Mt. Osceola Loop via Tripoli Rd, Goodrich Rock, & Greeley Ponds (White Mountain National Forest)

Mt. Osceola Loop via Tripoli Rd, Goodrich Rock, & Greeley Ponds (White Mountain National Forest)

Hike Type: Loop

Distance: 15.36 miles

Elevation: 4,032 feet

Time: 7 hours, 26 minutes (6 hours, 27 minutes moving)
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2025; Terrifying 25, NH Rocks that Rock, Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge

The Hike 

'Twas the day before my 48/52 Grand Finale and all thoughtout the house... I was not, because I was pregaming it with a longer hike. I was up at 3:00am and out at 3:20am with my sights set on the Osceolas via what one could argue is the least convenient route! It was chilly and clear out in Boston when I left, which was lovely. I got my breakfast sandwich from Hooksett at 4:25am and made it to the Mt. Osceola Trail trailhead at 5:40am. It was in the upper 20s, which felt wonderful, and the skies were still clear. I christened the trailhead bathrooms right on time, and I miraculously had $5 to pay the day use fee! Everything was slightly frosted and glittering in the light of my headlamp - time to start the journey!

[5:52am - Start of Hike on Tripoli Road]

I purposefully started the hike in the dark, as I knew I had an almost 3-mile road walk along Tripoli Road. The plus side of going toward Livermore was that it was almost entirely downhill! There was a slight rise from the Osceola parking lot, but that was it! It alternated between dirt and pavement for much of it's length, slowly trending towards pavement nearer Livermore. I was in my fleece, nano puff, and gloves for much of the downhill walk. I could occasionally make out the silhouettes of Mt. Osceola through the trees - that is, when my foggy breath wasn't clouding my headlamp's vision. 

The sky had it's first light on my walk and slowly began to illuminate the world around me (key word: slowly). A truck passed me slowly on a rough stretch of road, followed by another car in the opposite direction. Around the one mile mark, there was a steeper stretch of road that eventually joined a stream that was paralleling the road. Tripoli Road crossed the stream on a bridge and I later caught a cool early morning tree view to North Tripyramid. The road eventually turned, revealing Middle and South Tripyramids before sending them behind the trees. I finally started to warm up after 30 minutes of walking as the sky began to lighten and the colors remaining on the trees began to show themselves. 

I was able to turn off my headlamp around 6:30am, even though it was still a little dark outside. It was so pretty and peaceful out. I could make out East Osceola through the trees now as my body temperature alternated between warm and cold, and later I would catch the awful scent of the Livermore bathrooms. The forest critters began to wake up around 6:40am as I started to see signage for the Waterville Valley trails. Soon after, I turned left off of Tripoli Road, crossed the brook on a bridge, and landed at the Livermore trailhead! The bathrooms smelled horribly, and I added to the stench with a second christening. There were three frosty cars in the parking lot, and now it was officially time to be in the woods!

[6:45am - Livermore Trailhead]

[6:51am - Livermore Trail]

[6:56am - Livermore Trail/Enters for Protection Area]

I was wearing my waterproof mid-height boots, which were still pretty new. At Livermore, I loosened up the ankles of them for comfort, as I was still figuring out how to best tie them and break them in. I had a bit of rage coming into this weekend from my boss, but I was trying my hardest to not think about it. I got yelled at by my first squirrel du jour at 6:52am, and I enjoyed all of the frost at the Depot Camp before crossing the bridge and turning onto the Greeley Ponds Trail.

[6:59am - Greeley Ponds Trail]

This turn signaled a delightful ramble for the next few hours. The Greeley Ponds Trail followed another road that was wide and tree-lined, now with conifers for the time being. According to the guidebook, this stretch of trail was severely damaged after Tropical Storm Irene, so there were a good amount of relocations, but all relocations were simple to follow and continued the road grade. I was surprised to see a large group of hikers in one of the closed sections, presumably eating their breakfast. They were the first and only people I would see for a LONG time! 

I was loving the cold air as I followed the road which gained elevation at easy grades, similar to Lincoln Woods. Eventually, about a mile from the Osceola Trailhead, I took my Nano Puff off and continued my walk. The trail joined the Mad River, which looked particularly beautiful with the remaining foliage. There were a few short spurs to nice views from the river, which was also running low, just before the Goodrich Rock Junction.

[7:21am - Goodrich Rock Trail]

Finally time to gain some elevation (before losing it again)! I took my fleece off once I turned onto the Goodrich Rock Trail - an elective Terrifying 25 trail. The trail was narrower, but still plenty wide (about a sidewalk's width) and began to climb moderately to a few cool boulders in a drainage. At the boulders, the trail turned left and meandered into the woods for a bit. The woods here smelled wonderfully fragrant - similar to the floral smell I noticed going up Flume Slide a couple weeks ago. 

The sun was beginning to shine through the trees as the trail began to climb again. There were small boulders throughout the woods - I thougth these were the "Davis Boulders" - but not yet! Soon after, I made my way to the true boulders, and they were so fun! The Goodrich Rock Trail wiggled through a wide crack in a broken rock and then scrambled through a mini cave (which was fully bypassable). 

Afterwards, the trail continued on a flatter rugged ramble before scrambling down to the base of Goodrich Rock, only to climb up around the far side, which led right to the "terrifying" ladder. The ladder itself wasn't that horrible, but the wood was very smooth and the ladder was just a little shaky. 

[7:50am - Goodrich Rock]

The top of Goodrich Rock was a perfect spot for a break! I got a nice view of Sandwich Dome and Jennings Peak with a peek to Waterville Valley Ski Area and a framed view of Mt. Tecumseh. I took a sit and enjoyed a breakfast sandwich from Hooksett for a few minutes. I originally planned to also take a detour to the Timber Camp Trail, but I was getting my sights set on the Osceolas and wanted to get there sooner, so I was flirting with leaving that trail for another day. I sat up top just long enough so that I got chilly again, and then I was on my way back!

[8:02am - Goodrich Rock Trail]

The return to Greeley Ponds Trail was quick and easy, and felt remarkably faster and shorter than the climb up (which does make sense, in all fairness). I cannot recommend this side trip enough! It was a perfect way to warm up, have some fun scrambling, and to get some views in before I tackled the main peaks of the day.

[8:21am - Greeley Ponds Trail]

Now I was back on the wonderful Greeley Ponds Trail, continuing to slowly climb my way to Mad River Notch. It was chilly back along the river in the shade, and eventually the trail began to climb more... moderately, but still very easily. Eventually, I was high above the river and the sun was lighting up the trees - it was so wonderfully bright and golden - I love fall! I was also grateful for the autumnal tree views - there was truly nothing impressive to see, but it was just nice to have something to look at. I remembered that this stretch of trail is technically a relocation and used to be part of the Timber Camp Trail (implying the Timber Camp Trail used to be much longer), and I officially decided to skip the side trip when I reached the junction.

[8:37am - Greeley Ponds Trail/Timber Camp Trail]

From the Timber Camp Trail junction, the trail began to descend - the change of gears felt nice on the legs. I could occasionally make out a wildly impressive cliff on East Osceola through the trees. The trail hit a switchback and then began to descend perpendicular to the contour, providing a top-of-the-trees view to a shoulder of Mt. Kancamagus. I passed some sort of artifact, I assume a logging remnant, and then I crossed the Mad River on a sparkly, frosty bridge.

[8:47am - Greeley Ponds Trail/Kancamagus Brook Ski Trail]

After the bridge, the Kancamagus Brook Ski Trail turned right as the Greeley Ponds Trail began to climb up and over another hump - another relocation. The trail was still plenty wide, but noticably narrower now. It was also cold again because I was back in the shade! There were better tree views to the East Osceola cliffs on this side of the river, and the trail soon began to descend and zig-zag back down to the original trailbed. 

The closer I got to Mad River Notch, the larger East Osceola became - how am I supposed to climb that? The trail narrowed again down low and I had the pleasure of hiking across a few bridges (I guess this is the perk of the trail corridoor also being an XC Ski trail! The sun soon came back, warming me up, and the trail easily rose to another bridge and more tree views to East Osceola - I was feeling glad that I skipped Timber Camp, because this was great!

