I’ve had Bartlett Haystack Mountain on my radar for a few years, but never made the time to go climb it. It’s a trail-less peak off Bear Notch Rd, which is closed in winter, usually from November thru May or June. With …
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Hiking the Skull Cairn Trail on Mt Chocorua
The White Mountain National Forest is riddled with decommissioned hiking trails, old logging roads, railroad spurs, and logging camps enough to keep anyone with a thirst for history and hiking off the beaten path satisfied for years to come. The Skull Cairn …
Read More »Backpacking a Willey Range Lollipop
Pungent. That’s the best way to describe the smell on the Zealand Trail as you approach the Beaver Ponds. They’re an essential part of the Zealand Valley ecosystem providing open space for migrating flocks of birds to land and rest while accelerating …
Read More »Red Rock Cliff Loop: Great Hikes in the White Mountains
The Red Rock Trail is in the northeastern corner of the White Mountain National Forest, in Maine. It’s a ridgeline trail that begins at Speckled Mountain and runs east over several lesser peaks named Butters Mountain and Red Rock Mountain, all the …
Read More »Fly Fishing the Great Gulf Wilderness
The Great Gulf Wilderness is a deep glacial valley surrounded by Mt Washington, and the Northern Presidentials – Mt Adams, Mt Jefferson, and Mt Madison. It’s drained by a high gradient stream called the West Branch of the Peabody River which runs …
Read More »Great Hikes in the Whites: Moat Mountain Traverse
The Moat Mountain Traverse is a classic White Mountains hiking route that can be hiked year-round. It’s a good early spring hike to do when the high peaks are still snow-covered but the lower elevation trails are starting to clear. But my …
Read More »Great Hikes: A Huntington Ravine Trail Loop
The Huntington Ravine Trail is one of the hardest hikes in the White Mountains. Located on Mt Washington, it climbs 1400 feet in 0.9 miles up the headwall of Huntington Ravine, a deep glacial valley on the east side of Mt Washington. …
Read More »Backpacking a Pemigewasset Loop
A Pemigewasset Loop is a 31-mile loop hike in New Hampshire’s White Mountains that follows the ridgeline encircling the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The route climbs 8 four thousand footers with 9000 feet of elevation gain and has long stretches of above-treeline travel. You …
Read More »Great Hikes: Howker Ridge Watson Path Loop
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 …
Read More »Paugus Cliff and the Wonalancet Range Trail
Mt Paugus is an infrequently-visited 3000 footer that has great views of Mt Chocorua and Mt Passaconaway because it’s situated in between these two popular peaks. I hiked up it over the weekend to sit on its south-facing cliff, which is a …
Read More »Province Pond Backpacking Trip Plan
Province Pond is a picturesque 10-acre backcountry pond with an Appalachian style lean-to on the east side of the White Mountain National Forest, near North Conway, New Hampshire, just south of Evans Notch and the Maine state line. It’s a short and …
Read More »Great Hikes: Mt Washington, the Huntington Ravine Trail, and a Boot Spur Loop
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 …
Read More »Hike Mt Chocorua
Mt Chocorua is one of the most frequently photographed mountains in the world according to the Appalachian Mountain Club’s White Mountain Guide. Located near New Hampshire’s Mt Washington, Chocorua is far from being the highest mountain in the White Mountain National Forest …
Read More »Great Hikes: Climbing Mt Madison by the Pine Link Trail
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 …
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