White Mountains

With a high-pressure system parked over the White Mountains, I set out for another October climb in the Presidential Mountain Range. With temperatures in the high forties, winds under 20 mph, and fall foliage peaking in the valleys below, I looked forward …

Winter comes early at the higher elevations in the White Mountains, especially on Mt Washington and in Presidential Mountain Range. Our first high elevation snowfall this year (2021) was on September 30, so when you get some good days in October where …

The Sandwich Range encompasses the southwestern portion of the White Mountain National Forest including everything, roughly speaking, from the Kancamagus Highway south to Squam Lake. While it includes several 4000 footers and the region is heavily forested, the terrain is quite varied …

Autumn has arrived in the White Mountains, but leaf-peeping season is still a few weeks out. The Forest has been surprisingly empty the past two weeks and you can hike all day and just see a handful of people if any. I’ve …

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 …

Owls Head Mountain (4025′) is a White Mountain 4000 footer that is located deep in the Pemigewasset Wilderness. While it’s not a difficult peak to climb in terms of elevation gain, it’s an 18 mile out and back day hike with numerous …

The White Mountains in New Hampshire have a well-deserved reputation as a challenging place to hike. People are always a bit surprised by this because they’re not that high in elevation, only topping out at 6,288 feet on Mt Washington. Still, people …

A Twins/Bonds Traverse is a 2-3 day, 20-mile traverse of North Twin, South Twin, West Bond, Mt Bond, and Bondcliff Mountains. This route is an alternative to the classic Bonds Traverse which approaches the Bondcliff Trail from the east over Mt Zealand. …

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 …

North and South Hancock are two White Mountain 4000 footers in New Hampshire’s Pemigewasset Wilderness that are connected by a short ridge. Climbing them requires a fairly strenuous, wet, and muddy 9.8-mile hike with 2700′ of elevation gain, and most people do …

I guess I’m a “gridiot” now. That’s the endearing name given to hikers working on The White Mountains Grid, which requires climbing the 48 White Mountain 4000 footers once in each calendar month, for a total of 576 summits. A lot of …

The Bonds – Bondcliff, Mt Bond, and West Bond are three of the most scenic 4000 footers in the White Mountains, a place with no shortage of mountaintop views. They’re eleven miles from the nearest trailhead, smack in the middle of the …

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 …

Wildcat ‘A’ and ‘D’ are two 4000 footers on the other side of Rt 16 from Mt Washington and the Presidential Range. Hiking them usually requires an out and back hike, a road walk, or a shuttle. However, there is a way …