I arrived at the Mount Morgan trailhead just after 10 AM and was surprised to see that the parking lots on both sides of the road were completely full. A handful of cars were driving back and forth between the lots waiting for a space. One lady got out of her car and approached me purposefully with her hands on her hips. I didn’t really have the energy for that type of interaction, so I just put my window up and eventually she got the hint and moved on.
Along the road there are hundreds of signs saying “no parking between signs” – what does that even mean!? Fearing that what that meant was no road parking, I parked there anyway so that I could stop and talk with a very kind trail host who had set up a table with maps and things. She informed me that there is absolutely no road parking and that fines start at $500! She explained that I could simply park at the Mount Percival trailhead down the road. The trail between the parking areas is short and flat and from there I could take the Morse Trail back toward Morgan, or head straight up Percival.
I left the chaos of the Mount Morgan trailhead behind and parked in the nearly empty Mount Percival lot. Moments later I was heading up the Mount Percival Trail. Hiking counterclockwise made for a steep, rocky, ascent, but looking back, I think it was easier to hike up all of the boulders than to hike down.
Once you are almost to the top of Mount Percival, you have the option to continue to the summit via ledges or cave! I figured, I’m all the way up here, let’s go for the cave. It was so incredibly fun! I’m so happy that I didn’t chicken out. The openings on either side of the cave are small. I needed to take off my day pack and throw it into the cave so I could pull myself through. Don’t be intimidated. I am not a small person and I made it work.
The hike up Percival was hot, buggy, and difficult. The cave was cool and provided a great escape from the black flies. Even in late May, there was ice in the rock crevices.
As I navigated through the cave, it was hard not to notice that the enormous boulders overhead seemed to be barely balancing on each other. I tried not to imagine how a tiny seismic shudder could move the rocks and crush me inside, but I decided not to linger in the cool, bugless cave. I pulled myself through the opening at the other end and continued up the rock scrambles to the summit of Mount Percival, where a gorgeous view of squam lake awaited.
I stayed at the top of Percival for a long time chatting with hikers and complaining about the black flies of May. Many hikers didn’t even bring bug spray. I don’t think I would have lasted 10 minutes without it!
BRING BUG SPRAY EVERYWHERE YOU GO IN MAY!
Anyway, it had rained the day before and sections of the trail were flooded. Most of the time it was easy to avoid but other times I just slogged through it.
It was an easy walk via the Crawford Ridgepole Trail over to the summit of Mount Morgan with another view of Squam Lake, followed by some pretty intense rock scrambles. Next, you either go through another cave and down three wooden ladders, or you take a trail that goes all the way around.
I had never planned to go down the ladders. I knew I would be too scared to go down backwards and so I fully intended to take the trail around. But the alternate trail was poorly marked, or somehow, I missed it, and I ended up staring down at the cave opening while a swarm of black flies attacked me viscously.
Another hiker, finding herself in the same position as me, became quite scared and climbed back up the rocks where a fellow hiker helped guide her back to the alternate trail.
At that point, the bug spray was wearing thin and so was my desire to do any sort of backtracking. So, I sprayed myself with another round of bug spray, dropped myself into the cave, and carefully stretched my leg out to meet the first rung of the first ladder. Slowly, I worked my way down to the second ladder, which required a step out from the rock ledge. As I reached the third ladder, I was feeling more confident in my survival, and I felt a flush of relief when my feet finally touched the ground! OK – perhaps it wasn’t quite that intense, but it was absolutely the most exciting hike I’ve done so far!
Some things to consider – AllTrails says that this is a 4.9 mile trail, but my GPS put it at 6 miles. You should not hike this loop if you are afraid of rock scrambles. Even if you avoid the caves and the ladders, you will need to climb up some boulders and navigate ledges. If there is a trail host, say hello and ask for tips! Get there early and be kind if you can’t find parking. There are other trails, rivers, and lakes to check out in the area, so be flexible.
- Difficulty - Hard
- Distance - 5-6 Miles
- Check the Percival lot if parking is full
- Caves and Ladders
