Mt. Garfield via Garfield Trail (White Mountain National Forest)

Mt. Garfield via Garfield Trail (White Mountain National Forest)

Distance: 12.47 miles
Elevation: 3,212 feet

Time: 6 hours, 31 minutes (5 hours, 24 minutes moving)
Hike Type: Out-and-Back
Hiking Challenges: New Hampshire 4000 Footers; 52 Hike Challenge 2024

The Hike

Okay, so I had my first snowshoe hike under my belt. I had an open day five days later, so I made a date for myself and Mt. Garfield! Garfield routinely comes up as a great "easier" 4000-footer, with easy/moderate grades almost the entire way up. It was going to be a long hike, 12ish miles with a road walk, but I knew I wouldn't need snowshoes for all of it (or apparently, any of it). I was feeling a little more condifent since my hike last Tuesday, the weather was supposed to be pristine, albeit cold and windy, and there hadn't been any new snow since last Tuesday, so it was safe to assume trails would be in good shape. Off I go!

The drive started like most, 3:00am wake up, boil some water for my Yeti and hot chocolate, skies were clear, air was cold, and I eventually made it to the MECCA - Hooksett. Unfortunately I didn't have to use the bathroom AND they did not have any breakfast sandwiches... oh well. A ham sandwich and some PopChips will do. I continued my drive, next stopping at the Lincoln 7/11 for a more productive bathroom run. I was feeling sleepy until I hit Franconia Notch which was stunning in the darkness - the Cannon Cliffs basically looked like the moon. After the notch, the clear skies became cloudy, and I soon landed at the winter trailhead at 6:00am, still in the dark. There was one other car in the lot, but it looked like someone was sleeping inside (foggy windows). Air temperature was 14 degrees, I wanted to sleep, but I told myself I could do hard things and got suited up! Thermal leggings (thank you Costco), tech pants (thank you Walmart - I need to upgrade these to ones that cover my boots and fit better), Darn Tough socks, SmartWool base layer, Outdoor Research microgrid fleece (my favorite article of clothing ever), L.L. Bean synthetic puffy (going to upgrade this too - probably a lighter-weight synthetic), Enlightened Equipment down puffy (basically used as a water-bottle insulator), Columbia shell (that will not be used), merino wool Buff, beanie, Head liner gloves, and Dakine insulated mittens - same clothes as my Bald Peak hike, and likely will stay the same clothes system. I also packed an extra base layer, buff, liner gloves, and socks in a Ziploc. My pack had the essentials including snowshoes, Hillsound trail crampons, 4 liters of Nuun, 1 Yeti of hot cocolate, and four peanut butter tortillas. My pack weighted 31lbs, and I was off!

The hike started at 6:20am at the gate to Gale River Road. A car pulled in as I was leaving and hiking around the gate. There were light flurries in the air and the road was covered in a beautiful, sparkly snow. I didn't realize there were first-come-first-serve campsites on this road. It appeared that there used to be more, though, as a sign read: "NOTICE: NO CAMPING AND NO WOOD OR CHARCOAL FIRES: Over the years, the high volume of camping and related human waste has caused damage to the vegetation an dis a threat to water quality in the streams. For this reason, the area is closed to camping. Please promote a clearn environment by not camping in this location."

Gale River Loop Road crosses the South Branch of the Gale River, which was beautiful in the early morning light. I took my puffy off and continued on. The road crosses the South Branch again, and then the Scarface Brook a bit later. I learned the hard way that trekking poles make a TERRIFYING sound when used on hard snow-crust - like a banshee coming for blood. Thankfully, I mentally adjusted, but I definitely spooked myself. The road turns left at a fork (snowmobile trail continues right/straight) to join a snowmobile route, crosses the South Branch one last time, and then finally arrives at the trailhead! I took a quick break here before continuing my journey.

I headed into the woods, which were very similar to the woods at the beginning of the Mt. Kinsman Trail. The trail meandered around these lovely woods for a short while before descending and turning onto the old firetower road. It wasn't super clear when this turn happened - the trail flowed very naturally. The biggest difference was that the trail was now traveling straight, instead of meandering. 

