Editing Mount Monadnock (section)

===Hiking the mountain===
[[File:Mount Monadnock White Dot trail October 2009.jpg|thumb|"The Chute", one mile from the summit on the White Dot Trail]]

The trip to the summit and back via one of the shorter trails, which usually takes less than six hours, is considered moderately challenging for the average hiker but requires no technical skills during the late spring to early fall season. Throughout the year wind and weather on the exposed, rocky summit cause harsher conditions than below the tree line. Winter storms and summer thunderstorms can be life-threatening.

Winter snow and ice can remain on the trails well into May, making hiking hazardous or impossible without special equipment. The compacting of snow due to winter recreation on the more frequently used trails tends to lengthen the time it takes for the snow and ice to melt off. Stabilizers, [[crampons]], [[ice axe]]s, [[ski pole]]s, and [[snowshoe]]s may be helpful or necessary for winter and early spring ascents, depending on ice and snow cover.

Fall hiking generally requires warmer clothing, an awareness of weather conditions, and earlier ascent times. As there are no reliable water sources on the mountain and little shelter from the sun above {{convert|2000|ft}}, [[dehydration]] and [[heat stroke]] are potential hazards.
[[File:Monadnock NH Winter Summit.jpg|thumb|The view from the summit in mid March, with large snowbanks visible. The word "Pumpelly", painted on a rock, is the name of one trail.]]
{{PanoViewer|Mount Monadnock summit photosphere 2.jpg|The summit on a late July afternoon}}

The mountain and surrounding area are [[American Black Bear|black bear]] habitat, although problem encounters with bears are rare.<ref name="baldwin"/><ref>''Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide'', Appalachian Mountain Club, Boston, 1995.</ref>

Advice on hiking can be solicited from Memorial Day through Columbus Day and select off-season weekends at the park headquarters on the southeast side of the mountain. Trail descriptions and maps of Mount Monadnock are published by a variety of sources. The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests prints a guidebook with maps, trail descriptions, history, geology, ecology, and other trivia on the mountain.<ref name="baldwin"/>