Trip Reports

The Acteon Ridge is a sequence of trail-less peaks in the Sandwich Range Wilderness of the White Mountains. I climbed one of the peaks on the ridge, named Sachem Peak a few years ago, but have always wanted to go back and hike all of the peaks on the ridge including …

The Cape Wrath Trail is considered the hardest hiking route in the United Kingdom. Located in Scotland, it runs from Fort William, through the Highlands and Western Scotland, to the lighthouse at Cape Wrath, the northwestern-most point of Scotland. Approximately 230 miles in length, most people take 2-3 weeks to backpack the …

My boots hadn’t frozen overnight, which meant that my Sawyer water filter was probably still good (they’re wrecked if frozen.) Freezing rain had fallen overnight and I knew I’d probably get soaked, brushing up against wet spruce on the side of the trail. With bright sunshine and temperatures in the low …

The McCrillis Path is a good trail to know about for planning backpacking trips near Mts Whiteface and Passaconaway in the White Mountain’s Sandwich Range. It’s seldom hiked and was closed for many years due to a landowner dispute. It links the Blueberry Ridge Trail which climbs Mt Whiteface, to the …

Gentian Pond and Dream Lake are on the Appalachian Trail close to the border between New Hampshire and Maine. They’re fairly remote and off the beaten path, but become extra difficult to access in winter when the Mahoosuc Range, north of Shelburne NH, is buried in snow. This section of the Appalachian …

The Raymond Path runs along the eastern flank of Mt Washington linking the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, the Huntington Ravine Trail, and the Old Jackson Rd. It’s a very pretty trail with a few challenging water crossings, but easily missed, since it’s surrounded by so many famous and challenging landmarks and …

Climbing Mt Whiteface and its neighbor East Sleeper via the Downes Brook Trail is not your typical winter route. Running 5.2 miles and requiring 10 stream crossings to the Sleeper Trail junction linking Whiteface to East Sleeper, it would have been a long approach had we made it. But we …

Red Hill is the site of a firetower overlooking Squam Lake in the southeastern end of the White Mountains, near Moultonborough, NH. There are numerous hiking trails on Red Hill, which is managed by the Lake Region Conservation Trust (click for trail map.) I climbed Red Hill with two friends, …

The Snows Mountain Trail is a loop hike in Waterville Valley, on the southwest side of the White Mountain National Forest. The trailhead is hard to find, being situated halfway up the hill of a now-defunct ski slope, but well worth the effort. This part of the White Mountain National …

Here are all of the available lodging and campsite options available along the Presidential Traverse to break the hike up into multi-day segments. Above-treeline camping is not permitted in the White Mountain National Forest in order to protect fragile alpine vegetation. Please be a good steward and don’t camp above …

We triggered a human generated avalanche on North Percy mountain, breaking through wind slab that was sitting on a layer of ice. It wasn’t a huge slide, but I could tell that it rattled that guys who triggered it. No one was hurt, but it served as a reminder of …

Sugarloaf Mountain (3701′) is a 52-with-a-view peak in the Nash Stream Forest, a multi-use conservation area in North New Hampshire, north of the White Mountain National Forest. If you ever get the chance to get up to the Nash Stream Forest, it’s a lot wilder and less developed than the Whites …

“Fisher Mountain is the best little peak that no one’s ever heard of” said my friend Ken. West of famous Welch-Dickey Mountain Loop, Fisher Mountain is an easy bushwhack up the old Dickey Notch Trail, now renamed and signed as a mountain biking route. A favorite of Ken’s, we attempted to …

Black Mountain (2757′) is a 52-with-a-View peak located in Jackson, NH with good views of Mt Washington on a clear day. The trail up to the summit follows the Black Mountain Ski trail and passes the Black Mountain Cabin, just below the summit. This is a primitive log cabin managed …