How To Hike Artists Bluff Trail In New Hampshire

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Two hikers crouched next to each other on a rocky outcrop with views over a lake and rolling hills covered in vibrant fall foliage colors on a cloudy day at Artists Bluff in New Hampshire

Artists Bluff Trail in Franconia Notch State Park is one of our favorite hikes in New Hampshire. We’ve hiked the trail on separate New England fall foliage road trips, the first time just to Artists Bluff and the second time including Bald Mountain to complete a fantastic loop. It’s a great hike to do any time of year but it’s most beautiful views over Echo Lake and rolling hills covered in trees are in autumn when the colors turn.

In this guide we show you everything you need to know about hiking Artists Bluff Trail in New Hampshire, based on our experiences.

Our Experience

Couple standing together for a photo on a rocky outcrop called Artists Bluff with views behind over a lake and rolling hills covered in trees
Here we are at Artists Bluff summit in September 2023

We first hiked to Artists Bluff on our maiden New England fall road trip in 2020. It was getting close to sunset so we parked at Cannon Mountain RV Park and took a shortcut up to the viewpoint. We made it up the short but steep trail to the vista in good time, and we were surprised at how many others were already up there. It was cloudy and threatening rain but the vibrant foliage colors were at peak.

The second time we took a New England road trip in the fall in 2023, we planned our time better so we didn’t have to rush as much. We parked at Cannon Mountain Big Lot, hiked up to Bald Mountain first and then across to Artists Bluff, before completing the loop back at the parking lot. Again, we hiked for sunset. This time the sky was clear and the rocky bluff was empty, but the colors weren’t quite at peak. Read more about us.

SHOP: Our New England fall foliage road trip guidebook

Trail Options

Far reaching views over rolling hills covered in trees from an elevated vantage point at dusk
Our view from the summit of Bald Mountain

You have a choice to make when you arrive: You can either hike just to Artists Bluff for the famous view, or you can hike a longer and more challenging loop trail which also includes Bald Mountain. Depending on which option you choose, you can start at different trailheads which we’ll cover later.

Artists Bluff Only:

  • Distance: 0.5 miles roundtrip
  • Type: Out and back
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Time: 1-1.5 hours
  • Elevation Gain: 200 ft
  • Trailhead: Cannon Mountain RV Park

Artists Bluff + Bald Mountain Loop:

  • Distance: 1.5 miles roundtrip
  • Type: Loop
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Time: 2-2.5 hours
  • Elevation Gain: 400 ft
  • Trailhead: Cannon Mountain Big Lot

We highly recommend including Bald Mountain if you have time and you’re a strong hiker. It adds a bit more difficulty (there’s some light rock scrambling near the top) and it has excellent summit views. If you’re not such a confident hiker, stick with Artists Bluff only.

Just bear in mind that despite being only 0.5 miles roundtrip, the hike up to Artists Bluff is very steep, uneven and through forest with rocks and tree roots. It’s not easy. You need to be in reasonable shape to get up the steep section.

Artists Bluff Trailhead Parking

Large gravel parking lot with a few cars parked close to sunset with soft light
We parked at Cannon Mountain Big Lot to hike the full loop

The official Artists Bluff Trailhead parking area is called Cannon Mountain Big Lot, which is a gigantic gravel parking lot on the opposite side of the road to Cannon Mountain Ski Resort. This is where we parked on our second visit when we hiked the full Artists Bluff and Bald Mountain loop trail. The lot is huge because it accommodates skiers in winter, so the rest of the year it’s almost empty except for the few people hiking this trail. It worked perfectly for hiking the full loop with Bald Mountain.

Large parking lot with rolling hills behind covered in bright fall foliage colors on a cloudy but sunny day
We parked at Cannon Mountain RV Park to hike only Artists Bluff

But there’s also a lesser known parking area less than half a mile east called Cannon Mountain RV Park, which we used on our first hike to Artists Bluff. After parking in the RV lot, we crossed Profile Road, carefully walked east on the roadside for a minute or so until we saw a sign pointing into the trees for Artists Bluff before the metal barrier began. It was a much quicker route up and down.

Why use the RV Park instead of the main lot? Well, it reduced our overall hiking distance to Artists Bluff and back by a little over half a mile. So it saved us maybe 15 minutes hiking time. The RV Park also has restrooms, whereas Big Lot does not.