[9:02am - Greeley Ponds Ski Trail]

[9:07am - Lower Greeley Pond]

I excitedly entered the Greeley Ponds Scenic Area (at a forest protection area sign) and a junction with the Greeley Ponds Ski Trail, where the ski trail continued straight and the Greeley Ponds Trail turned left and crossed the Mad River. To make up for bailing on the Timber Camp Trail, I did decide to take the Greely Ponds Ski Trail to catch a view of the Lower Pond. The trail felt like a ski trail - horrible, wet footing and a little grown-in, but it was worth it! I crossed a nice bridge and came to an absolutely stunning view of the Lower Greeley Pond and East Osceola (plus a beautiful reflection). There was an illegal campsite just into the woods at the view - boo! I noticed my shins starting to feel splinted on the return trip, so I toyed with how I was tying the boot which may have helped a little?

 

[9:13am - Greeley Ponds Trail]

I easily crossed the Mad River, which was now in the sun, and the Greeley Ponds Trail was rocky and rooty now. There were a few side paths on the right that led to nice views of the ponds, mostly with Mt. Kancamagus towering above. One side path led to a little shady grove with some ice, which was fun! There was basically no foliage left, but it was still so gorgeous. 

I started to catch some spider webs to my face, but I was happy to have made it this far into the hike without any, so I accepted them. I admired some mallards munching on the grasses growing out of the Lower Pond, and the northern end of the Lower Pond was pretty marshy and grown-in.

I followed a guidebook suggestion on a side path along the Upper Greeley Pond and got a wonderful view of the cliffs and slide tracks on East Osceola. I was going to take a break here, but I noticed a comical amount of fresh moose poop, which didn't immediately deter me, but there was basically nowhere to safely put down my pack without landing in poop, so I went back to the Greeley Ponds Trail and found a nice sitting spot for my next break.

[9:40am - Break Along Upper Greeley Pond]

My break was delightful - I sat along the south shore of the Upper Pond. I had more nasty leftover pulled pork BBQ pizza that was 80% BBQ sauce, but the view was delightful. I threw on my windbreaker for the break and stayed just long enough to get cold again. I finally finished my first Nalgene at 3 hours, 58 minutes/9.28 miles, which felt like a problem, but thankfully my pee was mostly clear and I was not cramping!

[9:52am - Greeley Ponds Trail]

I had one last side-path stop at the northern end of the Upper Pond, which had a little beach area, and then I had a nice and easy hike from the Upper Pond to Mad River Notch, crossing the headwaters of the Mad River on a slightly sketchy log bridge and scooting around a neat boulder. After the boulder, there was a duck-under blowdown and then the Greeley Ponds Trail veered left while the Greeley Ponds XC Ski Trail veered right, and then it was the height-of-land! I did a quick potty break and dumped a TON of trail debris out of my boot here. It was time to actually climb!

[10:06am - Mt. Osceola Trail]

From the trail junction, I turned left onto the Mt. Osceola Trail. The sign comically said 1.5 miles to East Peak and 2.5 to the main peak, which felt crazy, as I'd been hiking all day and barely climbed anything! The Mt. Osceola quickly left the Greeley Ponds Scenic Area. The Notch proper was very pretty and open with the fallen leaves, and I preventatively took off the windbreaker. 

The climb started right away, transitioning quickly from east to moderate grades with rocky footing. My lungs were already feeling spicy due to the physical exertion in cold weather, but I kept telling myself "you're fine!" I could occasionally hear a loud car on the Kanc, but otherwise it was very quiet. The semi-open hardwood forest was really pretty, and it was transition to spooky once in the conifers. There was a walking break area that was spooky, rocky, mossy, wet, and really neat. I'm guessing the boulders that littered the woods fell from the towering cliffs above at some point in the past?

There were a solid amount of stone steps for a famously rough trail. I caught a few tree views to the cliffs above, and more boulders were near the trail. Sadly, the trail went around and not through the boulders. Not including the group I saw at the start of the Greeley Ponds Trail early this morning, I saw my first people of the day at 4 hours, 41 minutes/10.52 miles - nice!

The climb steepened again, but it wasn't overly ridiculous. I was a little nervous about the temperature paired with the amount that I was sweating, but that felt like a later problem. The trail began to deteroriate in terms of erosion, but it wasn't TOO awful. I crossed paths with another person as the trail yet again steepend and passed a neat slab just off-trail (no view). From here, the trail steeply climbed along a rockier and sketchier stretch, but I caught a little view to the Tripyramids from here, which was fun!

The steepness continued as I began to hear people down below. I hiked through a steep, wet, eroded area, then another with just a short reprive between the two, but then I arrived at the bottom of an old slide track that had a wonderful view of the Hancocks, Jefferson, Carrigain, Carter Dome, and Stairs Mountain, to just name a few. 

I scrambled up the slide track (not sketchy), passed some ice patches, and stomped on my first needle ice of the season!

The trail was back to being super steep, eventually leading to a "washed out gully," which was kind of like a mini-chimney - fun! The Mt. Osceola Trail gets MUCH easier from this point, rounding a shoulder and turning left. A spur to view on the right led to an absolutely sick view of East Osceola, Mt. Osceola, Moosilauke, the Kinsmans, the Franconia Ridge, Garfield, and Owl's Head, with more to see, too. Just amazing!

Now I was hiking along the spine of the ridge and it was simply lovely. For the sake of my body temperature, I planned to blast through East Osceola and do my last big break on the main peak. The final push to East Osceola was moderate with one annoying blowdown that was neither easy to go over or under. All of the wet spots were ice near the summit, but thankfully there weren't that many. I did throw my rock spikes in my pack, just in case. A side path on the left near the top led to a grown-in view, and there were many new and old blowdowns near the top (but not blocking the trail).

[11:18am - Mt. Osceola Trail/East Osceola Summit]

It was fun to be back on this viewless summit for the first time in over five years! I truly just got my photo and blasted off. It was nice and sunny up on the ridge, but the descent of the summit was chilly in the shade with some more ice. The descent was rough, but I was happy to be using different muscles again. There would be occasional peekaviews over to Waterville Valley - I was still surprised how early peak foliage was this year! Further down, I passed another on-trail excellent view over towards the Pemigewasset Wilderness, along with two more people. It was fun to see the full Pemi Loop cirque!

The woods were lovely as I descended to the col, and the climb from the col started dramatically with the famous chimney! I forgot how fun it was to climb it! It's all the fun of any steep scramble, but with excellent hand holds. It felt much bigger the first time I climbed it, though! I giggled that the trail blaze was simply an arrow that pointed straight up.

From the top of the chimney, I caught a nice view back to East Osceola and over to the Tripyramids. I dipped back into the trees, which smelled of wonderful pine needles with some needle ice on the ground. The trail transitioned from lovely to gravelley and eroded, which... was expected. The trail climbed more moderately as I reflected on this push almost killing me those five years ago - I wasn't feeling 100%, but I had already been hiking for 12 miles and over 6 hours, so I think I was doing fine!

I caught some more good views from the top of the steepest part of the climb and crossed paths with person #6. A walking break gave my legs a nice break as I traversed a height-of-land before slightly descending and seeing a RUDE view up to the main peak of Mt. Osceola. 

I knew I was getting close when I crossed paths with human #7 who was in cargo shorts, cotton hoodie, and no pack. There were a few more icy pushes along this final push, and soon I was up on the beautiful open summit! 

[11:55am - Mt. Osceoa Trail/Mt. Osceola Summit]

I've been saying this every time I've repeated a hike, basically - I love seeing these views with such a deeper knowledge and context of these mountains! The summit wasn't crowded, but there were at least 10 other people, including a couple families and one guy on a loud phone call. I found the USGS disc, took a few photos, and then stood there wondering if I wanted to stay or not. I opted to stay, which was objectively the right move - I had just gotten used to being alone! I had another bad slice of pizza as I enjoyed the view - specifically of the North Tripyramid slide, Chocorua and the Sisters, and Lake Winnipesaukee. 

[12:09pm - Mt. Osceola Trail]

I noticed that the families were starting to pack up, so I packed up faster to get ahead of them. There's lot of side/spur/herd paths around the summit, but the only one detailed in the guidebook is from the older fire tower footings (not the ones at the main view, the ones directly on the trail) - I turned right to catch a view of... basically nothing, it was almost entirely grown in. 

I continued my blast-off down the trail, which had some standing water and ice and slippery slabs. I gave up counting people on this descent, as there were MANY folks ascending (not a stupid amount, but definitely enough). I passed the herd path to Middle Osceola, which is very intriguing to me, but for a different day. I suffered through the seemingly endless slabs (I have rough memories of navigating them five years ago in my beat-up sketchers - I was doing better today!). I started to catch up to and pass many folks, some of which were French Canadian, and I crossed paths with a group of six college-aged kids that were very funny. They came up to a slab, all groaned, and one of the girls yelled "I DON'T EVEN LIKE HIKING. THANKS A LOT, WILL!" which made me giggle.

