Hike to Kinsman Pond

Our hike began at the Basin, which is a clearly marked exit directly off 93. If you are coming from the Northbound side, walk under the bridge beneath 93 to get to the beginning of the trail. We enjoyed the Basin for a while before hiking 1.0 mile to the Cascade Brook Trail where we took a right. We took that trail for a 0.5 mile, and then took a left to meet up with the Kinsman Pond Trail for an additional 2.5 miles of hiking.The majority of the Kinsman Pond Trail follows along the Cascade Brook, which offers gorgeous views and multiple waterfalls (some bigger than others). Currently, the high water flows have taken out the bridge crossings on the river, which means the hike includes four river crossings. If you are attempting this hike any time before June, expect icy rocks and long distances between rocks in the river because of the high water levels. These river crossings will not be easy before summer months. To avoid these river crossings you could take the Fishin' Jimmy Trail, which is supposed to be more scenic. We unfortunately couldn't take it because it was too icy to hike safely.

Once arriving at Kinsman Pond, we had lunch in the waterfront shelter and ducked out of the cold. The shelter is open to the elements, but a nice refuge all the same! From Kinsman Pond, it is an additional 0.4 miles (500 feet of elevation) up to North Kinsman. South Kinsman is only 0.9 miles from there. From Kinsman Pond you could also take the Kinsman Ridge trail another 2.4 miles to get to the Lonesome Lake Hut. Unfortunately, we had to end our hike at Kinsman Pond due to the icy conditions, but it was still a solid 8.0 miles out and back for the day!As any other hike in the White Mountains, this one offers gorgeous scenery along with a challenge. I highly recommend!