The trail then went through a wet area where it crosses the Thompson and Spruce Brooks, all of which were snow-bridged over. The trail continued on gently gaining elevation as the sky began to slowly brighten. I noticed the sky was beginning to appear through the clouds around 7:30am and I heard a truly magical owl call. 

Around the halfway point, the grade steepened slightly (not steep, though), and went up and over "Burnt Knoll," which is nestled in a stunning birch forest. I took a quick break here to get some water and I was STEAMING. It was down to 12 degrees, I had ice on my eyelashes, and my poor camera lens fogged up (but then iced over, which made for an easy cleanup). There was a short descent after Burnt Knoll, continuing in the stunning, relatively open birch forest, and then began the switchbacks!

I know some people, specifically New England hikers, who dislike switchbacks, but they were heavily appreciated as I was adjusting to carrying a heavy pack. By now, I was still in my bare boots and was working on transforming into a pine tree (my snowshoes kept getting caught on low-hanging branches). There were hundres of snowshoe hare footprints in the area, and just after the 5-mile mark I heard voices for the first time! A group of three snuck up on me and scared the life out of me, and then one final person passed me a few minutes later. It's very interesting stepping off-trail to let people pass when there's 2-feet of snow to sink into...

The forest began to lighten and become more snow-crusted with every switchback, which made the climb that more enjoyable. My toes began to get a bit chilly (which has never happened in these boots before), but thankfully it never got worse than a slight chill. There was an occasional breeze, but nothing too strong or prolonged. Slowly, the snow-crusted trees turned into "Dr. Seuss Trees" or "Cauliflower Trees," the sky began to open up, I entered the Forest Protection Area around the Garfield Ridge Campsite, and then I was at the Garfield Ridge Trail junction!

I took a short break here to gather my bearings and put my spike on - I knew it was supposed to be a short, steep final ascent. There were very partial views from this junction (and I mean like a view of just the tippy top of South Twin), and I noticed there were very few footprints heading away from Mt. Garfield on the Garfield Ridge Trail. 

I could't believe how blue the sky looked - it almost looked like someone edited the colors up above. 

The final push up to Mt. Garfield was tough. It was like an ice luge, but covered in granular snow. I made it up with a few slip-backs and post-holes, but the reward was an incredible view, sunny summit, and only a slight breeze. I passed the first group that passed me earlier right when I made it to the top of the climb, and the fourth person stuck around for a few more minutes at the summit.

On the left I could see Galehead, the Twins, the Presidentials behind the Twins, and the Bonds. Owl's Head was right ahead with a sharp ridge I had never noticed before. On the right was Flume, Liberty, Lincoln, and of course, Mt. Lafayette, with just the top of Cannon poking through to say hello. Air temperatures were up to 18 degrees, but with the breeze it was in the single digits. 

From left to right: Mt. Flume, Mt. Liberty, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Lafayette, and Mt. Cannon.

South Twin Mountain.

Owl's Head.

From left to right: Mt. Guyot, Mt. Bond, West Bond, and Bondcliff.

I spent around 10 minutes up top taking endless photos, enjoying my peanut butter tortillas, and my still-mostly-warm-hot-chocolate! I love my Yeti. In hindsight, I should have bundled a bit more and taken a longer rest (with sitting), but I wanted to make sure I got back down with plenty of time to spare, so I packed my things and got back to work!

The initial descent down Garfield was very sketchy. I'm not sure if it was a mental issue or if it was actually rough, but it involved a lot of very small steps, slipping into post-holes, and contemplating just sitting down and flying (that would have been a poor decision). Right at the bottom of the steep section, I passed a group of 8ish hikers about to head up, so my timing was perfect!

I took a quick potty and hydration break back at the Garfield Trail/Garfield Ridge Trail junction, and then started the long journey back. Higher up, I continued to admire the thickly-crusted trees and the stunning blues of the sky. I passed probably around 20 people on my return trip, but all were well spaced out. At one point, I ducked under a low-hanging branch, which grabbed the hat right off my head, which caused me to flinch backward and fall into a deep posthole - basically a cartoon-style move. 

