Trip Reports

Mts Eisenhower, Jackson, and Pierce are three 4000 footers in the Southern Presidentials, west of Mt Washington. I like to climb all at once when because they’re in close proximity to one another, although it can be a big day, depending on …

The two most popular peaks to climb on Franconia Ridge, are Mt Lafayette and Mt Lincoln, two 5000-footers with stellar views of Franconia Notch and the Pemigewasset Wilderness. These two mountains are sublime and magnificent in their own right, but they really …

A one-page listing of weather forecast and trail conditions information for each of the 48 New Hampshire White Mountain 4000 footers. How many of you spend hours each month searching NOAA, NETC, or Mountain Forecast, typing in mountain names into their tiny …

The North Moat Mountain / Red Ridge Loop is a 10-mile loop hike located just outside North Conway, New Hampshire that climbs the steep and rocky summit of North Moat Mountain before descending the Red Ridge Trail down a series of open …

The Kilkenny Ridge Traverse is a moderate 2-3 day, 27 mile scenic traverse of some of wildest and remote scenery in the White Mountains. It’s a particularly attractive route for backpackers interested in avoiding the crowds of day hikers who frequent the …

Mt Madison is the fifth highest 4000-footer in the White Mountains, topping off at 5367′. It’s a beautiful mountain to climb and you can follow many different trails to the top. For this hike, I chose one of the less used ones, …

Jumping Brook is a mountain stream that’s pretty close to the geographic center of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. It drains the eastern slope of Mts Guyot, Zealand, and the Bonds, before it meets the North Fork of the Pemigewasset River. The closest trail …

The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) runs a hiker shuttle (link to schedule) in New Hampshire’s White Mountains between its lodges and several major trailheads that can make getting around easier if you don’t have a car during your visit or you don’t …

Mt Flume is the southernmost peak on Franconia Ridge and the first mountain the Pemigewasset Loopers encounter after leaving the Lincoln Woods Trailhead. I climbed in via the Osseo Trail which provides a relatively gradual ascent, climbing 3150′ feet in 5.6 miles, …

The Wild River Wilderness is the wildest designated wilderness area in the White Mountain National Forest spanning New Hampshire and Maine. I hadn’t been up that way for a few years so I planned a backpacking route that followed the river from …

South Shoal Pond Peak, also known as Twintop or Mt Quinn isn’t a popular destination in the Pemigewasset Wilderness. But I had a hankering to go climb it if only because it gave me an excuse to backpack out to the Thoreau …

The White Mountain National Forest is located about 2 and 1/2 hours north of Boston, 6 hours north of New York City, and about 2 hours from Portland, Maine. It’s visited by over 6 million people per year, and provides numerous recreational …

The Desolation Loop is a moderately strenuous 41 mile backpack through the eastern half of the White Mountain’s Pemigewasset Wilderness, bounded by the Bonds, Ethan Ridge, Carrigan Notch, and Hancock Notch. There are many excellent swimming holes and wilderness campsites along the route, which will …

The White Mountains 4000 Footer Grid, called The Grid, requires hiking all 48 of the mountains on the White Mountains 4000 footer list, once each calendar month. That equates to 48 x 12 or 576 climbs, although you can climb multiple peaks …