Free 4000 Footer Guidebook

Oakes Gulf is a glacial cirque on the south side of Mt Washington, similar in size and scale to Tuckerman Ravine, but much harder to access because it’s so far from a paved road. Home to the avalanche-scarred Dry River, which isn’t dry at all, it’s located in the Presidential-Dry …

Tunnel Brook is a lush, steep-walled valley on the west side of Mount Moosilauke (4802′). Seldom visited by day hikers, it’s a quiet and secluded place to observe wildlife and witness the avalanche and flash flood damage that Moosilauke and neighboring Mount Clough (pronounced Cluff) experience during major rainstorms and …

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 opportunities including hiking, backpacking, camping, climbing, skiing, ice …

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 who climb Carter Dome approach it from the …

This trip has it all: great views, an epic ridge walk, a fire tower, two alpine lakes, moose habitat, waterfalls, and cascades. Mt Carrigain is at the geographic center of the White Mountains and on a clear day you can see over 30 of the other 4000 footers from its summit …

A Carter Wildcat Traverse is a 2-3 day, 23 mile traverse of the entire Carter and Wildcat Mountain Ranges, including Mounts Moriah, North Carter, Middle Carter, South Carter, Hight, Carter Dome, and Wildcats A, B, C, D, and E. Hikers are treated to fantastic views of Mt Washington, The Great Gulf, Mt …

A Bonds Traverse is a 2 day, 20 mile traverse of Zealand Mountain, West Bond, Mt Bond, and Bondcliff Mountain. Bondcliff is one of the most picturesque mountains on the 4000 footers list and many hikers like to pose for photos on western cliff. While it is possible to day hike …

The Fire Warden’s Loop is a 2-3 day, 18 mile backpacking route that climbs four 4000 footers: Hale, Zealand, South Twin, and North Twin. All four of these peaks surround the Little River Valley but aren’t normally climbed together as a group by day hikers because there isn’t an obvious …

The Moriah Loop is a 2-3 day, 24 mile backpacking route that climbs Mount Moriah and its graceful sister peak, Shelburne Moriah, before dropping down to the Wild River. From there, the route loops back through the heart of the Wild River Wilderness on the Moriah Brook Trail, passing countless …

I’m currently publishing a FREE guidebook for Backpacking the White Mountain 4000 footers in New Hampshire in serialized form on SectionHiker.com. Why would someone “give away” the contents of a Guidebook for free instead of publishing one with a real publisher and getting paid for it? I thought I’d explain the …

The Kate Sleeper Loop is a 2 day, 20 mile backpacking route that climbs four 4000 footers: North and Middle Tripyramid, Whiteface and Passaconaway. The Tripyramids and Whiteface/Passaconaway are usually climbed on separate days by day hikers, but they’re linked together by the Kate Sleeper Trail, and make a nice …

The Howker Ridge Loop is a 2 day, 18 mile loop that climbs all of the peaks in the Northern Presidential Range: Mounts Madison, Adams, and Jefferson. The route passes several unusual geological features including small peaklets known locally as Howks, an alpine tarn called Star Lake, and towering rock …

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 traverses gnarly mountain terrain with steep climbs and …

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 appeal to more experienced backcountry adventurers interested in …