Trip Reports

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, …

I was in awe the first time I climbed it up the Howker Ridge Trail to Mt Madison. Howker runs along the top of a ridge that’s capped by these strange rocky peaklets, called Howks, which poke out above treeline at intervals …

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 …

While I enjoy hiking solo in the White Mountains in summer, there are a few trails that I won’t hike alone, in any season for that matter. The Huntington Ravine Trail is one of them. This trail, which climbs a cliff face …

When I want inspiration, I head above treeline in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. There’s something about the big views and the physical exertion of climbing a mountain that lifts my spirits and lets them soar. For this trip, I hiked up to the …

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 …

The Fire Warden’s Loop climbs Mts Hale, Zealand, South Twin, and North Twin Mountains, with an optional extension out to Mts Guyot, West Bond, Bond, and Bondcliff. It begins and ends along the North Twin Trail, making it a convenient loop for …

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, …

Albany Mountain? “Where the hell is that? What’s wrong with hiking in the White Mountains?” asked my friends. “Albany Mountain is in the White Mountains,” I replied. “The White Mountain National Forest include areas in New Hampshire and Maine.” In fact, some …

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 …

Mt Moosilauke is a massive mountain located in the southwest corner of the White Mountain National Forest. The main summit has an elevation of 4802′, which makes it the 10th highest mountain on the AMC’s 4000-footer list. My goal on this trip …

Speckled Mountain (2906′) is the site of an old fire tower in Evans Notch, just inside the Caribou-Speckled Wilderness Area in the White Mountain National Forest. Hiked together with the above-treeline Blueberry Ridge Trail, they provide unsurpassed views of Mt Washington, the …

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 …

Speckled Mountain is a treeless summit in the Caribou-Speckled Wilderness, the newest and easternmost Wilderness Area in the White Mountain National Forest. The site of an old fire tower (the foundations are all that remain), it has wonderful views of the peaks …