Trip Report/Photos from JDNnh
Cone Mountain: A Next-Door Neighbor to Welch-Dickey Mountains
Since the mid 1800s there have been hiking trails in the Waterville Valley area of New Hampshire. One very popular trek is a loop hike that goes over Welch Mountain and Dickey Mountain (known collectively as simply Welch-Dickey). Located very nearby is a lesser-known peak named Cone Mountain which is separated from Welch-Dickey only by the narrow corridor known as Dickey Notch. Below the summit is a "lost" pond that exists without any visitors because is no official trail.
Cone Mountain pond lies at 1500 ft elevation on Cone mountain in Thornton NH. It is rather isolated with few visitors except a few locals. The pond itself is about 20 acres in size with crystal clear water, unfortunately it is highly acidic. Because it is surrounded by spruce and receives a high dosage of acid rain and snow the pond cannot support life. The only other sign of man here is a weather station located on the western shore of the pond. This weather station is part of the acid rain monitoring network is operated by scientist from the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest.
It had been a couple of years since Mike and I had been to the pond as the old bushwack trail was now posted no tresspassing by the landowner. A new logging road had been recently been cut from Upper Mad River Road to allow the constructioin of a cell tower near Cone Mountain.
On a beautiful warm 70 degree day in April we decided to go for it and find a NEW WAY to the pond that the logging road probably created. Ascending gently with some junctions and switchbacks we made the correct turns that brought us higher up. When we got to a narrow granite gorge with water from Cone Pond flowing noisily thru a mossy steep cascade down to the Mad River - we new we were almost to our goal. There is a faint trail here from years back that we followed until it leveled out with welcoming sunshine beaming thru the dense forest canopy and Cone Pond beckoning us forward.
We followed the shoreline until we came across a south facing sloping, granite ledge 30 feet across -- the perfect sun splashed oasis in an otherwise shady verdent forest that sees few visitors. Two hours after begining our adventure we could now relax and enjoy this blissful state of mind experience. There was no noise except for the intermittent russle of the wind thru the pines. The pond had a layer of blazing white ice still not melted. A thick forest primeval surrounded this forgotten gem of nature - cloaking it in secrecy and tranquility.
We are definitely going to come back this summer during July and jump off that granite ledge into the cool refreshing crystal clear water. And I'm pretty sure we will be the only ones there. What a rare diamond to come across - The Lost Cone Pond - found once more. Solitude with meditative energy and calmness to conteract the crazy world we live in!
cool, I was in the North Country in April and rebuilt 1 of my bridges I use for Backcountry skiing. Put it higher up on some logs, the December 2023 storm had made a mess of it, was all still there, because I put it behind trees, so the logs didn't go to far. Had probably built the bridge about 6 years ago. It should be good for another 10 years!
