Franconia Ridge Restoration Project

• Please follow the trail crew's instructions.

• Do not walk off trail to get around the project site.

• Please be patient for your safety and the safety of the trail workers. 

Did you know that the Franconia Ridge Trail is one of the busiest in the region, with up to 1,000 hikers per day in peak season? The view along the entire length of the ridge is the definition of spectacular. It encompasses a section of the Appalachian Trail, makes the 4,000-footer list and is a bucket list goal for day hikers and back packers alike. That’s why we’re working with the Partnership to Restore the Franconia Ridge Trail to ensure this resource can be enjoyed for generations to come.

The Franconia Ridge Trail Loop was built between 1826 and 1958 before the advent of modern knowledge and practices of building trails for resiliency. AMC, United States Forest Service, White Mountain National Forest, and New Hampshire Parks and Recreation crews are working to restore these trails to ensure they can withstand changing weather patterns and the increased use of The Franconia Ridge Trail. It is comprised of four trails: Franconia Ridge Trail, Falling Waters Trail; Greenleaf Trail, and Old Bridle Path. 8.6 miles of these trails are on White Mountain National Forest lands. The Trail traverses fragile alpine habitats and is home to the third largest connected area of alpine tundra in the eastern United States.

A special thank you goes out to all the trail crews and organizations putting the efforts forward to restore this incredible trail loop. The Partnership to Restore the Franconia Ridge consists of trail crews from the White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire State Parks, Appalachian Mountain Club, Northwoods Stewardship Center Conservation Corps, Vermont Youth Conservations Corps, New Hampshire Student Conservation Corps, Off the Beaten Path, Trailworks LLC and Peter Johnsen & Associates LLC.

We want future adventurers to be able to hike Franconia Ridge in the safest and most sustainable way possible. Our trail restoration work will make it easier for hikers to stay on the trail and avoid trampling the fragile ecosystem from the base to summit. The Franconia Ridge and Greenleaf trails traverse fragile alpine habitat that takes years to recover after being trampled, loss of this vegetation will have adverse effects on the alpine ecosystem. Portions of the Falling Waters Trail has numerous river crossings that have been heavily damaged by recent storms, making these crossing and rocks scrambles increasingly more challenging and dangerous. All of the trails are in need of significant repairs and some areas of the trail system will require realignment. This ensures a resilient future for both the trail loop and the surrounding natural areas.

Get Involved

Crews will spend 20 weeks drilling, splitting, and installing stone steps to make more uniform structures on the Old Bridle Path and upper Greenleaf Trail. If you would like to support the restoration efforts, there are numerous way you can get involved.

Volunteer for trail crew - Sign up for Saturday Volunteer Days. No experience is required, there will be a trained AMC leader on site to prove instruction and guidance. This is a wonderful opportunity to give back to the trail systems of New Hampshire, while learning about what it takes to build and maintain sustainable trails.

Not up for the physically demanding work of a trail crew? Your donations help keep crews on the trails, from paying for tools and equipment, to the necessary supplies need for extended stays in the wilderness.
Donate to the Appalachian Mtn Club
Donate to World Trails Network

2024 Field Updates

The 2024 restoration season kicked off on Memorial Day weekend. With many folks on the crew having less experience with masonry, they focused the first couple weeks on cycling people through all sorts of tasks. Volunteers are taking to the drilling and splitting with ease and have been able to make enough material to open up multiple sites and put in 21 new steps. Much of the material needed is below the current work site which requires crew to hand carry rocks up the trail to the work site.
See The Full Work Site Report Here.

Update 2: 6/10 - 7/4
During this time frame crews worked a total of 746 hours, built 47 rock steps, and 4 water bars. They started working on 2 reroutes around highly impacted sections of trail. Tahlia set a beautiful step in a particularly challenging section. Pinched between a large boulder and the edge of the trail, the step has wonderful contacts and visually fits into the landscape well. See The Full Work Site Report Here.

2023 Field Work - Dates: 5/29-10/19 Labor Hours: 3,095

Old Bridal Path, WMNF, Franconia Notch, NH Sponsor: Great American Outdoors Act Partner: USFS Pemi District, Appalachian Mountain Club, SCA, Northwoods Stewardship Center, VYCC

Crew leads - Deva Steketee, Emily Wight, Lou Kimball Accomplishments: 101 stone steps (two rocks wide), 32 stone steps (one rock wide), 9 rock water bars, 3 cairns rebuilt, 100’ alpine scree wall built (18” tall x 18” wide).

2022 Field Work - Dates: 9/12 to 10/6 Labor Hours: 669

Old Bridle Path, WMNF NH, 4 weeks Sponsor: White Mountain National Forest Pemi District, Great American Outdoors Act, Appalachian Mountain Club, Off the Beaten Path Trailworks, LLC.

Crew Leads - Emily Wight and Off The Beaten Path Trailworks Accomplishments: In tandem with, and under the tutelage of, 4 seasoned professional trail builders from Off the Beaten Path Trailworks, 4 AMC Trail Crew spent 4 weeks working on the Old Bridle Path from the USFS boundary up, constructing rock stairs to a high standard. The crew of 8, with a few days’ help from USFS Trail Crew and AMC TC Field Coordinators, built 82 rock stairs, many built two stones-wide, and all built to tight specifications, and replete with rock scree. In addition, they constructed 10 rock water bars to divert water from the trail and the newly built structures.