My brain turned off for a while as I continued my descent - every time I stopped to take a photo or write a note my body reminded me of how badly I needed to pee, but I was waiting for the pathroom at the trailhead. The grade mellowed out when my watch hit 15 miles on the dot, which would have been welcomed, but the trail was so rocky it was almost easier to be descending with gravity on my side!

[1:12pm - Mt. Osceola Trail/Enters Forest Protection Area]

The temperature felt delightful now that I was down low, and I knew hope was on the horizon once I entered the Forest Protection Area around the trailhead! The character of the woods changed, and suddenly, I was back!

[1:18pm - End of Hike]

After my hike, I used the bathroom and changed and enjoyed my last piece of sad pizza at the picnic table right at the trailhead. I was in flip flops, shorts, and a t-shirt, and only later realized it was a toasty 49 degrees out. I had a shockingly painless drive home and giggled at the SUCKERS driving north during rush hour for the long weekend (I was actually the sucker, as I'd be doing the drive at 3am tomorrow morning). My grand finale hike is tomorrow!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Mt. Osceola Trailhead ($5 Day Use Fee).

- Start hike by turning left onto Tripoli Road.

- At Livermore Trailhead, turn left onto Livermore Trail.

- At jct., turn left onto Greeley Ponds Trail.

- At jct., turn left onto Goodrich Rock Trail.

- At Goodrich Rock, turn around.

- At jct., turn left onto Greeley Ponds Trail.

- At Forest Protection Area, follow Ski Trail to Lower Greeley Pond.

- At Lower Greeley Pond, turn around.

- At jct, turn right onto Greeley Ponds Trail.

- Take spurs to views of pond.

- At Mad River Notch, turn left onto Mt. Osceola Trail.

- Summit East Osceola, continue on Mt. Osceola Trail.

- Summit Mt. Osceola, continue on Mt. Osceola Trail.

- Follow Mt. Osceola Trail back to car.

Photo Album

Mt. Isolation via Lion Head, Mt. Washington, Davis Path, & Glen Boulder (White Mountain National Forest)

Mt. Isolation via Lion Head, Mt. Washington, Davis Path, & Glen Boulder (White Mountain National Forest)

Hike Type: Tilted Lollipop Loop

Distance: 17.24 miles

Elevation: 6,217 feet

Time: 13 hours, 48 minutes (10 hours, 33 minutes)
Hiking Challenges: New Hampshire 4000 Footers, Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge, NH Rocks that Rock

The Hike 

Time for my annual "NOBODY TALK TO ME I'M GOING TO THE MOUNTAINS" vacation, but this time, featuring some friends! I some had convinced Sarah to hike Mt. Isolation with me. First we talked about doing the tradition route up Rocky Branch and Isolation Trail, but decided against it because of her famous ankle issues. Then we pivoted to out-and-back via Glen Boulder, but then we decided we might as well do some form a loop, so we decided we'd go up Boott Spur and down Glen Boulder. Then we had a heat wave and while it was supposed to be significantly cooler out, it was still going to be humid. I am famously the sweatiest human on earth, so I got nervous about water. I proposed the idea of going all the way up to Washington so we could just a couple of liters of water and then use their spigot to fully load up for the long trip down to Isolation and the longer (feeling) trip back to the car. Like any insane person, Sarah immediately agreed! To beat the heat we also opted to get up a f*** o'clock and possibly catch a sunrise - with the sun rising at 5:00am, we decided it made sense to start hiking at 3:00am, which led to Sarah getting a room in North Conway for two nights - perfect!

After the chaotic planning, we officially met for dinner Tuesday night at the North Conway Applebees and were promptly in bed by 8:00am. We locked in our plan of dropping a car at Glen Boulder, driving the other car to Pinkham, hiking up Tuckerman Ravine Trail to Lion Head for sunrise, then following Lion Head and Tux again to the summit. From there, we'd descend via Crawford and Davis Paths all the way to Isolation. Afterwards, we'd head back up Glen Boulder and descend all the way to the car. Neither of us slept well, but we were both stoked for our upcoming adventure!

Our 2:00am alarms went off and we were soon up and getting ready (with a dash of delirium for good measure). We made it out the door at 2:15am and it was horribly hot and humid outside (my car read 82 degrees), BUT the skies were clear, and that's what I really cared about. Driving seperately, I was the line leader, and our drive was mostly uneventful. I got a text from Sarah while we went through North Conway saying "who is this asshole going below the speed limit at 2:22 in the morning?!" which made me absolutely cackle, and later on we discovered a HUGE blowdown (do we call it that if it's on a major road?!) entirely blocking NH-16. Thankfully, we both reacted quickly enough so neither of us were in danger, but it was jarring! There was just enough of the gravel shoulder exposed that we could carefully skirt around it. Starting things off exciting! 

We made it to the Glen Ellis Falls parking area, which was recently reopened. We only had a 10 dollar bill, so we decided we'd be humanitarians by paying the $5 recreation fee and "donating" the other $5. We left Sarah's car there and I drove us to Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, where we got suited up and ready to go! There were plenty of cars and plenty of parking - we tried to be quiet as we were the only fools up and about. 

Higher Summits Forecast by the Mt. Washington Observatory (7:08pm Tuesday)

[...]. While the worst of this week's heat and humidity is over, a heat advisory will remain in effect until 8 pm EDT Tuesday. Tomorrow will sill remain warm, through less so, particularly at lower elevations and neighboring trailheads. While tomorrow's highs will rebound just to the upper 50s, lower elevations will still be in the mid 80s, so it will still be important to hydrate, stay as cool as possible, kepe an eye out for signs of heat exhaustion, and be ready for the warmer temperatures you have to return to following your time at the higher summits. 

Wednesday: Mostly in the clear under partly sunny skies.

High: Upper 50s. Wind: NW at 25-40 mph early, 35-50 mph w/ gusts up to 60 mph midday, and 25-40 mph later.

[3:07am - Start of Hike] 

We walked through the center of the Pinkham complex to the truly massive Tuckerman Ravine Trail sign. One thing I did think about was NOT hiking the Tuckerman Ravine Trail the whole way because of possibly encountering snow. One did I did NOT think about was how the Lion Head trail would be affected by lingering snow. The avalanche information board read "AVALANCHE DANGER. A GENERAL ADVISORY. LONG SLIDING FALL. CREVASSES. DANGER FALLNIG ICE. UNDERMINED SNOW. WINTER ROUTE." I hadn't thought about the Lion Head winter route at all, and I would mentally bounce back and forth of which was was the right way to go for most of this initial hike.

[3:11am - Tuckerman Ravine Trail] 

[3:13am - Tuckerman Ravine Trail/Old Jackson Road] 

The Tuckerman Ravine Trail started off (and remained) wide, open, and super easy to follow for our entire journey. We passed a camper in their tent with a large fallen limb no more than 4 feet from their tent - we think the limb fell overnight as thunder and rain rolled through the area (the same thunder and rain that likely knocked the limb down on NH-16) - thank goodness they were okay!

This first stretch of trail had a few landmarks - notably the junction with Old Jackson Road and the Blanchard Ski Trail (which has sparked a rabit-hole of reading about the ski trails in the area, but that's something to dig into another day). We neared the Cutler River and could see some cascading water through the trees with our headlamps and later crossed the river, and to our dismay, entered a horrible cloud of thick, moist, warm air that we lived in for for about the next hour. The only saving grace was the viewpoint of Crystal Cascade, which was super cool to see in the dark! Only bummer here was that Sarah was attacked by a MASSIVE moth. I also learned about Sarah's phobia of moths in this moment!

[3:24am - Tuckerman Ravine Trail/Boott Spur Trail] 

The Tuckerman Ravine Trail then passed the junction with the Boott Spur Trail - a trail we decided not to take because we wanted lighter packs (we will never know if the lighter packs made any difference since we added ~1000 feet of elevation gain... on well!). It was pretty brutally buggy here for a while. We both applied bug spray and ended up removing the headlamps from our heads and had to hold them out in front of us. On the plus side, we saw tons of slugs and frogs! Sarah decided she'd start counting how many frogs we would see versus humans. We were at 3 frogs and 0 humans so far!

We could slowly begin to see first light through the trees. There were clouds to the north and some overhead, but the horizon proper was still open. Maybe we will get a sunrise?! We hiked on, appreciating that miles do not count in the dark, and also how this trail was consistently climbing with decently okay footing - we were making good time to meet our loose, unstated goal of breaking treeline in time for sunrise. 

