White Mountains

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Sawyer Pond is a picturesque backcountry pond on the east side of the White Mountain National Forest, near Crawford Notch and Bartlett, NH. It’s easy to hike into, making it an ideal destination for families, small groups, or couples who want a …

The Terrifying 25 is a popular list of difficult White Mountains Hiking Trails compiled by Trish Herr, the author of Up! A Mother and Daughter’s Peakbagging Adventure, for her young daughters Alex and Sage. They enjoy hiking through boulder caves, rocky scrambles, and …

Mt Liberty and Mt Flume are two 4000 footers in the Franconia Notch region of the White Mountains that are usually climbed together because they’re 1.2 miles apart along the same connecting ridge. Hiking them together is so common that people often refer …

The Caps Ridge Trail is a popular above-treeline trail in the White Mountains because it’s the shortest route to climb Mt Jefferson (5712′), the third-highest 4000 footer on the AMC’s 4000 footer list. The trail starts in the forest and gradually climbs …

Gray Knob Cabin (4375′) is a primitive hut located on Mt Adams (NH), just below treeline. It’s maintained and operated by The Randolph Mountain Club (the RMC), the trail maintenance organization that does the lion share of trail construction and maintenance in …

Sugarloaf Mountain is a 52-with-a-view peak in the Nash Stream Forest, a conservation area in Northern New Hampshire, about 10 miles north of Mt Cabot and the northernmost border of the White Mountain National Forest. The Nash Stream Forest is considerably less …