As a New Hampshire local, the amazing White Mountain National Forest is roughy a 1 hour drive for me. Throughout my life I’ve been on a copious amount of hikes in my wonderful state. When you think of the White Mountains the first thing that comes to mind is most likely Mt. Washington and the 48 4,000 footers. In this blog post I’ll tell you just my top 5 favorite ones of all time that don’t appear on this list and are often overlooked.
5. Imp Face
Just south of Gorham you will find the 3,156 foot (964m) mountain called Imp Face. This mountain offers beautiful views of the Presidential Range and Mt. Washington. I hiked this trail in mid-January and believe when I say it didn’t dissapoint. As you approach the peak you catch a stunning view of the accordingly named “Imp Face”. This rock face has an Old Man on the Mountain esque feel to it. The summit of the mountain is pretty hard to find. I’m stilll not sure I got it right. A little bit past the ledge you’ll find a little mound past after a small squished trail in the woods. There was no summit sign at the top and this mound was the highest point I could find (lets hope i didn’t go off trail). The first third of the hike is heavily forested walk next to a fairly prominent stream to your left (on the way up). You’ll encounter multiple stream crossings and photo worthy waterfalls. After roughly 1.25 miles (approx. 2km) the trail gets rather steep and rocky. If you are planning on doing this hike in the winter Microspikes are an absolute must as the rocks are all covered in a thin sheet of ice and slipping will become a big problem for you. Overall this hike is very enjoyable and to this day is one of my favorite hikes on the 52 With a View list.
4. Mount Cardigan via Manning, Clark, and Holt Trail Loop {and Mount Gilman(Optional)}
Near the town of Orange you will find the Mount Cardigan State Forest. This beautiful state forest offers spectacular, heavily-forested hikes. My personal favorite tral is the Mount Cardigan via Manning, Clark, and Holt trail loop. You will start this hike at the AMC Cardigan Lodge. This loop includes both the 3,064 foot Mount Firescrew (934m) and the 3,155 foot Mount Cardigan (962m). When I did this loop I added on the 2,566 foot Mount Gilman (782m) via the W Ridge Trail and the Skyland Trail and got back to the Cardigan Lodge using the Vistamont Trail. The first peak that you will reach is Mount Firescrew which offers breathtaking view of Mount Cardigan and Vermont (on a clear day). Mount Firescrew is my favorite part of this hike, as it is mostly exposed rock face with very little foot traffic. The next half mile or so is pretty easy going and you have views of the Mount Cardigan peak for most of the way. Once you reach the Mount Cardigan peak you have full 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains and towns. If you’re lucky enough to get a really clear day, you can sometimes see as far as the Adirondacks in New York. If you are not planning on adding Mount Gilman, then you will head down to the lodge straight from the summit. But if you are planning on adding Mount Gilman you will head southwest on the West Ridge Trail. You will eventually come across the trailhead of the Skyland Trail which leads to both Cardigan Rim Rock and Mount Gilman. This Part of my hike may be one of the coolest forest hikes I’ve ever been on. The Skyland Trail is stock full of various mosses and otherworldly looking fungi. when you Reach Mount Gilman’s peak you have a spectacular view of Mount Cardigan. The way down from Gilman is pretty mellow, the Vistamont trail really makes you feel a part of nature. My favorite part was hunting out the copious amounts of cucumber root that the trail has to offer.
3 . Mount Morgan and Mount Percival Loop
Just west of Sandwich you’ll find the 2,221 foot Mount Morgan (677m) and 2,211 foot Mount Percival (674m). This trail loop is my absolute favorite trail (I’ve done so far) to speed ascend or trail run. This hike is an adrenaline packed risky trek fully of both upward and downward rock scrambles. I highly suggest you start this hike by going to Mount Morgan first and Mount Percival second. The way up to the peak of Mount Morgan includes both ladders to climb and caves to manouver. As a bit of a claustrophobic person myself, I went into this hike a little worried, but the caves really won’t cause you any problems as their pretty easy to get through even with a hiking pack on your back. The trail between the peak of Morgan and Percival is very easy to trail run or to simply just hike. Once you get to the Mount Percival summit there are two ways to go. You can either head straight back down to the parking lot or take a little excursion in Percival’s own little cave system. What I suggest doing is going down the trail to the parking lot and once you hit the intersection between the trail your on and the caves; to then take the cave system back up to Percival’s peak. The caves are pretty hard to descend on, so I suggest this little 0.2 mile add-on. These caves on the other hand happen to be a fair bit tighter but again won’t cause you any problems especially if you’re in the mood for an adventure. The views on the top of both mountains offer SPECTACULAR views of Squam Lake and all of it’s islands. If you need to wash off all the sweat after you finish the hike, Squam Lake has plenty of wonderful beaches that will do the job.
2. Welch-Dickey Loop Trail
Just east of Thornton you’ll find one of the most spectacular fall hikes in all of New Hampshire. This hike is the Welch-Dickey loop trail. The Hike consists of mostly exposed rock face which makes for amazing views and perfect places to break for lunch or a snack. You’ll start your hike in the woods. The woods portion lasts for roughly 0.9 miles. After the woods you are greated with a right turn of a life time. Saying that you start the hike with Welch first, you will turn right to a huge rockface that offers AMAZING views of Waterville Valley and the mountains surrounding it. The next poriton of your hike will be a challenging “rock facey” trek to the summit of Welch Mountain. The top of Welch gives you a clear view of your next peak which will be Mount Dickey. The next 0.4 miles or so is simply peak to peak with similar views to the rest of the hike. Once you reach the summit of Dickey you can see across all of the trail you have already hiked, and you can sometimes see Mount Tecumseh as well. You would expect the bottom portion to be quite uneventful as most hikes tend to be. But the hike down from Dickey to the parking lot is my favorite part of the enitre hike as it is mostly a 180-360 degree view for the majority of it. As a common theme with this hike, the further you get the more you can see of the trail you have already done. since the trail circles around a valley in a stadium like sense, you are able to see the entire loop. You eventually will break the treeline though. But the rest of the way to the parking lot from there is very mellow and contains many cool plants and mushrooms that you can take a look at. Overall this hike is a fantastic choice for someone who craves open rock face and spectacular views (especially in the fall season with all the colors).
1. Mount Avalon
South of Bretton Woods you will find one of my favorite hikes in the White Mountains. Mount Avalon is a challenging hike that offers the best views of Mount Washington that I have ever seen. This hike is best in the winter, it is truly the most winter wonderland esque place I have ever been. You start your hike at the AMC highland center near Saco Lake. BEWARE though, this hike is very challenging. the second half of the hike is perhaps the steepest trail section I have ever been on. But I found the challenging parts incredibly enjoyable as you are practically rock climbing the whole time. The hike to the top goes by fast though. If you are planing on doing it in the winter, Micro-spikes are a MUST HAVE, as the rocks tend to be very icy. The view from the summit of Avalon is perhaps the most beautiful view of the presidential range that the whites have to offer. When I did this hike I added on the 4,000 fotter – Mt. Field – and I quite enjoyed that hike as well, but Avalon is the main attraction in this case.
Conclusion
Although I may be a little bias, I believe that New Hampshire’s white moutains are some of the most amazing “smaller” mountains in the world. Many people have only heard of the infamous forty-eight 4,000 footer list and Mt. Washington, but those hikes tend to be crowded. Although the 4,000 footers may be beautiful I believe that the whites have so much more to offer that can’t be looked over simply by their height.