[3:55am - Tuckerman Ravine Trail/Huntington Ravine Trail] 

[4:15am - Tuckerman Ravine Trail/Huntington Ravine Fire Road] 

We crossed the Cutler River a couple of times on bridges and noticed we were just able to see the outline of a high ridge (either Lion Head or the headwall of Tuckerman Ravine, probably) and a couple of headlamps HIGH up! We crossed the Huntington Ravine Trail, joked about climbing it, and then made it to the Huntington Ravine Fire Road, which still had its winter-only sign up (at least winter-only according to the White Mountain Guide). We went back and forth on what to do, and ultimately decided to stick with the summer route. Worst case, we turn around!

[4:31am - Tuckerman Ravine Trail/Raymond Path] 

[4:36am - Lion Head Trail] 

Continuing on, we hiked past the Raymond Path junction and landed at the Lion Head Trail summer route. We did a short break here to chug some water, use the bathroom, and I took a moment to wring out my shirt, which was SOAKED with my sweat. We had more or less left the humidity bubble, but I was still cooking!

Now the fun was about to begin! The Lion Head Trail traveled past a shelter, dipped slightly, and then began to shoot up the steep shoulder, past an "Avalanche Area" sign (we were delighted to see no snow on the trail). The climb was steep, scrambly, but fun! It reminded me slightly of the climb up Wildcat Ridge Trail. The morning colors were starting to show through the trees, and we both gasped at the first viewpoint, which provided obstructed views toward the Wildcat Ridge and Carter Dome.

Lion Head Trail zig-zagged up the shoulder, climbing up a fun ladder and few trickier scrambles before revealing the first views over to Boott Spur, whose cliffs were breathtaking. 

The clouds began to illuminate with the sun's first glow of the day and I truly blasted off, trying to reach treeline in time for the sun to break the horizon. I nearly put myself into cardiac arrest, but I was (mostly) successful in my mission! The sun debuted the start of the day over the northern Carter-Moriah Range as Sarah and I exchanged a series of "oh my god"s. Beautiful doesn't even begin to put it into words!

Just a little but further up we officially broke treeline at another "Avalanche Area" sign, where we got to enjoy more views toward the Wildcats and Carters, down towards Jackson and Conway, and up towards the cloudy summit of Mt. Washington. We also loved to see some alpine flowers in bloom! The first of which was "bog labrador tea," which can apparently be used to make tea!

We now set our sights on Lion Head proper, where we planned to stop for our first break of the day. The climb continued to be steep, but grades always feel easier above treeline. The views definitely help! Clouds alternated between nearly encasing us to showing us the most incredible views. To our surprise, we crossed paths with two people who were coming off the summit (maybe the people from before?). 4 frog vs. 2 people so far.

We caught our first glimpse into Tuckerman Ravine, too, which had just a few patches of snow left! For the climb from the Avalanche Area to just below Lion Head, the sun was behind the clouds, but it popped out again just before our break, and WOW. It was such a gift to see this incredible area be illuminated by the early morning light. The summit even became visible for a bit!

[5:30am - Lion Head Trail/Lion Head] 

We parked on Lion Head for a nice snack as we stared in awe in all directions. It was a bit chilly now as the wind was blowing and we were soaked in sweat, but we were both still feeling good. There was even a survey "button" on Lion Head! We loved watching the clouds roll over Boott Spur and Nelson Crag as we could hear the waterfall at the Tuckerman Ravine headwall draining into the Cutler River. Even as the sun began to hide behind the clouds again, the occasional ray of light would shine so beautifully and dramatically through the humid air. I'm still in awe!

Once the sun was away, it was time to keep moving! The summit was back in a cloud as we continued our beautiful walk from the Lion Head to the junction with the Alpine Garden Trail, which was easy and beautiful! I even got a point in mine and Sarah's game of fart baseball! There were some purple flowers lining the trail that my Seek app can't seem to identify from my iPads screen, but I will say they were pretty!

[6:00am - Lion Head Trail/Alpine Garden Trail] 

We soon crossed the junction with the Alpine Garden Trail. Lion Head Trail stayed flat for a moment as it traveled through some wet scrub before starting to climb again. There were MANY Canadian bunchberry flowers in this area (and throughout much of our hike) as well as azure bluets. 

Officially in "rock hell," the game became "follow the cairns while still gawking at the views" - we only lost once! We had a nice view back to Lion Head as we slowly entered the clouds, which alternated from "you may not see more than 10 feet ahead of you" to "I can show you the whole wide word!"

My favorite flowers were the moss campions, which were newly budding, and the parts that had budded were closed up for nighttime still. In fairness, I'm really just a sucker for any pink/purple flower. We also passed three-toothed cinquefoils before scrambling through a short rock doorway and eventually making our way through the clouds to the Lion Head Trail terminus at the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, which we think was missing its sign (there was only a sign for Lion Head Trail, not Tuckerman Ravine Trail).

[6:30am - Tuckerman Ravine Trail] 

Back on Tuckerman Ravine Trail! This short, final push was a doozy and almost fully in the clouds, with only occasional glimpses around. It climbed steeply and steadily through rock hell and a few patches of grass. It truly felt even more other-worldly than usual with the clouds! After some huffing and puffing, I saw a sign, and yet again, BLASTED off, nearly putting myself into a coma. It was the Auto Road!

[6:53am - Mt. Washington Auto Road] 

Never had we ever been so excited to see pavement high on a mountain - we made it! Visibility was no more than 50 feet, so all we knew was to follow the auto road "up." We soon climbed up and over a large staircase, and found the Sherman Adams building!

[6:58am - Mt. Washington Summit] 

Once in the area, we BOLTED for the summit. Turns out, if you climb Mt. Washington for 7:00am, you won't have to wait in line! We got our photos with the summit sign, I got my photos of the two discs in the summit area (one at the sign and one ~10 feet away; I also saw a rumor on Facebook that there's another one somewhere near the cog tracks... another day...), and we giggled about how much fun we were having without anyone else there! We also giggled because Sarah's classes would fog up, but only one side at a time, depending on which side the wind was blowing from. According to the observatory, it was 54 degrees out with wind speeds at 32 mph and gusts up to 38 mph. 

Only downside was that we were SOAKED. We knew our two goals were 1) fill up all of our water vessles and 2) sit and snack. While circling the building for the water spigot, we noticed a door was cracked open - hmmm? We opened the door, and the automatic sliding doors just inside opened for us to the mud room. The main doors to the visitor center were still closed, I guess they left it unlocked for hikers needing shelter? Sweet! We parked ourselves inside and for the first time realized how DRENCHED we were. The cloud was, in fact, water, and everything we had was sopping wet. We took a nice LONG break here. My main goal was to dry off my camera, which eventually did happen with some patience. 

I snacked on my peanut butter and cheddar cheese tortilla, some BBQ-flavored chick peas, and beef jerkey while Sarah moaned "food is AMAZING." After sitting for a while, we saw the first worker of the day arrive (they came in through a different door and paid us no mind). We took turns refilling our water and realized how chilly it actually was outside now that we had warmed up inside. 

We noticed toward the end of our break that the clouds were parting occasionally, so we ran out one last time for some photos, before RUNNING back inside because we were frozen! Once back in, we put our puffies on and a new worker came over and said "How'd you guys get in here?" We told him the door was open and he said "Huh... Are you thru hikers?" When we told him we were not he said "You know, we don't have any hot food until 11:00pm." We assured him that was fine and went our seperate ways - poor guy seemed so genuinely confused why we were there (fair). Then another guy came out hauling some... materials? And finally a woman came out and so politely said "Hi! Who let you guys in?" and we said "Oh, no one, the door was open, but we're on our way out!" She was super kind and very concerned that the door was left open (we were grateful). Sarah apologized to both workers that talked to us, but I didn't feel an apology was necessary as the door was open and we just sat there!

Anyway... time to go! We did a quick bonus lap around the summit and then made our way over to the Crawford Path.

[7:52am - Crawford Path] 

The Crawford Path was like a dream in more ways than one! When we left the Sherman Adams Building, the clouds parted just enough to show a small nearby undercast and once on the trail, it was like a wonderful cobblestone street. Clouds continuted to roll in and out, but trending toward more visiblity now. The grass looked greener, we could see the summit structures behind us, and soon we hit the junction with Gulfside Trail!

