“Hale Brook Trail” from AMC White Mountain Guide (30th Ed.)
This trail climbs from Zealand Rd. (FR 16), at a parking area 2.5mi from US 302, to the clearing at the summit of Mt. Hale, which provides only very restricted views over trees that have been steadily reclaiming the formerly bare summit. The trail has steady, moderate grades an dpasses through a fine birch forest in its middle section.
The yellow-blazed trail leaves the parking area, crosses a cross-country ski trail, then ascends steadily to cross Hale Brook at 0.8mi. The trail continues the steady climb then swings left at 1.1mi and ascends gradually across the steep slope above Hale Brook (a difficult sidehill in winter), recrossing the brook in its rocky bed at 1.3mi. The trail ascends by several switchbacks, crossing a small brook at 1.7mi. Still ascending and curving gradually to the right, the trail enters the conifers, passes a restricted view southwest to Mt. Willey, and attains the summit (where a cleaning has a large cairn) from the east.
“Lend-A-Hand Trail” from AMC White Mountain Guide (30th Ed.)
This attractive trail connects Zealand Falls Hut with the summit of Mt. Hale, which offers only very restricted views over trees that are steadily growing taller. The grade is fairly easy, but the footing is rather rough for a good part of its distance. The trail takes its name from a journal for charitable organizations that was edited by Edward Everett Hale, the Boston pastor and author for whom Mt. Hale was named.
The trail diverges right (north) from Twinway 0.1mi above Zealand Falls Hut and climbs steadily, crossing a small brook three times. After about 0.5mi, the grade becomes easy in a long section with numerous plank walkways, where small brooks flow in and through the trail. At 1.5mi, the trail enters a scrubby, ledgy area with limited views and ascends moderately. In a rocky area at 1.9mi, an opening 30yd right of the trail offers a good outlook toward Carrigan Notch. The trail then traverses a long, level shoulder, descending slightly. At 2.4 mi, the trail climbs another rocky pitch and continues in open conifers to the summit clearing, marked by a large cairn, where Hale Brook Trail leaves east (right). Many of the rocks around the former fire tower site are reputed to be strongly magnetic.
“Twinway (AT)” from AMC White Mountain Guide (30th Ed.)
The train extends from Galehead Hut to a jct with Zealand Trail and Ethan Pond Trail 0.2mi beyond Zealand Falls Hut, forming an important ridge crest link along the north edge of the Pemigewasset Wilderness that connects the mountains of the western part of the region - the Franconia Range, Mt. Garfield, and the Twins - to the Bonds, the Zealand-Hale region, the WIlley Range, and the northern parts of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. Twinway offers magnificent views from the summits of South Twin Mtn and Mt. Guyot and from the outlook at Zeacliff, and connecting trails lead to a number of other suburb outlooks. For its entire length, Twinway is part of the AT.
The following description of the path is the eastbound direction (Galehead Hut to Zealand Falls Hut). [...]. From the jct. Of Frost and Garfield Ridge trails 40yds from Galehead Hut, Twinway passes over a ledgy hump, descent to a sag, then climbs steadily and steeply on a rocky footway up the cone of South Twin to the south knob of the open summit at 0.8mi. North Twin spur begins here, running straight ahead 40 yards to the north knob and then on to North Twin. Twinway turns right (south), enters the woods, and descends along the broad ridge towards Mt. Guyot, with easy to moderate grades after an initial steep pitch below the summit. At 1.8mi, the trail crosses a ledgy hump with restricted views. The trail descends easily to the main col between South Twin and Guyot then climbs out of the scrub to open rocks on the side of Guyot and reaches the jct with Bondcliff Trail on the right at 2.8mi. Guyot Campsite is 0.8mi from this jct via Bondcliff Trail and spur path.
Twinway turns left and ascends in the open to the flat northeast summit of Guyot at 2.9mi; hikers should take care to stay on the marked trail and avoid trampling fragile alpine vegetation. The trail reenters the woods and descends at a moderate grade with some rough footing on the long ridge leading northeast toward Zealand Mtn, reaching the col at 3.9mi. The trail then blimbs rather steeply, and at 4.1mi a few yards before reaching the height-of-land, the trail passes a small cairn marking a side path on the left that runs nearly level 0.1 mi to the true summit of Zealand Mtn (sign), wooded and viewless. The main trail continues at mostly easy grades down the ridge, passes a ledge with a view southeast at 5.1mi, then descends a steep pitch with a ladder, and in a sag at 5.3mi passes a side path that diverges right and descends to the shore of tiny, boggy Zeacliff Pond in 0.1 mi(100ft descent). The main trail ascends over a scrubby hump and passes the jct right with Zeacliff Trail at 5.7mi.