Note: Both parking lots are free and you do not have to display any type of pass. So the Artists Bluff hike is completely free.

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Artists Bluff Hike Walkthrough

Let’s walk through exactly how we hiked from Cannon Mountain RV Park to Artists Bluff and back down again:

Wooden sign marker for Artists Bluff Trail in NH leading into a forest with lots of colorful leaves on the ground
Sign marker showing where to enter the forest

After parking and using the restrooms, we made our way across the road and walked to the sign marker indicating a left turn into the forest for Artists Bluff. The forest trail was well marked and attractive with colorful leaves scattered across the floor. There were tree roots, stones and shallow steps to navigate.

Large boulder with red paint for trail directions
Boulder showing the way at a split after climbing out of the forest

After a few minutes of slaloming gently through the forest, the trail turned left and went directly up. This section of the hike was steep, uneven and slippery so we were glad we had robust shoes with good traction. We climbed the rocks and gained elevation before eventually coming out above the canopy. Before long we noticed a huge boulder with red painted markings showing right to Artists Bluff and left to Bald Mountain.

Huge lone boulder perched on a flat rocky surface with distant views behind the boulder
This boulder through a rock wall marks the start of the summit

So we took the right, curved around for a few seconds and then saw another massive lone boulder through a narrow passage between rock walls. And beyond the boulder we could see the views beginning. So we took a left at the boulder onto a large rocky outcrop that had a few tiers and maybe 15 people spread out across the expanse.

Hiker with arms stretched out at the summit of Artists Bluff in peak fall foliage season
Here’s Kristen at the summit in October 2020 during peak fall colors

We found a spot of our own and looked out at the magnificent view of Echo Lake surrounded by colorful trees and hills. There were dark clouds in the sky but the leaves were radiant. Once we’d had enough we walked back down the exact same way, taking it slowly on the steep rocky descent.

Artists Bluff + Bald Mountain Walkthrough

Okay, now let’s walk through exactly how we hiked from Cannon Mountain Big Lot to Bald Mountain and Artists Bluff:

Hiker stood next to a sign with a trail split for Artists Bluff and Bald Mountain inside a light forest
Here’s Kristen at the Bald Mountain and Artists Bluff trail split

There were only around 5 cars in the massive lot so we were able to park close to the trailhead entrance into the forest. The trail forked right for Artists Bluff and left for Bald Mountain. We wanted to finish at the bluff for sunset, so we turned left and followed red paint markings on trees or rocks which would lead us to Bald Mountain summit.

Hiker climbing up a slick rock trail to reach a mountain summit
Here’s Mark climbing the last slick-rock section to the summit

The trail was steep in places but nothing too difficult. It was mostly through forest with large stones and tree roots sticking up, so we took our time with foot placements. As we got closer to Bald Mountain summit, the rocks became larger and larger until eventually we were lightly scrambling up slick-rock on the final approach.

Hiker walking across a rocky summit with far reaching views over rolling hills covered in trees at sunset
This is Mark enjoying the awesome views with soft light not long before sunset

The views from Bald Mountain summit were far more expansive than from Artists Bluff. We had far reaching 270-degree views over rolling hills from a higher elevation, whereas the bluff only had 180-degree views from a lower elevation. The downside was that we could only see a small portion of Echo Lake from Bald Mountain. But we had the summit to ourselves for around 15 minutes which was awesome.

View over Echo Lake and rolling hills covered in trees with pink colored clouds from a rocky summit viewpoint called Artists Bluff in New Hampshire
This was our Artists Bluff summit view in September 2023

The hike across to Artists Bluff was back down the slick-rock, through forest and then we navigated few more steep sections that made us work a bit. Eventually the trail leads to the large boulder with red paint near the bluff. This time the bluff was empty and the sky was clear but we were around a week too early for the peak colors. We hiked back down into the forest in the dark using headlamps to light the path. It took us a bit longer to get back to the car because it was dark and we had to take care with the tree roots.

