A couple of weeks ago Andrew was curious about a park he read about from fellow blogger 1HappyHiker, that sounded like a good destination for a hike with Alden, so we headed to the Franconia, NH town forest: Fox Hill Park.  We decided to follow the Gale River Trail which eventually brought us to walk along the edge of the Gale River.  At first the trail followed the river through gentle floodplain forest, but soon came along a ledge section with some swimming holes and interesting boulders.  We could see another trail across the river before reaching a trail junction where we took the Boundary Trail to make for a loop hike.  It was a little chilly the morning we hiked and had the entire forest to ourselves.

Gale River Trail

Lindsay and Alden are ready to hike.

Alden was happy to hike along for a short while, navigating the roots and leaves with ease.

Andrew and Alden hiking.

The trail signs at Fox Hill.

It was interesting to walk along the Gale River from this side. You can recognize the buildings from the opposite shore on Route 18. Now when we drive through Franconia Village along Route 18, we will know that the woods on the other side of the river is this Fox Hill Park.

A bridge along the Gale River Trail at the ledges.

We followed the Boundary trail hiking up Fox Hill, and had to take turns carrying Alden who had decided he had enough walking for the day. Next time we will remember to grab one of our backpack carriers for when this happens. The trail is very interesting in this section as it winds around some ledges and boulders as it climbs somewhat steeply away from the river.

Lindsay carrying Alden.

Andrew carrying Alden.

At the top of Fox Hill the Boundary Trail skirts an opening with a view and some private land (with lots for sale). We passed junctions with a couple of other trails in the park, and were surprised at how much more this little forest had to offer that we could explore in the future.

The view from Fox Hill.

Before long we were back at the car. We were glad to get out into the fresh air and enjoy a cool crisp morning hike along the Gale River.

Alden enjoying his hike.