Also known as: Table Rock Climbing Trail, Table Rock Trail
Table Rock in Dixville Notch is one of the most exposed and vertiginous objectives in New Hampshire. The Climbing Trail, marked "57" at its trailhead, gains roughly 600 feet in under a mile (the segment covers about 0.74 miles from the eastern trailhead), and the approach is only a preview of what waits at the top. The rock surface throughout is notably smoother and slicker than the granite found further south in the White Mountains, making footing treacherous in wet or icy conditions. This trail is not recommended for descent.
At the top, Table Rock is a narrow ledge projecting into the notch between Sanguinary Mountain and Dixville Peak, no more than six feet wide in places, with sheer drops of roughly 700 feet on multiple sides. The views across Lake Gloriette and down into the notch are far-reaching, but reaching them requires calm nerves and surefooted movement on exposed, polished stone. Fatal falls have occurred here; hikers prone to vertigo should carefully assess how far onto the tip they venture.
The trail lies within Dixville Notch State Park in the Great North Woods of Coos County, a long drive from the nearest trauma center. Weather in this far northern corridor can deteriorate quickly, and the rock's smooth character becomes dramatically more dangerous when wet or frozen. Microspikes are essential from late fall through early spring, and the route should be avoided entirely in icy conditions.
