Avalon & A-Z Trails

Approach

Note: this route description is largely the work of iceaxeman; I (nartreb) moved it off the main page, with some changes, when I adopted the Mt Tom page.

Starting from North Conway, take Route 302 northwest to Crawford Depot which is on the left side of the road. This depot is a train station. You can park free of charge at the Crawford Depot. In winter that lot may be closed, but there is designated hiker parking across the street ($3/day). Directly across the road is a beautiful lake named Saco Lake.

Route Description

Hike across the railroad tracks at the quaint little station dock and look for a white sign which marks the beginning of the trail. This is a fairly well used trail so it's easy to see.

From here, you'll head into the woods and follow the Avalon Trail uphill, parallel to Crawford Brook. (There are several small side trails to, for example, lakes and waterfalls, which are probably worth a visit if time permits. The main trail is clearly marked, just follow the signs.)

After 1.3 miles, the Avalon Trail turns sharply left away from the stream to reach its namesake peak to the southeast. Continue southwest on the A-Z trail instead. Shortly after this intersection, the A-Z trail crosses a deep gully. In winter, it may be difficult to find the trail on the far side of the stream -see my trip report - look for a faint blaze on a tree about thirty feet past the stream, and slightly to the right of where you might expect.

A bit less than a mile from its beginning at the Avalon trail, the A-Z trail reaches the Mt Tom summit spur. Take this (right turn) about half a mile to the summit.

At the summit of the mountain, make sure to go to the left. The trail here appears to go right with some minimal views of the valley, but if you head to the left, you'll get some great views. I point this out because I met a fellow that thought he made the summit until I told him that he had missed it. This is also mentioned in the AMC White Mountain Guide.

You should plan on about (2) hours hiking to the summit.

Essential Gear

Snowshoes in winter, perhaps crampons if conditions are icy. Usual New England weather gear otherwise.

Miscellaneous Info

If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.