Greenleaf Trail, Mount Lafayette – Located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the 3.8 mile long Greenleaf Trail is named for Colonel Charles Henry Greenleaf, once owner of the Profile House in Franconia Notch. And the Greenleaf Hut is also named in his honor.
The Greenleaf Trail begins in Franconia Notch at the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway parking lot; it travels through an interesting forest, passes by Greenleaf Hut, and eventually ends on the summit of Mount Lafayette where a summit house once stood. And though the trail is located in a busy hiking area of the White Mountains it is lightly maintained. Hikers will actually feel like they are traversing a hiking trail.
One of the interesting features along the trail is Eagle Pass. The scenic view of Cannon Cliff from Eagle Pass is impressive! Once in the Pass, a photographer can scale a trailside boulder to see the above and below scenes, and yes you can setup a tripod on the boulder.
During the months of winter, the snow covered forest above Eagle Pass is picture perfect. The drawback is that the trail is not used a lot during the winter, and some times it needs to be broken out all the way to Greenleaf Hut. Something to keep in mind if you are carrying lots of heavy camera gear.
If you don’t like forest scenes don’t worry, because when the Greenleaf Trail breaks out into the alpine zone it is view overload. Landscape photographers will have a field day shooting the endless mountain scenes. I do have to admit, even after all these years, I still am in awe of the beautiful landscape along this trail. For the history buffs, if you know where to look along the trail will you find some interesting history.
Greenleaf Trails ends on the summit of Mount Lafayette, which offers 360 degrees of spectacular views. The view into the Pemigewasset Wilderness (above) leaves most speechless. On a personal note, I have yet to find an area in the White Mountains that has more blowdowns than the area below Garfield Cliff (above, on left). It is beautiful backcountry below Mount Garfield, in the Pemi, but very rugged.
All of the above images can be licensed for publications by clicking on the image you are interested in. And you can view more scenes from along this trail here.
Happy image making..
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Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC
Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.
ScenicNH Photography LLC
Specializing in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, Erin Paul’s photography and writing focuses on the history of the White Mountains, and telling the story of abandoned places and forgotten historical sites.