Trip Reports

The Dry River is one of the wildest parts of the White Mountain National Forest, located below Mt Washington in the Presidential Range-Dry River Wilderness Area. The most direct way to access it is by following the Dry River Trail, which runs …

Hiking Mt Lincoln and Mt Lafayette along the Franconia Ridge Trail is one of the best hikes in New Hampshire’s White Mountains and one that I never get tired of hiking since the views are tremendous on a clear day. While we …

Mt Isolation is a remote 4000-footer located in the Presidential Range-Dry River Wilderness south of Mt Washington, with outstanding views of Washington, the Southern Presidential Range, the Oakes Gulf Headwall, and the Dry River Valley. Moderate in both length and difficulty, this …

“The Lincoln Brook Trail is beautiful in the morning sun”, I thought as we hiked back after camping near the base of Owls Head Mountain, deep in the Pemigewasset Wilderness.  My friends Ken and Karen and I had backpacked in the day …

Mt Cabot is the northernmost White Mountain 4000-footer and a 9.6 mile out and back hike with 3,000 feet of elevation gain. The last time I climbed it was on November, 4th of last year (2021). I remember that hike vividly because …

Mt Jackson is ranked #38 on the White Mountain 4000 Footer List. While it is only 4052′ high, it’d be natural to assume that it’s an easier mountain to climb. Most people don’t make that mistake twice. But the effort required to …

The Willey Range includes three peaks: Mt Willey, Mt Field, and Mt Tom.  All three peaks are located along the same ridgeline, so you can climb them all at once. Most people start in Crawford Notch and hike this route as a …

Many ultralight backpackers bring extra clothing on trips that they never wear and end up carrying for no purpose. Doing this has a ripple effect, because it means you need a larger backpack to carry the extra clothing, which is probably going …

There are two seasons in New Hampshire’s White Mountains: winter and everything else. After six months of winter, a very long winter, I am ready to hike on dirt again. But, this being mid-May, winter is still hanging on above 3000 feet, …

The Cannonball Loop is an epic 2 day, 15 mile loop hike that climbs THREE 4000 footers, visits three lakes, and provides outstanding views of Cannon Cliff and Franconia Notch. Don’t let the short distance of this loop hike fool you. It …

One of the great hikes in the White Mountains of New Hampshire is called a Presidential Traverse. It’s so-called because hikers climb all of the mountains in the  Presidential Range of the White Mountains in one continuous hike that’s nearly 23 miles …

Carter Dome is the ninth tallest White Mountain 4000 footer with an elevation of 4832 feet. It’s located almost due east of Mount Washington and has the distinction of being the highest mountain in the Carter Moriah Range. Most of the peakbaggers …

Mt Monroe is the fourth highest four thousand footer in the White Mountain National Forest, while Mt Washington is the tallest, #1.  They’re often hiked on the same day because they’re adjacent to one another in the middle of the Presidential Range …

Mts Eisenhower, Pierce, and Jackson are three 4000-footers in the Southern Presidential Range just south of Mt Washington. Eisenhower and Pierce are often hiked together, but adding Jackson makes for a much longer loop, just under 13 miles in length with 4,000 …