enjoy the beauty of Franconia Notch during one of the busiest times of the year,” said Jace Wirth, the General Manager at Cannon Mountain and Franconia Notch State Park. “By pairing smart guest flow management with strong environmental stewardship, we protect both the visitor experience and the natural landscape.”

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Situated in Franconia Notch State Park, the Artist’s Bluff Trail is a roughly 1.5-mile round-trip hike to two scenic overlooks of Echo Lake, Cannon Mountain, and Franconia Notch (the other viewpoint is Bald Mountain). There’s a shorter version of the trail located across from the Echo Lake parking lot, which many use to reach the lookout and return in the shortest time possible. This has led to it becoming a crowded hike in the past.

The Bluff is one of the many cool experiences at Franconia Notch State Park, with other options being The Basin, Flume Gorge, and Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway.