Bald Mountain and Artist Bluff form a classic summit where amazing if not legendary views can be seen with little hiking effort. Both the summit of Bald Mt. and Artist Bluff have incredible views of Franconia Notch and Mt. Lafayette. This set of trails is very popular with families who visit Franconia Notch State Park. Though some of the popularity of the park has dwindled since the fall of Old Man of the Mountain. These two classic viewing areas remain extremely popular with photographers, visitors, and artists alike.

Both summits are very easy to get to. Bald Mt. is only .4 mile from the trailhead and though the top has some Class 2 scrambling with exposure, this trail is still popular with families and tourists. Artist Bluff is even an easier Class 1 trail from the parking lot and receives usually double the number of people Bald Mountain does. It only requires a 1.5-mile loop hike to do both of the viewing areas, leaving plenty of time to do many of the other attractions in the area. This hike also is good as a second hike after doing the Franconia Ridge Traverse.

In the decades prior to 1911, the unregulated logging practices of private timber companies in the White Mountains had resulted in a damaged landscape susceptible to both fire and flood. Fires had burned thousands of acres, and flash floods affected the water power necessary to the mills of major industrial centers downstream, such as Manchester, New Hampshire, and Lowell, Massachusetts. Concerns over losses to industry, business, and tourism, and the growing conservation movement led to citizen action. The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF) spearheaded an effort to ensure the permanent protection of the White Mountains from further depredation. After years of lobbying and intense public pressure, Senator John Weeks of Massachusetts, a native of Lancaster, New Hampshire, introduced legislation that became known as the Weeks Act. The Weeks Act was passed by Congress in 1911, appropriating 9 million dollars to purchase 6 million acres of land in the Eastern U.S. In turn, this led to the creation of the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) in 1918, and twenty-one other national forests throughout the north and southeast. Many of the groups who were instrumental in the passage of the Weeks Act, including the SPNHF and the AMC, are still active today, and the WMNF has grown from 7,000 acres to almost 800,000. Today, the reforested mountains and hillsides supply forest products and provide magnificent recreational opportunities while maintaining healthy watersheds and ecosystems.