[8:00am - Crawford Path/Gulfside Trail] 

We think we saw god in this stretch - the souther Presidentials were all still in clouds at first, but over the course of maybe just two minutes we watched the peaks reveal themselves along with the vast Bigelow Lawn. We shared another round of "oh my god"s while we just enjoyed the show! We could now see down toward the Cog base station, Lakes of the Clouds Hut, Mt. Monroe, an a few taller peaks now peeking through the clouds, too. It was really spectacular. One more thing of note: we both had to pee badly in the beginning of this stretch, but we were nervous that the clouds would part right as we were at our most vulnerable. We ultimately went for it, strategically placing ourselves in rocky nooks, and hoping for the best (we were literally fine).

Eventually, though, it was time to keep moving. We noticed a SEA of humans hiking up the Crawford Path from Lakes of the Clouds Hut, so we picked up the pace a bit since we'd be leaving on the Davis Path soon. 

[8:27am - Crawford Path/Westside Trail] 

[8:28am - Davis Path] 

We hit the junction with the Westside Trail and then it was time for the Davis Path! I had a dream of hiking the entire Davis Path all the way to US-302, but the combination of Sarah's ankle and a recent trail report had me letting that dream go (FOR NOW!). We watched more and more hikers hiking up Crawford from the hut, so we were happy to disembark. The Davis Path was immediately less-manicured than the Crawford Path, but that is to be expected. 

[8:35am - Davis Path/Southside Trail] 

[8:45am - Davis Path/Tuckerman Crossover] 

I really do love the vast network of trails up here. I'm sure its comparable to the density (if not less dense) than the RMC trails off Appalachia, but I love how you can actually see the trails from a good distance away. One thing I didn't love was the INSANE amount of spiders that were in what felt like every nook and cranny of the path. I know Sarah and I were counting frogs vs. humans, but if we included spiders in that count, spiders would have won by a longshot. We were constantly in awe with how massive the summit cone of Mt. Washington was/is and we just loved hiking into what felt like the abyss toward Boott Spur.

[8:54am - Davis Path/Camel Trail] 

[8:59am - Davis Path/Lawn Cutoff]

Eventually, Nelson Crag came into view and later, Lion Head. It was extra fun getting to essentially trace the route we took up the mountain! Sarah and I were pretty silent at this part of the hike, just enjoying the gentle grades and beautiful scenery with rolling clouds.

The trail weaved around and over the different faux summits of Boott Spur, we passed an eastern swallowtail butterfly, which according to AMC's Field Guide to the New England Allpine Summits (Slack & Bell, 3rd Ed., 2013) is "a surprising sight in the alpine zone" (p. 163).

[9:23am - Boott Spur Trail] 

[9:26am - Boott Spur Summit] 

At the Boott Spur Trail junction, we decided to hit the summit, which was just a couple of minutes off-trail. The view back to Mt. Washington was commanding, as was the wind! I am SO MAD that I lost my anemometer (again) - I'm guessing gusts were in the upper 30 mph zone (based on my experience - the 30s is typically where I've felt the wind "pushing" me). We got a great view down toward Wildcat Mountain from the summit, which was more or less marked by a drill hole. We had a quick return down to the Davis Path, and our next stop would be the Glen Boulder junction!

[9:29am - Davis Path] 

We took another emergency pee break (we might have over-hydrated, which is NOT a bad thing - I had a liter of Nuun pre-hike, two liters on the climb to Washington, and a fourth liter on our break up top to theoretically compensate for all my sweat) and continued on. This stretch (and the next) really felt like we were hiking into oblivion in the best possible way. The trail sloped gently downward toward the craggy sub-peak at the Glen Boulder Trail junction, revealing the ridge that the Glen Boulder Trail follows and a playful crow, hopping along the fragile alpine vegetation.

[9:43am - Davis Path/Glen Boulder Trail Junction] 

[9:56am - Davis Path]

We did a short sit and snack at the Glen Boulder Trail junction, as we knew we wouldn't want to stop again until we were at Mt. Isolation. The trail followed the shoulder of the grassy paradise for a bit, soon entering the Presidential Range-Dry River Wilderness.

[9:58am - Davis Path/Presidential Range-Dry River Wilderness] 

I particulatly loved this wilderness boundary because it wasn't the typical sign that we're used to - it was just a plank that said "WILDERNESS." I was also grateful that the trail condition didn't change at all, which is a pro to hiking on a popular trail, even in a wilderness area. 

From here the trail continued over the spider's paradise, eventually descending toward the scrub. We passed two more people here, which surpassed the number of frogs we'd seen so far. The saw-like summit of Boott Spur was behind us as the Montalban Ridge revealed itself ahead. The scrub slowly grew to knee-height, and then eventually above our heads where a sign welcomed us to the wilderness area.

[10:11am - Davis Path/Depart Alpine Zone] 

Tragically, it was BUGGY in the scrub. Thankfully, that only lasted for a few minutes as the trees grew taller and taller. The descent was moderate, with nothing crazy (which we were WELL aware of, since we'd have to hike back up this later). The trail was bright, but well-shaded, too. We took another potty break in the col between Glen Boulder Trail and North Isolation, and continued on!

There were a few blowdown patches that provided views ranging from "yeah I guess that counts as a view" to "oh my god we have to go back up there?!" We even saw some moose prints! There were a few patches of slightly eroded trail, but nothing crazy at all. 

[10:56am - Davis Path/Isolation Trail (West)] 

Time was definitely moving slower here in the tree canopy, and it moved even slower after the junction with the Isolation Trail (west). There was a stretch of blowdowns that weren't impossible to navigate, but were not pleasant either. We were forced to take our time, pretending to enjoy the views through the dead trees, as we weaved in and out of nature's jungle gym. This stretch also provided a RUDE view to Mt. Isolation, which looked dreadfully far

[11:12am - Davis Path/Isolation Trail (East)] 

Spirits began to pick up once we hit the junction with the Isolation Trail (east), since this was our last landmark before the final push! If the last trail segment was known for blowdowns, this segment would be known for mud and "crooked trails." The mud wasn't anything too horrible, but it did require some thought and some pole-poking to find good ground to stand on. 

The "crooked trails" were two blowdown areas/fir waves (I think all fir waves are blowdown areas but not all blowdown areas are fir waves, like squares and rectangles?) where the trees were simply tilted over. It didn't require going over or under, but just walking at a slant, kind of like a cheap carnival's fun house!

After the second "crooked trail," we had the first final push. The trail became steeper (which was the first steeper stretch of trail since Lion Head and Tuckerman Ravie Trails, so we were not complaining, and then we made it to the Mt. Isolation Spur! 

[11:40am - Mt. Isolation Spur] 

We were ready to absolutely blast off to this summit, but we ran into a couple of hikers coming down from the summit, one who was excited to talk (and to be clear, we are not unfriendly hikers, we had just been hiking alone in the wilderness for a WHILE now and were not used to other humans!). He got extra excited when he heard that this was going to be peak #46 for me, becuase it was also his 46th peak! He had the two Wildcats left, and he planned to hike them A-to-D so his wife could take the chairlift up to celebrate with him, which he was adorably (and rightfully) excited for. He asked my last two, I told him Cannon and Moriah, and he said "well Cannon is a quick up and back, but Moriah is a solid 9.5/10," which I appreciated. 

After our chit chat, Sarah and I actually blasted off along the steep spur path to the truly magnificent view from Mt. Isolation!

[11:48am - Mt. Isolation Summit]

We were NOT allowed to gawk at the view until we hit the true summit marker, so we hiked past the main vista through a few more feet of scrub to the summit disc and cairn, gave it a solid boop, gave each other a high-five, and then finally enjoyed.

The main unobstructed vista spanned from Mt. Pierce all the way to Boott Spur and the Rocky Branch Ridge. Behind the Rocky Branch Ridge were the Carters, with many other mountains in view over the scrub in other directions. This view was truly magnificent. We took a nice sit and snack here, peed again (cheers to hydration), said hello to a few other hikers who summited, and eventually (and reluctantly) started packing up. It was at this point two silly things were realized: 1) I was looking for my chafing  salve (which is the nicer way of saying diaper rash ointment) deep in my pack when I realized I was not only carrying my Kahtoolas with me, but also my Hillsounds and 2) Sarah left her keys in my car, meaning that this was officially a loop hike! Thank goodness the car spot was only a mile away - the fact that it was so (relatively) close made this into a very funny faux-pas instead of a borderline crisis - I giggled all the way back!

[12:27pm - Mt. Isolation Spur] 

[12:30pm - Davis Path] 

Our return trip down the spur was short and sweet and then we began to descend on the Davis Path before ascending, descending, ascending, descending, ascending, etc.... We bravely tackled the mud pits and the tilted trees between the Isolation Spur and the Isolation Trail (east)...