In another 0.1mi, Twinway reaches a loop side path that leads 75yd right to the magnificent Zeacliff outlook then turns sharply left and runs 70yd to rejoin the main trail 50 yd eas of its point of departure. Between the loop jcts, Twinway climbs over a ledge with views that are good but greatly inferior to those from the Zeacliff outlook. At the farther loop jct, Twinway turns left, ascends slightly, then descends steadily with rocky footing. At 6.9mi, the trail crosses two branches of Whitewall Brook on ledges (use caution in high water), and Lend-a-Hand Trail immediately enters on the left. Twinway passes in front of Zealand Falls Hut at 7.0mi, where a short side path leads right to scenic ledges on Whitewall Brook; from the hut is a good view of Zealand Notch and Mt. Carrigan. The main trail then descends steeply on rock steps, passing a side path right to a viewpoint for Zealand Falls, then crosses the outlet of Zealand Pond and reaches the grade of the old logging railroad. Here, Zealand Trail turns left and Ethan Pond Trail turns right, both on the railroad grade.
“Bondcliff Trail” from AMC White Mountain Guide (30th Ed.)
This trail begins at a jct with Lincoln Woods Trail and Franconia Brook Trail just north of the bridge of Franconia Brook, 2.9mi from the parking area on the Kancamagus Highway. Bondcliff Trail leads along the East Branch to the site of old logging camp 16 on a section that was formerly part of Wilderness Trail, ascends over Bondcliff and Mt. Bond, and ends at Twinway just west of the summit of Mt. Guyot. Bondcliff Trail connects the Pemigewasset East Branch valley with the high summits of the Twin Range, and the entire trail is in the Pemigewasset Wilderness except for a short segment at the north end. The long section on Bondcliff and one shorter section on Guyot are above treeline, with great exposure to the weather. The views from this trail are unsurpassed in the White Mountains.
From the jct on the north side of the Franconia Brook bridge, Bondcliff Trail bears right, bypassing a wet section of railroad grade, then joins the grade and continues to swing to the east. The trail crosses a brook at 1.0mi, and reaches the camp 16 clearing (where camping is no longer permitted) at 1.8mi. (Until this point, the trail was formerly part of the Wilderness Trail;the section of Wilderness Trail that continued ahead for 0.7mi on the railroad grade to the site of the suspension bridge over the East Branch - which was removed in 2009 - has been closed). Here Bondcliff Trail turns left, runs level for 100yd, turns sharply left just before reaching Black Brook, and climbs a bank to an old logging road. The trail then leaves the logging road and climbs well up on the slope to the west of the brook. At 2.9mi, after a slight descent, the trail bears left to rejoin the logging road along the brook and ascends easily, although parts of the road are severely eroded.
The trail then makes the first of four crossings of the brook at 3.2mi, the second crossing, at 3.7mi, provides the last sure water. At the third crossing, at 4.3mi, the trail turns right and crosses the brook bed (often dry). In 40yd - a tricky spot - the trail reaches another brook bed (usually dry), descends along it ot the right for 20yd, then swings sharply left out of the brook bed and climbs a steep slope on rock steps. (Descending, the trail swings right at the bottom of the steps into the brook bed, ascends along it for 20yd, then turns sharply left out of it). The trail then swings left to another old logging road and crosses a gravel bank where one can look almost straight up to the summit of Bondcliff. IN a short distance, the trail makes teh last brook crossing in a steep, south-facing ravine; if the brook is dry here, water can sometimes be found a short distance further up in teh streambed. The trail winds up a small, prow-shaped, hanging ridge that protrudes into the main ravine then swings left at 5.0mi and begins a long sidehill ascent of the steep slope on a logging road, heading back to the southwest. At 5.9mi, the trail reaches the crest of Bondcliff’s south ridge, swings north, and ascends the ridge to a short, difficult scramble up a ledge. Soon the trail breaks out of teh scrub and climbs along the edge of the cliffs, with spectacular views, reaching the summit of Bondcliff at 6.2 (Caution: The trail runs above treeline for about a mile and is potentially dangerous in bad weather, particularly high winds. When visibility is poor, stay well to the right (east) of the edge of the precipices).
