New Hampshire State Parks is instituting what appears to be the first one-way hiking trail in the White Mountains to deal with an expected onslaught of leaf-peeping visits to Artists Bluff next to Cannon Mountain.
The move is part of several new initiatives at one of the region’s most popular hiking spots, a 1.2-mile loop in Franconia Notch State Park that goes from a parking lot to a stunning scenic overlook which gets even more stunning when leaves change color.
The trail is often crowded but the situation has gotten worse since the pandemic drove more people to seek outdoor recreation. At times last fall it was reported that the 1,500 spaces in the parking lots were all full, and the resulting mayhem Hampshire State Parks and state-owned Cannon Mountain to say they would make changes.
Aside from the one-way hiking pattern – turn right, not left, at the loop – there will be “added staff and volunteers to assist with visitor flow, expanded onsite facilities, and enhanced signage to improve the guest experience,” the parks department said in a press release.
