Mount Monroe is a mountain peak southwest of
Mount Washington
Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River.
The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934 ...
in the
Presidential Range
The Presidential Range is a mountain range located in the White Mountains of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Containing the highest peaks of the Whites, its most notable summits are named for American presidents, followed by prominent public ...
of the
White Mountains in
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
, United States. It is named for American President
James Monroe
James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...
and is the fourth highest mountain on the
4000 footers list for New Hampshire. The
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...
skirts its summit, which is the next highest peak on or near the trail north of
Mount Rogers
Mount Rogers is the highest natural point in Virginia, United States, with a summit elevation of above mean sea level. The summit straddles the border of Grayson and Smyth Counties, Virginia, about WSW of Troutdale, Virginia. Most of the mo ...
in Virginia. The
Lakes of the Clouds
The Lakes of the Clouds are a set of tarns located at the col between Mount Monroe and Mount Washington in the White Mountains of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lakes form the source of the Ammonoosuc River, a tributary of the Connect ...
, and its
AMC hut, lie nestled at the
col between Mount Monroe and neighboring Mount Washington.
Lying between Mount Washington and
Mount Eisenhower
Mount Eisenhower, formerly Mount Pleasant, is a mountain in the Presidential Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire approximately high. Named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower, its summit offers a 360° view. It is inaccessible by ...
, Mount Monroe is inaccessible by road but may be reached by several hiking trails. The most direct route to its summit from the valley below is chiefly via the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail which starts to the northwest near the base station of the
Mount Washington Cog Railway
The Mount Washington Cog Railway, also known as the Cog, is the world's first mountain-climbing Rack railway, cog railway (rack-and-pinion railway). The railway climbs Mount Washington in New Hampshire, United States. It uses a Rack railway#Mars ...
. After ascending to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut, the eastern terminus of the trail, climbers proceed to Monroe's summit via the Crawford Path and then the Monroe Loop trail. Other routes to the summit ascend via the Crawford Path from
Crawford Notch
Crawford Notch is a major pass through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, located in Hart's Location. Roughly half of that town is contained in Crawford Notch State Park. The high point of the notch, at approximately above sea level, is at ...
, singly or in combination with the Edmands Path from Mount Clinton Road to the west of the mountain, with the final ascent to the summit accomplished by the Monroe Loop. From the east, climbers can trek to Monroe via a combination of the Boott Spur, Tuckerman Ravine, or Lion Head trails, among others, traversing via intervening trails, or descend from the summit of Mount Washington, which may be reached on foot,
by car or by the Cog Railway, along the Crawford Path or by other routes. Very frequently hikers will visit Monroe in combination with Washington or Eisenhower and sometimes with other nearby peaks.
Mount Monroe offers views across the
Lakes of the Clouds
The Lakes of the Clouds are a set of tarns located at the col between Mount Monroe and Mount Washington in the White Mountains of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lakes form the source of the Ammonoosuc River, a tributary of the Connect ...
to its grand neighbor to the northeast, Mount Washington, over higher, to
Mount Jefferson and
Mount Clay
Mount Clay is a peak located in Thompson and Meserve's Purchase in Coos County in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is a rise about long and a few hundred feet tall, with summit elevation of ; it lies on the ri ...
north of Washington and to
Boott Spur
Boott Spur is a minor peak located in Coos County, New Hampshire. The mountain is named after Francis Boott (1792–1863), and is part of the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. Boott Spur stands on the shoulder of Mount Washington, ab ...
and
Mount Isolation
Mount Isolation is a mountain located in Coos County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. Mount Isolation is the highest peak on the Montalban Ridge which extends south from Boott Spur.
Isolat ...
south of the dominant peak, as well as views to the west along the southern spine of the Presidential Range, through the
Dry River valley, and out to more of the White Mountains to the south and west and to
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
beyond.
As with Mount Washington, the upper reaches of Mount Monroe lie above tree-line in a sub-arctic tundra climate zone, characterized by highly variable and often very severe weather, especially from late fall through early spring. One distinguishing feature of the mountain is the largely flat Monroe Lawn south of the summit, traversed by the Crawford Path and home to several rare species of plant, including the endangered Robbins
Cinquefoil
''Potentilla'' is a genus containing over 300Guillén, A., et al. (2005)Reproductive biology of the Iberian species of ''Potentilla'' L. (Rosaceae).''Anales del Jardín Botánico de Madrid'' 1(62) 9–21. species of annual, biennial and perenn ...
, which survive in this harsh, outlying climate and terrain where other plants perish. Visitors traversing the Lawn are strictly limited to the trail in order to protect the many fragile flora which grow there.
Other notable features of the mountain include its subpeaks, "Little Monroe" to the west of the principal peak and approximately shorter, and Mount Franklin, southwest of the summit and nearly above sea level. The mountain, as with much of the Presidential Range, is characterized by steep walls on either side of the main ridge, to its northwest and southeast, making for strenuous climbs from the valley below and for numerous waterfalls - especially along the route followed by the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail - and frequently scarred by landslides.
[Steven D. Smith and Mike Dickerman, ''The Four-Thousand Footers of the White Mountains'', 2d. ed., (2008), Bondcliff Books, pp. 113-124.]
References
External links
Mount Monroe - FranklinSites.com Hiking GuideAMC: Hiking Mount Monroe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monroe, Mount
Mountains of New Hampshire
Mountains of Coös County, New Hampshire
New England Four-thousand footers