Sign Up  /  Login

One Big Rock LbNA #60484 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:pennylodge
Plant date:Jul 30, 2011
Location: Madison Boulder
City:Madison
County:Carroll
State:New Hampshire
Boxes:1
Found by: crazy animal crew
Last found:Aug 25, 2017
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFaam
Last edited:Jul 5, 2016
The Madison Boulder is the largest known erratic in New England as well as one of the largest in the world. This chunk of granite measures 83 feet in length, 23 feet in height above ground and 37 feet in width. Its weight is estimated around 5,000 tons. It is thought that 10 to 12 feet of the boulder is remains buried underground.
Authorities agree that the boulder was broken away from its parent rock during the last Ice Age, carried along in the mile deep ice pack as it slowly advanced and retreated across the landscape and finally deposited where it rests today. What remains in question is the origin of the parent rock. Some believe it to be from the Whitton or White ledges 12.5 and 4 miles respectively, to the northwest. While others claim the boulder traveled 24 miles from Mt. Willard in Crawford Notch.
This 17 acre site was acquired by the state of New Hampshire in 1946. In 1970 Madison Boulder was designated a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior because the giant erratic, “is an outstanding illustration of the power of an ice sheet to pluck out very large blocks of fractured bedrock and move the substantial distances. “

Clues: Follow Rte. 113 north from the Madison Church about 1.9 miles. Look for a brown State sign “Madison Boulder.” Turn left onto Boulder Road and follow this for .9 of a mile. You will see another brown sign, “State Wayside, A Geological Park.” Use caution driving this dirt road. You will come across yet another sign outlining the State laws and inviting you to walk for 15 minutes into the park. Park your car and walk in to meet this monster rock. Approach the Boulder towards the left side and continue around the back. Don’t hurt your neck looking up saying “Wow, this is a big rock!” As you come from the back around to the other side watch for the pointy “nose” of the Boulder. Stand with your back to the rock just under the point. Look up the hill into the forest for a tree with a yellow, red and blue marking on it. Stand next to this marked tree and continue looking away from the boulder. Look for a tree growing on top of a rock. With your back to the the rock/tree glance to your right. There will be a medium size tree to your right with a hole at the base. That is where your prize sits. Take the time and replace the Letterbox exactly as it was placed.


Hike length: 0.5 miles