[12:58pm - Davis Path/Isolation Trail (East)] 

We then courageously traversed the blowdown section and the horrid views to our climb back to Glen Boulder Trail between Isolation Trail (east) and Isolation trail (west)...

[1:14pm - Davis Path/Isolation Trail (West)] 

The rude view was rudest from and summnit plateau of North Isolation (apparently a Trailwright's 72 peak - I don't think the true summit is on the Davis Path). 

The descent from North Isolation into the col was gentle, and then it was time to turn the brains off and just climb. We were cheered on by some bluebead lillies and another frog (frogs were losing badly at this point), but the climb hurt! Sarah and I mostly stuck together in this stretch, not saying much. As I write this, it sounds much more dramatic than it actually was - we were literally fine, just tired. 

[2:08pm - Davis Path/Alpine Zone] 

Spirits picked up once we entered the Alpine Zone again. Grades eased as the rolling clouds created really beautiful patterns on the nearby ridges and summits. 

[2:20pm - Davis Path/Depart Wilderness Area] 

We exited the Wilderness Area, finished the climb back to the Glen Boulder Trail junction, and did a short sit break (and sunscreen application). Time for the final descent! I knew I'd be going back to my car to retrieve the keys, but Sarah wasn't sure if she wanted to come with me or wait at the Glen Ellis trailhead - her ankle would be the deciding factor - tbd!

[2:22pm - Glen Boulder Trail] 

The Glen Boulder Trail was absolutely beautiful up high. We descended on its ridge gently, occasionally through patches of scrub (some of which were tighter than we would prefer). The scrubby patches were buggy, but the rest was wonderful. Eventually, the tightest stretch of scrub led to a fantastic view of Boott Spur and the Gulf of Slides as the trail wiggled toward Slide/Gulf Peak. The trees at the floor of the gulf looked like they had been flattened. Maybe by wind, snow, or a mythical giant?

After the "peak" (more like just the end of the ridge's shoulder), the Glen Boulder Trail descends back into the scrub and what felt more or less like treeline (we did not formally leave the Alpine Zone, yet, because we had another open stretch coming up).

[3:03pm - Glen Boulder Trail/Spring] 

We passed a spur to a spring in the trees, which I flirted of following just for funsies. I know somewhere down the line of my life I'll likely attempt hiking all the trails in the White Mountain Guide, so I sometimes pretend to think ahead to help myself out down the road (like hiking a spring spur), but that was not in the cards for today). We crossed paths with two guys who looked to be in their upper-teens or low-20s and Sarah asked them where they were headed. Their response was "eh ya know we're just kinda poking around!" which was absolutely wild. Hope they had a good hike!

The Glen Boulder Trail soon exited treeline again, affording wonderful views again back to Boott Spur, the Gulf of Slides, Boott Spur's main ridge, and the trailless ridge between the one we were on and Boott's. Looking down toward NH-16 we could see the Glen Ellis parking area, Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, and the Wildcat Ski Area parking area. I made another joke about the keys here.

The trail became steeper and rougher here, which slowed us down significantly. We truly inched our way down, eventually approaching the Glen Boulder. The footing was along the lines of "just bad and steep enough where you have to almost sit and scootch every few feet" - this was exacerbated by our viciously tired bodies. Ouch!

[3:41pm - Glen Boulder Trail/Glen Boulder] 

We eventually made it to THE Glen Boulder, where we made a series of jokes at Glen's expense (when I typed "Glen" into my phone, it autocorrected to "Helen," which also provided us some joke content. Two guys we had seen hours earlier caught up to us and asked if we tried to push it over - I joked to Sarah that I wouldn't want to try since I'm the strongest man on the mountain and wouldn't want to ruin the boulder for everyone else! 

They (foolishly) let us get ahead of them as the trail dipped back into the trees. Descents are where Sarah and I ususally get split up - she needs to go slowly for her ankle but I prefer to go quicker and let gravity do most of the work. She officially made the call at Glen Boulder that she did not want to hike to Pinkham with me, so we agreed that once we hit treeline I would blast off to get the car.

The Glen Boulder Trail dipped back into the trees for a moment before hitting one last area of scrub. While waiting for Sarah, I head the two guys pass her and a lot of laughter. When she caught up with me, she said the one guy asked her if she wanted any of his black flies. She said "no thanks I have plenty of my own!" His repsonse was "are you sure? They're all named Glen!" which might be the funniest delirium joke I have ever heard.

The guys passed us, Sarah and I reviewed our plan, and then we hit the Alpine Zone sign.

[4:05pm - Glen Boulder Trail/Depart Alpine Zone] 

At the Alpine Zone sign the trail conditions continued to be steep but footing drastically improved. We said our momentary goodbyes as I began my blast off, which also gave me a huge surge of energy (I LOVE a side quest, and I secretly wanted to beat her to Glen Ellis). It was significantly warmer in the woods. There was a gentle stream crossing that took every ounce of willpower in me to not lay in.

I eventually caught up to the guys from before (who we nicknamed "the Glens"), exchanged some nods, and I continued past them. The Glen Boulder trail intersected with a ski trail, steeply descended for a moment, and then leveled out with rough footing as the trail neared The Direttissima. I passed the two men from the Isolation Spur (who I nicknamed "46"), and they unfortunately wanted to talk some more. Again, I promise I am a friendly person, especially on the trail, but I was on a mission! 

[4:32pm - Glen Boulder Trail/The Direttissima] 

Soon after passing 46 I arrived at The Direttissima. I was grateful for this side quest, dubbed "Operation Rendez-Vous," as it really was the mental boost that I needed. The Direttissima immediately felt less-traveled and I immedaitely caught a spider web to my face (first of the day, though, so that's okay). The overall vibe to the trail was like a Wilderness Trail, just with a highway within earshot. I could also hear Glen Ellis Falls, though, so that was fun!

The Direttissima skirted the bottom of a cliff and had a few more "ups" than I was ready for. There was one little spur path that led toa  little view toward a far shoulder of Wildcat before descending roughly with confusing footing. There were some neat, overhanging rocks, though!

The trail crossed a bridge over a lovely, skinny waterfall and then traversed a flat stretch before coming to an end at a parking pull-off just off of NH-16.

[4:54pm - The Direttissima/End of Trail] 

From here, a footpath led from the parking area, over a footbridge, over the confluence of the New River and Cutler River, and to the southern end of the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center parking area. I had a short walk back to the car, and at 4:59pm, I had officially completed this BEAST of a hike! Definitely my hardest-to-date. Not my longest, but definitely with the most elevation gain.

[4:59pm - End of Hike]

I didn't change anything at Pinkham except for my shoes (I NEEDED my flip flops on) and then I zoomed over to Sarah's car, where I learned that I had officially won the race! At the parking area, I finished my 9th liter of water, changed my clothes, and waited just about five minutes for Sarah. 

Our final count was 9 frogs and 21 people. We eventually left the parking area with one common goal: clean. Sarah's version of that was finding a river to soak in, mine was taking a shower with soap (in fairness, she did shower after!). We accomplished our tasks, I checked into my hotel at the Green Granite Inn in North Conway, and then we met back up at the Wicked Fresh Craft Burgers in North Conway, where Gen joined us! All three of us went to Dairy Queen for dessert, and then Gen and I said goodbye to Sarah before getting into our room to watch some Law & Order before passing out. Truly what an amazing hike!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center

- Start hike on Tuckerman Ravine Trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Lion Head Trail (summer route).

- At terminus, turn right onto Tuckerman Ravine Trail.

- Summit Mt. Washington.

- Continue hike descending on Crawford Path.

- At jct., turn left onto Davis Path.

- Follow Davis Path into treeline for some time.

- At jct., turn right onto Mt. Isolation Spur.

- Summit Mt. Isolation.

- Retrace steps to Davis Path.

- At jct., turn left onto Davis Path.

- At jct., turn right onto Glen Boulder Trail.

- At jct., turn left onto The Direttissma.

- Return to car at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center.