The trail now descends the open ridge into a long, flat col then ascends the steep, rough slope of Mt. Bond, reentering scrubby woods about halfway up. At 7.4mi, the trail passes just wets of the summit of Mt. Bond, which commands a magnificent unrestricted view of the surrounding wilderness and mountains. Here, the trail bears left (northwest); in the reverse direction, it bears right (southwest) of the summit area. The trail descends north, crossing a minor knob, then drops down rather steeply past West Bond Spur on the left at 7.9mi and leaves the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The trail reaches the Bond-Guyot col at 8.1mi, where a spit path descends right (east) at 0.2mi and 200ft to Guyot Campsite and its spring. Bondcliff Trail then ascends to the bare south summit of Mt. Guyot and continues mostly in the open 0.2 mi to its jct with Twinway 0.1mi west of the less-open north summit of Guyot. Go straight ahead here for the Twins and Galehead Hut, or turn right for Zealand Mtn. and Zealand Falls Hut.
“West Bond Spur” from AMC White Mountain Guide (30th Ed.)
This short path provides access to the sharp, rocky summit of the West Peak of Mt. Bond, which is perched high above the deep valleys of an extensive Wilderness Area, commanding magnificent views. The entire trail is in the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The trail leaves Bondcliff Trail 0.5mi north of the summit of Mt. Bond and 0.2mi south of the spit to Guyot Campsite, descends moderately for 0.3mi to the col at the foot of West Bond, and ascends moderately for a short distance. West Bond Spur then climbs the steep cone to the summit, which is the most easterly of several small peaks on a ridge running east and west.
“Lincoln Woods Trail” from AMC White Mountain Guide (30th Ed.)
Lincoln Wood Trail runs for 2.9mi along the west side of the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River, from the Kancamagus Highway (NH 112) to a footbridge over Franconia Brook, forming a central artery from which several trails diverge and lead to various destinations near and in the western part of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. Lincoln Woods Trail follows the wide bed of a logging railroad that last operated in 1948. The trail begins at a large parking area with USFS information center on the north side of the road (sign: Lincoln Woods), just east of the highway bridge over the East Branch, 5.6mi from the information center at I-93, Exit 32 in Lincoln and 0.3mi beyond the Hancock Campground. This trail receives extremely heavy use, and camping is strictly regulated (See p. 151 for camping regulations). The area along the East Branch was heavily damaged by the 2011 storm, and in many places, the high, steep riverbanks have been severely undercut, creating a serious hazard for hikers who approach too close to the edge.
Note: The suspension footbridge that crossed the East Branch 5.4mi from the Lincoln Woods trailhead was removed in 2009. Advanced route planning is essential. If you are starting your hike at Lincoln Woods, be sure to start on the correct side of the East Branch, depending on your destination. [...]. Do not rely on crossing the river at either the Franconia Brook Tentsite or the site of the former suspension bridge. A former 0.7mi section of the Wilderness Trail on the north side of the river and west of the bridge site has been closed. (This bridge removal does not affect the suspension bridge location at the Lincoln Woods Trailhead).
Leaving the parking lot, Lincoln Woods runs across the deck of the information center and descends a wooden stairway to the left, swings left past a kiosk and crosses the East Branch on a suspension bridge, then turns right and follows the railroad bed along the river, climbing almost imperceptibly. At 0.7mi the trail skis to the left of a major washout from the 2011 storm, with a view over the river to Mt. Hitchcock. Soon the trail crosses Osseo Brook over a culvert and follows it upstream, and at 1.4mi Osseo Trail diverges left to follow Osseo Brook up its valley. Lincoln Woods Trail soon passes the old logging camp 8 clearing on the left, and at 1.8mi, by a piece of old rail, the trail comes close to the river’s edge, where a fine view upstream to Bondcliff can be obtained from the rocks just off the trail.
Soon the trail crosses Birch Island Brook on a bridge, and a long straightaway leads to the jct with Black Pond Trail on the left at 2.6mi. At 2.9mi, just before the bridge across Franconia Brook, Franconia Falls Trail diverges left. From this jct, Lincoln Woods Trail descends ahead to cross Franconia Brook on a footbridge. About 50yd beyond the Franconia Brook footbridge, Lincoln Woods Trail ends at the Pemigewasset Wilderness boundary. Here, Franconia Brook Trail climbs the bank on the left (north) and Bondcliff Trail (formerly a section of Wilderness Trail) diverges right (east). (Note: Use of a former route leading from the north end of the footbridge to a crossing of the East Branch is discouraged because the step stones have mostly been swept away, and the river crossing is often dangerous).
