Trailhead and parking area are at Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway in Franconia. Take exit 34B off I-93 and drive into the entrance. Park in the dirt lot at the south (left) end of the parking area, as shown by the "hiker parking" signs. Click here for a Google map.
The striking cliff face of Eagle Cliff is a familiar sight to travelers through Franconia Notch, although not many know it by name. Its monumental appearance contributes to a sense of wonder surrounding the whole Franconia Notch area and making it seem large-scale. Eagle Cliff itself, positioned across the notch from where the Old Man of the Mountain was formerly perched on the even larger-scale Cannon Cliffs, is more than just the cliff face, being a significant 3400-foot+ elevation mountain, although still small in comparison to its surroundings. The long summit ridge of the mountain, from which the sizeable cliffs careen, runs for a half-mile parallel to the floor of the notch and I-93. Several routes up its jagged crags are popular with rock-climbers, and a couple unique rock formations within the cliffs have gained notoriety, including "The Watcher", a profile of a mysterious face only visible from the top of the cliffs, and "The Eaglet", a spire protruding from the main cliff that you can see from the road just as you pass by it. The summit of this intriguing mountain is inaccessible by trail, though rock climbers and bushwhackers enjoy stunning views of the notch; however, Eagle Pass, the notch between Eagle Cliff and Mt. Lafayette's Agony Ridge, is a stop on the Greenleaf Trail and offers nice views from the jumbled boulders at its base. It's a moderate hike to get up to it with not nearly the elevation gain of climbing to one of the higher peaks, and the pass is a fascinating place to explore. You can get right up close to the towering cliffs, and explore the boulder caves and crevasses which hold ice late into the spring.
Start your hike from the parking area at the Cannon Mountain Tramway, and walk back toward the highway along the north side of the entrance road on the sidewalk. Go through the underpass and cross the road. Follow the highway northbound on-ramp to the left for about 120 feet and turn right into the woods at a sign for the Greenleaf Trail. The path leads close to the valley floor between the highway and the cliffs. Although mostly level, the trail is rough as it weaves through boulders. It passes by the little pond at the headwaters of the Pemigewasset, just out of sight through the trees. After half a mile, the trail turns left uphill and makes a couple switchbacks. After 0.1 miles, it passes close to one of the rock slides coming down from the cliffs, and swings back to the right to continue parallel to the cliffs. Boulders persist as the trail climbs more steadily, crossing into evergreen forest. In 0.3 miles, it turns left and climbs more steeply with some zigzags and gravelly trail surface. In 0.4 miles, the trail breaks out into the open air beneath the enormous rock face below the summit of Eagle Cliff. The path ahead through the patches of grass admist the boulders looks like the start to an adventure. The trail continues ahead just a short distance alongside the cliffs. Various points offer views out to the Cannon Cliffs and the ridges down from the Kinsman Range. Beyond here, the Greenleaf Trail continues upward toward the Greenleaf Hut.
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