Pros and Cons

Hiker walking down a steep trail with rocky steps into a forest
Here’s Kristen hiking a steep section between Bald Mountain and Artists Bluff

Let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons of hiking Artists Bluff Trail in New Hampshire:

Pros

  • Excellent reward for very little work
  • Really great views
  • Wide open summit can fit a lot of hikers
  • Nice warm up for more difficult hikes nearby
  • Stunning in fall
  • Easy parking options
  • Perfect light at sunset

Cons

  • Can become too crowded in fall
  • Highway ruins the view a bit
  • Steep enough trail to cause some issues
  • Unpredictable weather in fall
  • Facing directly into the sun at midday
  • Steep summit drop-off could be dangerous for kids

Hiking Tips

Hiker in a plaid shirt walking up large stones through a forest
This was Kristen hiking through larger boulders on our way up to Bald Mountain

Here are our top tips for the Artists Bluff hike:

  • Hike early if you want to completely avoid crowds
  • Sunset is the best time but it’s very popular
  • Descent takes 15 minutes but it’s dark after sunset
  • Don’t forget headlamps and go slowly in the dark
  • Wear a solid pair of shoes with good treads
  • You don’t need specialist hiking gear
  • Can be bad for bugs so don’t forget repellant
  • It’s dog friendly but it won’t be suitable for all dogs
  • Pack a small bottle of wine to enjoy at the top

Best Time To Hike Artists Bluff Trail NH

Far reaching views over a wide open rural landscape from a rocky outcrop at sunset
This was our Bald Mountain summit view looking in the opposite direction to Artists Bluff

The best time to hike Artists Bluff is for sunset at the end of September or beginning of October when vibrant fall foliage colors light up the rolling hills surrounding Echo Lake. If you have flexibility over your dates, try to time your hike exactly for peak colors. Just bear in mind the peak is different each year and depends on lots of factors.

We first hiked Artists Bluff on October 6th and we were maybe one or two days past peak fall colors for that particular year but that was close enough for the leaves to be radiant. The second time we hiked the full loop on September 25th, so we were around 7-10 days earlier than the typical peak dates for this part of New Hampshire.

The trail will likely be empty if you hike it in spring, especially on a weekday morning or evening. It gets busy in summer and the view is still great with lush green leaves covering the hills, but it’s not as special as in peak fall foliage season.

The Morgan Conclusion

Couple with sunglasses on taking a selfie at sunset from a mountain summit in New Hampshire
We took this selfie from the summit of Bald Mountain

What we like: We think Artists Bluff is one of the most beautiful fall foliage photo spots in New England. It has a truly magnificent view over the lake and surrounding hills. Including the full loop with Bald Mountain makes it even more fun and adventurous and it can easily be combined with a walk through the nearby Flume Gorge or a drive along the Kancamagus Highway, both of which are also unmissable.

What we don’t like: The trail is very steep and rocky on the way up to the summit which some people might underestimate. And because it’s such a stunning scene during the peak fall colors, Artists Bluff has become one of those Instagram and TikTok hotspots with elaborate photo shoots.

Is Artists Bluff worth it? Yes, Artists Bluff Trail is definitely worth hiking when you visit New Hampshire. It’s short, fun and leads to a sensational viewpoint. Parking is a breeze and you even have the option to include a second peak with more stunning views. Do not miss this hike when you drive through New England.

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We hope this Artists Bluff hiking guide helps with planning your visit to New Hampshire!

Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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10 thoughts on “How To Hike Artists Bluff Trail In New Hampshire”

  1. Thanks for this tip Mark and Kristen! They said that the crowd is crazy! So not sure what time is the best to go with young kids.

    Reply
    • Hi Maria, with young kids we would suggest going up earlier in the morning before the crowds arrive. It shouldn’t be too busy between sunrise and 9am, which could work if you are staying nearby. Artists Bluff summit is actually a relatively large space and you can easily keep the kids well away from the edge. Have a great hike!

      Reply
    • Hi Ash, it took us around 20 minutes to hike from the parking lot to the summit of Artists Bluff. The forest section is quick but the ascent is quite steep, so it really depends how you get on with steep climbs as to how long it will take you to reach the bluff. Maybe aim for 30 minutes ascent if you want to give yourself plenty of time so you’re not rushing (ie if you want to go up for sunrise). Enjoy the trail and the fall colors!

      Reply
    • Hi Kinsley, we hiked Artists Bluff on October 6th and the colors were maybe a day or two past peak. This year though it looks like the peak is going to be earlier than usual, so it might be a good idea to keep an eye on a live tracker and consider planning your trip for the end of September / start of October. Good luck!

      Reply
  2. Your directions were spot on, even though the trail was reasonably well marked, there were definitely some choices to be made and you nailed it!

    Reply

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