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The Trailwrights 72

The Trailwrights 72

If you found hiking the White Mountain 4000 footer peakbagging list easy, try hiking the TrailWrights 72, which is a lot harder.

The chief difference between the lists is that you can only count one peak per day on the Trailwrights list. On the White Mountain 4000 footer list, you can climb as many as you want per day, which makes it very easy to accumulate peaks, especially when they all lie on the same ridge like the summits along the Franconia Ridge Trail, the Wildcats, Carters, the Northern and Southern Presidentials, and the Twinway.

Beside being harder to complete, the Trailwrights list is designed to make you hike more trails in the Whites, which is why I’m drawn to it. For example, if you need to climb Mt Adams, Sam Adams, Adams 4, and Adams 5, you’re not going to want to climb the same trail from a trail head for all 4 climbs. I’m guessing this is by design.

Who are the Trailwrights?

The Trailwrights are a service organization that specializes in providing hiking clubs with trail maintenance education and coaching. So, in addition to climbing all 72 peaks on the Trailwrights list, you need to perform 72 hours of trail maintenance to get your certificate. I think that’s very cool and a great incentive to give back to the trails we rely on.

PEAKHEIGHT (FT)DATESTART
Washington62881/8/2011Pinkham Notch Lodge
Adams57746/10/2011Appalachia via Howker/Star
Jefferson57126/19/2011Bowman Trailhead
Sam Adams55519/15/2012Caps Ridge Trailhead
Clay55316/9/2012Jewel Spur/Marshfield Station
Boot Spur54927/19/2012Pinkam Lot/Rt 16
John Quincy Adams53948/14/2012Pinkham Notch VC
Monroe53743/20/2011RR Base Station/Ammo TR
Madison53676/6/2009Pinkam Notch Lodge
Adams 453489/28/2013Lowes Garage
Adams 552668/4/2013Great Gulf Trail Trailhead/Rt 16
Lafayette52406/4/2011Lafayette Place off I93
Lincoln50896/11/2012Lafayette Place off I93
North Lincoln50002/18/2012Lafayette Place off I93
Franklin49049/5/2009Ammonoosuc Ravine Trailhead
South Twin490210/8/2011Gale River TR Pking Lot
Carter Dome48323/17/201219 Mile Brook
Moosilauke48029/1/2007Beaver Brook/Kinsman Notch
North Twin47613/14/2009Seven Dwarves Motel Rd
Eisenhower47608/30/2009Crawford Path Trailhead
Gulf (Slide) Peak476011/10/2012Glen Ellis Lot/Rt 16
Little Haystack47608/15/2009Whitehouse TH/Franconia Notch
Bond46989/18/2011Zealand Brook Lot
Carrigan468010/10/2009Sawyer River Road Lot
Hight46759/20/201319 Mile Brook
Middle Carter46001/28/201219 Mile Brook
Lethe45842/2/201219 Mile Brook
Guyot45801/16/2014Rt 302, Zealand Rd
Blue452910/26/2012tunnel brook/benton tr
Mossilauke South Peak452311/20/2010Ravine Rd Trailhead
West Bond45206/18/2012Lincoln Woods
North Carter45209/29/2013Imp Trailhead, Rt 16
Garfield448010/30/2009River Loop Trailhead
Liberty44591/2/2011Whitehouse TH/Franconia Notch
Wildcat A44229/28/201219 Mile Brook/Rt16
South Carter44204/21/201319 Mile Brook/Rt16
North Hancock44004/3/2010Hancock Overlook Lot
South Kinsman43586/24/2007Cascade Brook Tr/93
Southwest Twin435710/6/2013Galehead Lot
Flume43281/24/2010Lincoln Brook Lot
Field432012/9/2011Highland Center/A-Z Trail
South Hancock43191/30/2010Hancock Overlook Lot
Osceola431510/25/2009Tripoli Rd Lot
Clinton (Pierce)43102/22/2011Crawford Path TH
Wildcat C429811/25/2011Polecat Ski Trail, Wildcat Resort, Rt 16
North Kinsman42937/31/2009Mt Kinsman Trail
North Isolation42938/24/2013Rt 16
Willey428510/4/2009Mt Webster Lot/Rt 302
Bond Cliff42656/18/2010Lincoln Brook Lot
Zealand42404/12/2012Zealand Rd Upper Lot
Middle Osceola42005/12/2012Tripoli Road
Jim417211/13/2010Ravine Rd Trailhead
Cabot416012/10/2011Berlin Fish Hatchery/York Rd
North Tripyramid41603/6/2010Pine Bend/Kancamagus
East Osceola41563/5/2011Greeley Ponds TR/Kancamagus
Middle Tripyramid41207/3/2010Sabbaday Falls/Kancamagus
West Osceola41144/27/2013East Pond Trai/Kancamagus
South Tripyramid408010/6/2012Livermore Lot.South Slide
Cannon40809/5/2010Kinsman Ridge/Franconia Notch
Wildcat D40606/5/200919 Mile Brook Trailhead
Hale405412/22/2011North Twin TH/Little River
Jackson40521/15/2011Webster/Jackson Trailhead
Mt Tom405112/19/2009Highland Center
Moriah40497/7/2007Rattle River Lot/Rt 2
Passaconaway40438/28/2010Oliverian TH/Kancamagus
Owl's Head40257/17/2010Lincoln Brook Lot
Galehead402412/28/2013Beaver Brook Picnic Lot
Northwest Hancock402010/7/2012Kancamagus Highway/Hancock Hairpin
Waumbek40067/24/2010Starr King Road Lot
Isolation40049/7/2010Mt Davis Lot/Rt 302
Tecumseh40032/20/2010Mtn Rd Lot/Ski Area
Whiteface40003/28/2010Ferncroft Road Lot

Trailwrights 72 Official Rules:

Peaks:

  1. Hikes/Bushwhacks start and finish on foot from any maintained road, class V or better, parking area, or U.S. Forest Service roads open for traffic. Exception: Mt. Washington auto road cannot be driven (not recommended to hike this road).
  2. Each peak must be climbed individually; therefore, only one peak counts per hike or backpack.

Trail work:

  1. Trail work will be defined as standard trail construction/reconstruction and repair or maintenance. Includes blazing, brushing, erosion control, etc. or any task designated by crew leader.
  2. Only hours actually worked may be counted, do not include time you spent driving to and from home. (Use trailhead to trailhead time)
  3. At least (3) work outings (21 hours total) must be done with Trailwrights organized and led events. These are noted as such on the calendar.
  4. List organization, the date, work done, trail name.

After completion of the requirements, application may be made by writing to the Hiking Chairman of Trailwrights, 27 North Spring St, Concord, NH 03301. A special patch and certificate will be available to members for no fee. Nonmembers receive a certificate free and patches available at cost. Additional patches at cost. For more information on the Trailwrights 72 Summits Club, you can contact the Trailwrights Hiking Chairman via email at [email protected]..

2 comments

  1. I’m a little confused. At the top of the article you say “The chief difference between the lists is that you can only count one peak per day on the Trailwrights list” but under the official requirements it says “Each peak must be climbed individually; therefore, only one peak counts per hike or backpack” It seems that I should be able to do two separate hikes that leave from different locations on the same day and count two summits for that day, e.g Middle Osceola from Tripoli Rd and Mt. Jim from Rt. 112. Is this a correct assumption?

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