Mt. Flume/Liberty via Flume Slide Trail

The drive up to the Flume visitor’s center was uneventful and easy. We decided to use the bike path to jump on the Liberty Brook Trail. From the parking lot, we hiked the flat paved bike path for about 20 minutes to reach the Liberty Spring Trail junction. Temperatures were around 50 degrees at the start and prevented us from overheating.

The trail started out easy with a slight grade and good footing, although the trail is not smooth. Granite everywhere makes this an orthopedic surgeon’s nightmare if you’re not careful. At about 1 mile, we met the junction of the Flume Slide Trail and peeled off to the right to follow it.

At about 1.6 miles we came to the first of several easy stream crossings. The incline increased (with our heart rates). It was a pleasant forest walk made better with the color of the fall foliage surrounding us.  

We continued onward and upward for a while and the trail continued to get steeper and rockier.This was all in preparation for a walk up the Flume Slide. Throughout most of the hike so far the views were restricted, and except at the few stream crossings, there wasn’t much to look at.  We found a couple campsites as we got closer to the slide. As the trail continued, the climbing got steeper and the rocks got bigger. After crossing a couple more small brooks, the trail turned away from the brook and started becoming more gravelly as we approached the Flume Slide.

The White Mountain Guide has this to say about the Flume Slide: “It is an extremely steep, rough trail, with polished rock slabs that are extremely slippery when wet (and they are nearly always wet, due to the many seep springs on these steep slopes). It is not recommended for descent and its use is discouraged in wet weather when the ledges are more than ordinarily dangerous.” We were lucky that the slabs were mostly dry for us. But even under ideal conditions, this was not an easy hike. There is real climbing involved, and if heights scare you or you are not comfortable hiking on slick rock, you might want to investigate an alternate route (like following the Liberty Spring Trail the entire way).

The slide was an interesting and difficult climb under these conditions. We would say it was a slightly less difficult climb than the North Slide of Tripyramid. However, the overall hike, including the long, steep approach was far more grueling. However, although the slide is mostly overgrown, it does open up near the top and offered us the first real views of the trip. We began to see views of Kinsman Mountain and Cannon Mountain. 

Many of us were wearing blue shirts so throughout the day we heard other hikers call us the "men in blue"! Perhaps we should run a "Blue Man Group" or "BlueBoys" hike in the future? LOL...

Throughout this hike, every time we felt like we were getting close to the top we’d turn another corner and see another mile of trail ahead of us. As we neared the peak of Mt. Flume, there must have been at least 25 people on the summit so we decided to have lunch at an outcropping before the summit. By this time we were definitely ready for lunch. So we relaxed, ate, and rested for a good 30 minutes. The panorama is grand. After cooling off in the light breeze we moved out towards Mt. Liberty.

The hike through the saddle was uneventful, and a good rest for our legs. Once again, as we proceeded through the saddle and began the climb to the summit of Liberty, our legs started to give out again. And once again, this seemed like the never-ending climb. Each time we thought we should be getting near the top, we’d get a glimpse of the real summit and see that we were way far away. 

The summit of Mt. Liberty provided us with 360-degree views overlooking the great forests to the east in the Pemigewasset Wilderness. As we sat and rested and drank more water, we realized that the hour was advancing and we still had a decent hike back to the car. So, after about 30 minutes, we pushed ourselves to go on and started down the trail. After a few minutes we came across the Liberty Spring Campsite on the AT. The Liberty Spring Campsite is conveniently located at; you guessed it, the Liberty Spring. When we walked past, some of us filled up our water bottles for that fresh, cold water. There were still some spaces left on the tent platforms. There is a caretaker who charges $8 to use the tent platforms…and there must be an outhouse nearby. 

The hike down was long and steady, and by the time we got to the end we were tired. We reached the parking lot at about five o’clock.

If the weather were wet, we would definitely suggest the Liberty Spring Trail as the way to go. Although the climb is the same either way, the Liberty Spring Trail is steadier over its entire length, rather than flat at the beginning and then really steep. However, both of these trails can be best described as, "long, man. Just long and up. A lot." 

Afterwards most of us went back to the house for some drinks/snacks on the deck while enjoying the fall foliage. Afterwards Jon cooked up a delicious dinner of maple coated salmon, grilled zucchini/yellow squash with garlic & onions, roasted potatoes, grilled rice, spinach pasta salad and toasted bread.  

Rock slides + exposed ledges + 2 four thousand footers + spectacular vistas + loop hike + fall foliage = ADVENTURE!!!

Flume Slide Trail is the most direct approach to the Mt. Flume Summit with the upper portion extremely steep and difficult as it follows the route of one of the mountain's old slides. Because many of the rock slabs which the route passes are extremely dangerous when wet, this route is not recommended in times of wet weather. Members not comfortable with such steep terrain are advised not to sign up. If you are a fast hiker and don't like to stick with the group either up or down, then please do not sign up. GROUP SAFETY IS OUR MOST IMPORTANT CONCERN.

Flume Slide to Summit
Appearing as a rocky pinnacle to drivers and passengers northbound on I-93 and US 3 beyond Lincoln, Mount Flume sets the style for the Franconia Ridge. Perhaps you've turned into the Flume Visitor Center for information and hiked into the Flume Gorge. We will actually be starting at the Flume Visitor Center and take the bike path to the Liberty Spring Trail.

The Liberty Spring Trail, a section of the Appalachian Trail, will take us up fairly steeply through a leafy forest, and in 0.5 mile we'll take a right on the Flume Slide Trail. We'll be descending using the Liberty Spring Trail making this a loop hike.Taking the Flume Slide Trail from this junction, we'll begin a woods walk for almost 3 miles to the base of the mountain.

For more than 0.5 mile, we'll face the side of the mountain where once an avalanche of rocks and gravel poured down. At the top of the slide we'll keep left as the trail enters spruces and firs, climbing to the junction with the Franconia Ridge Trail. We'll follow the Franconia Ridge Trail left up into the spruce scrub to the edge of open cliffs and reach the summit of 4,328 feet. Northward we'll see the barren and rocky crests of Mount Liberty, Mount Lincoln and Mount Lafayette, highest in the range.  

Fraconia Ridge Trail to Mt. Lincoln/Liberty Springs Trail
We'll continue on to Mount Liberty [4,459 feet] down and up about 1.1 miles that overlooks the great forests to the east in the Pemigewasset Wilderness. Beyond the peak we'll descend a bit over 3.5 miles down the Liberty Spring Trail, to the bike path and then back to our cars.  

Type: Loop
Duration: 8 hours
Elevation Gain: 3,367 feet
Mileage: 10 miles

This is not a dog friendly hike. 

After The Hike: Everyone is welcome back at our house for dinner. Bring a change of clothing and take a shower to freshen up...we have plenty of towels. It's BYOB and the cost is $5 to pay for food costs.   

Lodging Option: We have 8 bunks available with linen for Friday and/or Saturday night at our house in Waterville Valley for $20. You can use the kitchen facilities and store beverages/food in the fridge. I serve coffee in the morning and a continental breakfast. Contact me to RSVP. SPACE IS LIMITED TO EIGHT GUYS.