Photo Album

Mt. Monadnock via Birchtoft & Spellman (Monadnock State Park)

Mt. Monadnock via Birchtoft & Spellman (Monadnock State Park)

Hike Type: Loop w/ Spurs
Distance: 10.26 miles
Elevation: 2,356 feet
Time: 5 hours, 21 minutes (4 hours, 59 minutes)

Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge; Monadnock Redliner; Rocks that Rock

The Hike

I'm officially back in Massachusetts, summer is winding down, band camp is over, and I'm feeling very ready to get back into regualar hiking, and what better way than to beat the life out of my body on Mt. Monadnock! I wanted to make sure I got the full experience of "getting back into it" so I was up at 4:45am, out the door at 5:05am, and as per tradition, made use of the Winchendon Cumberland Farms about an hour later. I PROUDLY did NOT overeat breakfast this time (even though I REALLY wanted to). Turns out, one sausage egg and cheese breakfast sandwich on a bagel from Cumbies is a perfect breakfast for hiking Monadnock. My tummy still felt weird, but that's just a part of hiking at this point. I made it to the parking lot around 6:45am and took my time getting ready by shattering my Nalgene and cleaning the floor of my car. It was 60-degrees out, cloudy, but the mountain was FINALLY not socked in and I anticipated some nice views! After using the portapotty, realizing I forgot my new shoes, and just enjoying the silence of a Monaday morning, I finally got started.

From the parking lot, there is a sign pointing to the Birchtoft Trail, which leads to another sign and an unsigned trail that actually leads to the trailhead. It took me a second to find the start of the Pond Trail, which I realized was on the opposite side of the small field to the Birchtoft Trail. The first part of the Pond Trail was truly lovely, providing occasional views of Gilson Pond and the mountain, and it crosses a bridge over the pond's dam right where the Ravine Trail branches off.

Turning right, there is a short walk through an overgrown clearing (only 10-15 feet) to the Ravine Trail, which is clearly a seldom used, but absolutely lovely trail that follows the Gilson Pond outflow. There were a few footbridges at the beginning and did get buggy if I stopped moving, but it wasn't too bad. The water was stained dark from the tree tannins, there were some beautiful mushrooms, and the trail eventually terminated at a remote campsite where someone was sleeping (I was trying to be quiet to not alert them). At the terminus, I turned around to retrace my steps.

Back on the pond trail I enjoyed another view of Gilson Pond, and notice the bugs were starting to pick up. And then more. And more. And more until I was nearly running with my arms flailing. Mid-sized flies everywhere landing all over me! I passed a dad and his son and the dad said "ah the deer flies are out!" - much less bothered than I was. At least they weren't biting. This torture continued until just before the terminus at the Birchtoft Trail, where I broke out my new headnet for the first time.

Even though I couldn't feel the flies biting, probably due to adrenaline, I was ITCHY. I kept the headnet on even though there weren't too many bugs on the Birchtoft Trail. That was absolutely brutal - I had never been swarmed by flies like that before. Curious if it was just my luck, if its the season, or if it was just the perfect timing.

The Birchtoft Trail was a welcomed change - relatively easy to moderate with nice old stone walls and the occasional criss-crossing cross-country ski trail. I then turned onto the Hinkley Trail to hike the half I missed last time when I was dehydrated, which was quite lovely. Very gentle, very soft, some nice bridges over streams, and all to myself! Hinkley led to Harling which was also lovely, but started to climb. I also realized I didn't rinse out my new bladder before using it and it tasted ICKY. I realized I had to deal with it, sadly.

The sun began to peep through the trees and illuminated a red eft almost perfectly. I also passed a big pile of berry-filled bear poop while dodging spider webs. I couldn't help but notice that my legs were really feeling the break I took from hiking, but I'd be whipped back into shape soon enough.

At the end of the Harling Trail I turned left to do the walk of shame to get the little bit of the White Dot Trail I was still missing between Cascade Link and White Cross, and then I turned around and followed Cascade Link all the way up to the junction with the infamous Spellman Trail. There were lovely cascades on the Cascade Link Trail, with many many little frogs and daddy long legs.

Then it was time... I made it to the Spellman Trail trailhead. I knew this was the steepest way up Mt. Monadnock, and I'm still emotionally recovering from my jaunt up Middle Sister on the Carter Ledge Trail. The Spellman trail started as a truly beautiful walk in the woods, but quickly got started on a steep scramble up some large rocks, BUT then provided a short walking break over a stream and waterfall.

After this is when the party really got going - the trail steepened and the scrambling began. Thankfully, the scrambling is quickly rewarded with great views, even if they were a little hazy. There were a fine amount of blazes - whenever I wasn't sure where to go next I was able to find a blaze pointing me in the right direction. It was near the top of the scramble that I realized this trail truly wasn't too bad. It was mostly scrambles instead of scary slabs, and that was perfect! The trail mellows out and dips back into the woods near a lovely mossy stream and moderately continues to climb. I would 100% tackle this trail again!

Now I'm back on the Pumpelly Trail for the first time since maybe 2016? I forgot how beautiful it was. I also forgot how LONG it was! The trail itself is absolutely stunning, passing wide, sweeping views, small pools, and gentle meadows with fuzzy grasses. Unfortunately, there is a steep descent followed by a steep ascent before the summit that I was not mentally prepared for.

Soon after the Spellman junction I stumbled upon a rock I forgot I was looking for - the Sarcophagus! Further along, I was disappointed but not surprised to see that I had missed blueberry season, but there were plenty other (likely non-edible) berries everywhere else! The summit was in sight, and my legs were turned to jello. The final push was rough for my unseasoned legs, and the very last bit of the trail was quite unclear and basically became "choose your own adventure." I proudly made it to the summit, booped the USGS marker, and took a nice break.

My return trip started in dramatic agony with my feet protesting every step I took (stretching is important, kids!). From the summit to the Spellman Trail junction was as expected and went fairly quickly, but there was an ascent to "Town Line Peak" (I believe) after that that I was not prepared for and it wiped me out. I started passing more people as the day went on, one of which was an older gentleman who lost his iPhone - sending thoughts and prayers!

After Town Line Peak, the Pumpelly Trail became much more gentle and enjoyable, with fantastic views of Moandnock.

The Cascade Link's upper reaches are basically a continuation of Pumpelly - open slaps and wonderful views, but then it leads to a tricky scramble, then deep mud, but then another open slab with a great view! I noticed I was starting to cramp up (naturally) so I chugged my nasty water and continued on.

The trail opened up again before diving into the woods one last time, where it followed a lovely mossy stream. Once 11:30am hit I started passing even more people (like clockwork) as I made my way back to the Birchtoft Trail for my final descent. I got a few more mosquito bites, but not enough to warrant the head net again. I made my way to the Hinkley junction and I was completely wiped and recently out of water (still in better shape than my last trip around Monadnock!).

I finally arrived to Gilson Pond, delighted to see that the flies were done with me, and SUFFERED in the final uphill from the trailhead to the parking lot. There were only a few other cars that joined me in the parking lot that I originally had to myself. I did my quick change out of my disgustingly wet clothes and started my return trip... to Cumbies! I only have one trail left on Mt. Monadnock - the Dublin Trail!

Step-By-Step

- Park at Gilson Pond Day Use parking area.

- Follow signs for "Birchtoft Trail."

- At remote camping site parking area, enter Pond Trail (blue discs) on right side.

- Follow Pond Trail (blue discs).

- At next jct., turn right after bridge onto Ravine Trail (blue disc/unblazed).

- At Ravine Trail terminus, turn around.

- Back at Pond Trail, turn right and continue loop.

- At terminus, turn sharply right onto Birchtoft Trail (red rectangles).

- At next trail jct. (not XC trails), turn left onto Hinkley Trail (yellow rectangles).

- At next jct., turn right onto Harling Trail (unblazed).

- At terminus, turn left onto Cascade Link (yellow discs).

- At terminus, continue left onto White Dot (white dots).

- At jct. with White Cross, turn around.

- Rejoin Cascade Link (yellow discs).

- At jct., with Spellman Trail, turn left onto Spellman Trail (white rectangles).

- At terminus, turn left onto Pumpelly Trail (sometimes white Ps).

- Summit Mt. Monadnock.

- Return on Pumpelly Trail.

- At jct. with Cascade Link, turn right onto Cascade Link (yellow discs).

- At jct. with Birchtoft Trail, turn left onto Birchtoft Trail (red rectangles).

- Return to car.

“Birchtoft Trail” from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

This trail, opened in 1966, begins near the state-owned Gipson Pond Area, on Dublin Rd. at the eastern base of Mt. Monadnock, and is marked with red rectangles. In combination with Cascade Link and Red Spot and Pumpelly trails, Birchtoft provides a pleasant less used route up the mountain from the east. A new campground opened at Gilson Pond in 2010.

