Greely Ponds Hike

Only one person signed up for this trip, but 3 additional people showed up, so we had a group of five for the hike.  We had a wonderful time. The trail is well marked with orange blazes and is not difficult.  There are lots of roots toward the beginning of this hike, but it is in the woods, so that’s to be expected. There were several areas where we crossed tiny streams and babbling brooks; this may have been due to all of the rain that we had in the previous two weeks. We came across few hikers on the way, but it is not a very popular hike.  The first pond has more areas where you can find a spot for swimming and hanging out.  But we opted to eat lunch at the second pond and then go back to the parking lot on the Kancamagus Highway.

This is a hardwood forest trail leads to two pristine mountain ponds.  This is an out and back trail.  The trail is rocky and muddy in places and there are several stream crossings. The ponds are very pretty and there are many protected plants growing in the boggy section of the second pond. There are good places to relax by the water and even to swim. This is a good year round hike. We can turn around at any point that we decide to. There are some nice water spills below the lower pond. Upper Greeley Pond, with its dark aqua-green color, is a beautiful spot, surrounded by old growth timber and towering cliffs. By contrast, Lower Greeley Pond is shallow and more typical of a beaver pond. Both ponds offer an enjoyable place to have a picnic lunch.