Lower down, I saw TWO red squirrels, thankfully neither of which were screaming at me, and I knew I was getting close first when I hit the brook crossings, and then when I could hear snowmobiles. At this point, my spirits were high, but my back was hurting. I'm not sure if it was fatigue, poor pack placement, poor pack packing, or a combination of it all. I took my final break at the summer trailhead where I spiked my remaining hot chocolate with the Vermont Ice Apple Cinnamon Cream Liqueur that Emma and I got at the Boyden Valley Winery a few weekends ago - DELICIOUS!

My final road walk back was uneventful. Thankfully I didn't have to deal with any snowmobiles. I admired the bridges as I traversed them, but kept it moving so I could put on clean, dry clothes. Back at the car I did a quick change, took a moment to be proud of myself for hiking my first winter 4000-Footer, and started my long, uneventful drive home.

[EDIT TO ADD] I haven't been this sore the day after a hike in a LONG time, probably since I hiked the Bonds. Oof!

Step-By-Step

- Park at the winter trailhead at Gale River Loop Road just off of US-3.

- Road walk to Garfield Trail trailhead.

- Follow Garfield Trail for its entirety.

- At terminus/first jct., continue right/straight onto Garfield Ridge Trail.

- Summit Mt. Garfield.

- Retrace steps to car.

“Garfield Trail”  from White Mountain Guide, 31st Ed. (2022)

[Mt. Garfield summit (4,501 ft.) via Garfield Ridge Trail: 5.0 mi., 3,050 ft, 4:00] 

WMNF This blue-blazed trail runs from Gale River Loop Rd. (FR 92) to Garfield Ridge Trail 0.2 mi. east of the summit of Mt. Garfield, which is bare rock with magnificent views. Most of the way the trail follows an old tractor road used for access to the former fire lookout, and its grades are easy to moderate all the way to Mt. Garfield, except for the short, steep pitch on Garfield Ridge Trail just below the summit. The trailhead for Garfield Trail is reached by leaving the south side of US 3 at a small parking area 0.3 mi. west of its intersection with Trudeau Rd. (a location sometimes called Five Corners) and 4.1 mi. east of its jct. with NH 141. Avoiding a right fork, follow FR 92 south for 1.2 mi. and then swing left and cross a bridge to a parking lot on the right. (Straight ahead on this road, it is 1.6 mi. to the trailhead for Gale River Trail.) FR 92 is not open to public vehicular use in winter; plowed parking is available at the road’s entrance off US 3. Garfield Trail lies within the watershed of a municipal water supply, and hikers and campers should take care not to pollute any of the streams in this watershed.

        Garfield Trail begins to the right of the parking lot, climbing an embankment and following the top of the north bank of the South Branch of Gale River through fine woods with many large hemlocks. At 0.7 mi., the trail descends, swings right toward the river, and then turns left onto the old fire lookout access road. It climbs slowly away from the river, heading generally south, and crosses Thompson Brook and two branches of Spruce Brook and then a snowmobile trail. Garfield Trail recrosses Spruce Brook at 1.2 mi. and continues its long, gradual climb. (Although these crossings usually are not difficult, in high water, you can use the snowmobile trail to avoid all three by bushwhacking up the east side of Thompson Brook, turning right on the snowmobile trail, and crossing bridges over both brooks - and also crossing Garfield Trail between the bridges - then bushwhacking up the west side of Spruce Brook back to Garfield Trail.)

        At 2.6 mi., the trail crosses a small brook by a large flat rock, and at 3.0 mi. it crosses a ridge (once burned over and known as Burnt Knoll) in a birch forest and descends slightly. At 3.3 mi. the trail swings left and ascends moderately on several sweeping switchbacks in mostly coniferous woods. It reaches a blowdown patch at 4.1 mi. Here, the trail turns sharply left and climbs easily to the east; then it swings south around the east side of the cone of Mt. Garfield to a jct. with Garfield Ridge Trail, which enters from the left, ascending from Garfield Ridge Campsite. The summit of Mt. Garfield is reached in 0.2 mi. by turning right and following a steep, rocky section of Garfield Ridge Trail to its high point and then scrambling over the ledges on the left for another 60 yd. to the foundation of the old fire lookout.

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