    From the north, approach the trailhead from NH 101 in Dublin. From the town center, follow NH 101 west 0.3 mi. then turn left (south) onto Upper Jaffrey Rd. at a state park sign. Follow this road (which becomes Dublin Rd.) 3.5 mi. to the Gilson Pond entrance to the right. To approach from the south, follow NH 124 west 2.3 mi. from its junction with NH 137 and US 202 in Jaffrey then turn right (north) onto Dublin Rd. at a sign for Monadnock State Park. Follow Dublin Rd. past the main state park entrance on the left at 1.3 mi. from NH 124 and continue to the Gilson Pond Area on the left at 2.9 mi. Drive to the tollbooth and park in the designated lot beyond on the right. (This parking lot is not plowed in winter; winter parking is available at a lot on the right before the tollbooth).

    From the south end of the summer parking lot, a connecting park (sign for Birchtoft Trail and Pond Loop Trail) descends 125 yd. through the woods to a gravel campground road. Birchtoft Trail begins at a kiosk across the road, at the left edge of a small field, while the north segment of Pond Loop Trail (marked with blue disks) begins at the right edge of the field. Birchtoft Trail descends to Gilson Pond and skirts the east and south shores; 100 yd. beyond the kiosk, side paths lead right to ledges with beautiful views across the pond to Mt. Monadnock. At 0.3 mi. the south segment of Pond Loop Trail diverges right (west).

    (Pond Loop Trail is a path 0.8 mi. long that runs around Gilson Pond, passing several points with views across the pond. On the east side of the dam along the north segment of Pond Loop Trail, 0.2 mi. west of its eastern junction with Birchtoft Trail, lightly used Ravine Trail diverges right. Ravine Trail descends an overgrown bank to a sign, crosses a bridge over the pond’s outlet brook, and follows the brook north through an attractive hemlock ravine. At 0.3 mi. from Pond Loop Trail, Ravine Trail ends at a T junction with a path that leads to remote park campsites.)

    From this junction Birchtoft Trail swings left and ascends easily through several turns, crossing two ski trails. Hinkley Trail enters on the left from Poole Rd. at 1.0 mi. Birchtoft Trail soon begins to climb at moderate grades, crossing another ski trail at 1.2 mi., and continues ascending to Cascade Link, 0.5 mi. north of White Dot Trail and Falcon Spring. For the summit, follow Cascade Link 40 yd. and then continue ahead on Red Spot Trail where Cascade Link turns right.

“Hinkley Trail” from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

This pleasant, lightly used trail, marked with yellow rectangles, leads from Poole Rd., 0.2 mi. east of the state park headquarters gatehouse entrance, to Birchtoft Trail, 0.9 mi. west of the Gilson Pond trailhead. Its northern section was recently extended to provide loop hike possibilities from the new campground at Gilson Pond. The trail sign is set back from the road, although a yellow blaze is visible. Because there is no parking at the start of the trail, hikers should leave their vehicles in the main lot in the state park and walk 0.2 mi. back down Poole Rd. Once found, Hinkley Trail is easy to follow. From Poole Rd. it leads north at easy grades with minor ups and downs. At about 0.4 mi., it approaches small, attractive Ark Brook (also known as Poole Brook) on the right and follows the water, climbing gradually and swinging left to the junction with Harling Trail, which diverges on a woods road to the left at 0.6 mi. Here, Hinkley Trail turns right onto the woods road, crosses the brook on a culvert, and in 10 yd. turns left off the road. After another 50 yd., a ski trail diverges left at XC junction #18. Hinkley Trail descends gradually, crosses bridges over two small brooks, and ascends to meet Birchtoft Trail.

“Harling Trail” from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

Lightly used, unblazed Harling Trail connects Hinkley Trail, 0.6 mi. north of Poole Rd., with Cascade Link 0.1 mi. north of its junction with White Dot Trail near Falcon Spring. Harling Trail was opened in 1914 by E.J. Harling, the second fire warden on the summit. 

From Hinkley Trail, Harling Trail ascends gradually west on an old woods road, passing junctions with two ski trails on the left and then another on the right at 0.3 mi. It soon reaches another junction with a ski trail on the left (sign: “XC 14”). Here, Harling Trail turns right and in 20 yd. turns left and begins climbing steadily. The trail swings left as it reaches Cascade Link; from here, follow Cascade Link right for Red Spot, Spellman, and Pumpelly Trails, or left for White Dot Trail and Falcon Spring.

“Cascade Link” from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

This trail, cut in 1921 by AMC’s Worcester Chapter, runs between White Dot Trail near Falcon Spring and Pumpelly Trail, angling upward, south to north. Combined with Pumpelly Trail, it forms an interesting descent route from the summit to the State Park headquarters. When adding either Spellman or Red Spot Trail, it offers the most varied ascents from the east side of the mountain.

    Cascade Link, marked with yellow disks, starts at White Dot Trail, just above the short side loop to Falcon Spring. It runs northeast, descends slightly, and rises to the junction with Harling Trail on the right at 0.1 mi. Then Cascade Link swings left and rises gentle, but on rocky terrain, through hardwood forest. It passes a side path that leads 30 yd. right to a small cascade on Ark Brook (also known as Poole Brook), and at 0.3 mi. it crosses this mossy brook before climbing gradually over ledges in thick woods. At 0.5 mi. Cascade Link turns left at Birchtoft Trail enters on the right. In another 40 yd., Cascade Link turns right as Red Spot Trail continues ahead Pumpelly Ridge and Pumpelly Trail. Immediately after the right turn, Cascade Link crosses an old east-west stone wall then climbs moderately over ledges in spruce woods. At 0.7 mi., steep Spellman Trail leaves left, and Cascade Link climbs along the east bank of a small brook to a spot where the brook rises, close to the boundary between Dublin and Jaffrey. From there, prominent cairns mark Cascade Link over open ledges. Near the top of the ledges, the route passes a rock formation (somewhat obscured by trees) on the left known as the Imp, which resembles a human profile. Cascade Link then arrives at a saddle on Pumpelly Ridge before ending at Pumpelly Trail. (Pumpelly Trail is a scenic route to the summit with many outlooks and is marked with cairns.)

“Spellman Trail” from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

This trail leaves Cascade Link 0.7 mi. from White Dot Trail and in its middle section makes the steepest climb on the mountain, leading up Pumpelly Trail just north of the rectangular boulder known as the Sarcophagus. (Caution: Spellman Trail is best used for ascend rather than descent and should be avoided in wet or icy conditions.)

    Spellman Trail starts out at an easy grade and soon swings left before a short, steep pitch. From there, it runs across a cliff top across a small brook then swings right and eases again briefly. It then ascends very steeply over boulders and ledges that require a fair amount of scrambling and emerges in the open with excellent views back to the east, including the skyline of Boston on a clear day. White rectangles mark the route on the rocks, requiring some care to follow. At the top of the upper steep scramble the grade eases, and then path enters spruce woods and climbs at a moderate grade to Pumpelly Trail, where there are trail signs and trail names painted on the ledges.

“Pumpelly Trail" from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

This it the longest and most strenuous direct route to the summit of Mt. Monadnock, but the upper half is very scenic. It was laid out in 1884 by Raphael Pumpelly, a professor, geologist, archaeologist, adventurer, and summer resident of Dublin. […].

    […]. At 3.0 mi. Cascade Link enters on the left, ascending the Monadnock State Park Headquarters trail network on the eastern slopes. Stay on Pumpelly Trail to pass near the bare top of Town Line Peak (2,884 ft.; near the boundary of Dublin and Jaffrey) and descend to a junction at 3.7 mi., where steep Spellman Trail meets Pumpelly Trail on the left. Just beyond this point, the trail climbs past the Sarcophagus, a huge rectangular boulder on the right. From here the trail, marked by large cairns, runs mostly on open ledge, where many glacial striations are plainly visible. It soon passes a small alpine meadow and at 4.0 mi. reaches a junction with Red Spot Trail on the left (large cairn and sign). (Red Spot Trail connects Pumpelly Trail with Cascade Link on the lower east slope of the mountain.) Pumpelly Trail drops into a little gap with steep, ledgy walls then climbs out and comes completely into the open. It now takes a winding route over steep ledges to the summit at 4.4 mi., passing several small alpine pools; follow the cairns carefully in this section.

    Descending, the trail runs nearly due east; look for a ledge with “Pumpelly Trail” and a large white arrow painted on it. A few cairns lie along the first 200 yd., and hikers must take care to locate the first one. Many of the cairns are rather small, and this trail could be difficult to follow down from the summit in the fog.

Map of Monadnock State Park

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