Stone Face: Five Rock Profiles

This Saturday marks the 22nd anniversary of the "death" of the Old Man of the Mountain. Located on Cannon Mountain, the Great Stone Face was formed from the freezing and thawing of water in cracks of the granite bedrock sometime after the retreat of the glaciers 12,000 years ago. A popular tourist attraction and state symbol of New Hampshire, areas along I-93 in Franconia Notch State Park offered views of the jagged profile of a human face, 40 feet tall. But over time, harsh weather and erosion weakened the "forehead" of the Old Man. Each summer work crews from the state highway and park divisions successfully kept the Old Man together with a system of turnbuckles and steel rods, sealing cracks with fast-drying cement. Until that fateful day — May 3, 2003 — when the cliff face collapsed to the ground. Today seven steel "profilers" recreate the famous visage at the Old Man of the Mountain Profile Plaza & Historic Site in Franconia Notch State Park. You won't find a rock profile in the Monadnock Region that comes close to rivaling the stature of the Old Man of the Mountain, but here are five natural rock formations you can check out with directions on how to get there. Monkey Rock, New Boston I discovered this geological profile when I lived in Manchester in the 1970s and made weekend driving excursions out to the Monadnock Region. Recently, I took a drive to check out the unusual geological feature, and to my delight discovered that Monkey Rock was unchanged. To get to Monkey Rock from the junction of routes 47 and 136 in Francestown, drive on Route 136 east for 4.7 miles. Monkey Rock is on the right. Frog (Bull Frog) Rock, New Boston Frog Rock used to be a tourist attraction back in the days of the grand hotels in the mid-1800s. Wagonloads of guests were taken to this 10-foot-tall boulder, where they enjoyed a picnic lunch. Today the stone amphibian sits in a lonely space and rarely greets visitors. Why not drop in on him? To get to Frog Rock from the junction of the Francestown Turnpike and Route 13 in Mont Vernon, drive three miles on the Francestown Turnpike to a pair of yellow and black arrows warning of a turn. You'll see an unmarked woods road to the left. Park off the road and it's a five-minute walk to Frog Rock. After passing a New England Forestry Foundation sign and clearing to the right, you will step through big boulders. Shortly afterward, look right for a path that leads to the stone frog. Elephant Rock, Hancock This rock formation resembles a sleeping elephant. I first learned of it through a friend who lived in Hancock. To get there, take Route 123 north from the center of Hancock. After driving 2.2 miles, a sign will direct you left onto Hunt's Pond Road. Continue driving for 0.4 miles and turn left onto the King's Highway. Continue driving 1.4 miles to Old Dublin Road. Turn right and continue for 0.9 mile. "Elephant Rock" is on your left beyond a gate. Devil's Beanpot, Lyndeborough Devil's Beanpot — a large pothole with a diabolical history. To get to the Devil's Beanpot, take Route 31 north out of Wilton. After driving four miles, turn right onto Center Road. Continue driving 5.3 miles to Johnson Corner Road on the left and follow Johnson Corner Road for one mile to Purgatory Road. After 0.4 miles on Purgatory Road, it turns to a dirt surface (Purgatory Falls Road). Continue driving another 0.9 mile to a small pull-off on the right. Note: The trail to the Devil's Beanpot is short but in the springtime you may encounter rivulets/runoffs. Use caution here and around the ledge area. From the parking area, the yellow-blazed trail descends and crosses a wooden footbridge. You'll reach Purgatory Brook. Turn right and follow the trail, which parallels the brook. Six or seven minutes from the start, you will come to a ledge above the falls. Look for a large pothole known as the "Devil's Beanpot" located on a lower granite shelf. Legend has it that the Devil attempted to lure townspeople to this lonely gulf by promising a baked bean supper with "all the fixings." At first, all went according to plan, but as the Devil reached for the cauldron of beans, the intense heat caused his foot to sink into the rock resulting in a string of expletives that frightened the people away. The Minuteman, Chesterfield This Revolutionary War soldier rock profile is located at Chesterfield Gorge. Five minutes from the start on a white diamond-blazed trail you will cross a footbridge. A minute later, you will cross a second, bigger footbridge spanning the stream. Turn left and begin the descent down the side of the gorge. Pipe railing and a metal fence have been erected along the trail to guide hikers away from drop-offs. Continue downhill to the bottom, where the gorge ends, cross a bridge and begin your ascent of the gorge. After climbing past two outlooks, you will reach a spot where a chain fence ends. Look for the rock profile called the "Minuteman" in the ledges. It helps to start by finding the top of his tricorne hat. To get to Chesterfield Gorge from the junction of Routes 9 and 101 in Keene, travel west on Route 9 for 5.8 miles. The parking area is located on the north side of Route 9. The Old Woman. Did you know there is an "Old Woman of the Notch" a.k.a. "The Watcher"? The outcropping is located on Eagle Cliff, a shoulder of Mount Lafayette in Franconia. The profile faces east and seems to be bent and looking down. Visitors to Franconia Notch can view the Old Woman from a small clearing at the south end of Profile Lake looking to the highest part of Eagle Cliff.