Madison Boulder - So This is What Madison, New Hampshire Is Famous For...
Written: Nov 10 '05 (Updated Nov 05 '09)
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Pros: it's a very big rock, picnic tables
Cons: down a dirt road, not much to do besides look at the big rock
The Bottom Line: If you want to see a really big rock or go hunting, this is a good spot.
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| AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Madison Boulder Natural Area |
The other day a friend and I needed to take a drive and find a quiet place to talk, so we decided to check out the local sights. Every day as I go to the post office, I pass signs for Madison Boulder Natural Area, so we decided to check it out.
Basically, Madison Boulder Natural Area is a 17-acre site containing a very big granite rock. I mean, it’s huge!!!!! Not all of it is above the ground, but what is will impress anyone. It has been measured and the measurements come in at 83 feet long, 23 feet high, and 37 feet wide. The weight has been estimated at over 5,000 tons.
This huge rock arrived at it’s present location in my new hometown sometime during the last ice age. Imagine the power of a mile-thick glacier which moved this huge rock (and many others) to their present locations. There’s some debate about the exact location the rock comes from, but the general consensus is that it’s been pushed here by the ice off of one of the mountains in the White Mountain area.
Getting to Madison Boulder Natural Area is pretty easy if you’re in the Mount Washington Valley area. Follow Route 113 toward the town of Madison and there are signs pointing to it down Boulder Road.
Boulder Road is paved, but once we actually arrived in Madison Boulder Natural Area it’s a dirt and gravel road that at the point we traveled down it was in desperate need of some grading. It’s better traversed in a four-wheel drive, but we did it real slow in a mini-van.
Madison Boulder Natural Area is part of the New Hampshire State Parks System. There are some picnic tables if you’d like to use it as a picnic spot, but there are no hiking trails, streams, or other natural points of interest in the area. If you go during hunting season, be sure to wear bright clothing as it’s a popular spot for hunters. I don't know how good of a spot it is for that, but I do know that it's a popular spot so the animals must be there.
Madison Boulder Natural Area is a cool photo op as it’s fun to take a picture of someone standing in front of it. Other than that, there’s really not much to the site. There’s plenty more to see in the Mount Washington Valley and I’ll be sure to take friends to see the highlight of my town, but it’s not worth a special trip.
Other sites to see in New Hampshire:
Attitash Bear Peak Ski Resort ~ Bretton Woods Ski Resort ~ Canobie Lake Park ~ Cranmore Mountain Ski Resort ~ Franconia Notch State Park ~ Kancamagus Highway ~ King Pine Ski Resort ~ Loon Mountain Ski Resort ~ Mount Washington Cog Railway ~ North Conway, NH ~ Polar Express Event ~ Shawnee Peak, Bridgeton ME ~ Six Gun City ~ Story Land ~ Whale's Tale Waterpark ~ White Lake State Park ~ White Mountain National Forest ~ Wildcat Mountain
Some places to stay in New Hampshire:
Attitash Mountain Village - Bartlett NH ~ Comfort Inn & Suites - North Conway NH ~ Hampton Inn - Concord/Bow NH ~ Yankee Clipper Motel
Other places to eat in New Hampshire:
Bea's Cafe, Conway NH ~ Cafe Noche, Conway NH ~ Decades Steakhouse, North Conway NH ~ Delaney‘s Hole in the Wall, North Conway NH ~ Harts Turkey Farm, Meredith NH ~ May Kelly's Cottage, North Conway NH ~ Merlino's Steakhouse, North Conway NH ~ Moat Mountain Smokehouse, North Conway NH ~ Muddy Moose, North Conway NH ~ Peach's Restauran, North Conway NH ~ Red Parka Steakhouse & Pub, Glen NH ~ Yankee Smokehouse, West Ossipee NH
Books about the area:
Appalachian Mountain Club White Mountain Guide ~ 50 Hikes in the White Mountains
© 2005 Patti Aliventi
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: Anytime
Recommended for: Fishermen-hunters
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AliventiAsylum
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Member: Patti Aliventi
Location: Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
Reviews written: 2132
Trusted by: 692 members
About Me:
Now writing reviews to pay for the "out of network" costs of our health insurance...
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