Alpine Garden

[GrayBear]

Does anyone want to take a guess at how soon flowers will be in bloom at the Alpine Gardens? I'm thinking about taking a couple of med-week days off to get up there this year. I invested in new lenses that I'd like to put to good use up there.

 

[Breeze]

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?45098-Trying-to-plan-Alpine-Garden-bloom-hike

Frequent question, the usual answers are in the thread above.

Breeze

 

[peakbagger]

The alternative source is call the auto road, they run special trips for folks who want to see the garden. Might be worth spending some time on what is left of the alpine zone in the vicinity of the proposed Cog hotel as it could go away at some point.

 

[GrayBear]

The alternative source is call the auto road, they run special trips for folks who want to see the garden. Might be worth spending some time on what is left of the alpine zone in the vicinity of the proposed Cog hotel as it could go away at some point.

I can't believe they're even entertaining this idea!

 

[GrayBear]

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?45098-Trying-to-plan-Alpine-Garden-bloom-hike

Frequent question, the usual answers are in the thread above.
years back
Breeze

Thanks for the rely Breeze! I checked out the link but it seems to have died a few yeasrs back. I was hoping to hear from someone who's been in the area recently.

 

[GrayBear]

A couple of us head up each year for this very reason -- we usually do a reconnaissance hike, to check bloom status, sometime the final week of May up to the first couple of days of June. Based on what we find, we then head back up a week or so later. (I can post an update here, if you're interested, based on what we find.)

The past few years, from our experience peak bloom (for what it's worth) has been the first through second week of June.

I expect that this year the blooms might be better than the past few years -- plenty of moisture.

That would be great! This has been on my to do list for too long. What route do you usually take?

 

[DayTrip]

Up: Tuckerman Ravine/Lion Head/Alpine Garden -- go early to avoid back-ups of folks on the narrow scrambly sections of Lion Head, especially on weekends
Down: Alpine Garden/Tuckerman Ravine/Lawn Cutoff/Davis Path/Boott Spur/Tuckerman Ravine -- again, to avoid back-ups on Lion Head

The route down I've mentioned also takes one along Davis Path and then by Boott Spur, where there are some excellent sections of alpine flowers, arguably comparable to those in the Alpine Garden.

Another place nearby that has excellent blooms and is away from crowds is the Nelson Crag Trail, between Ball Crag and Nelson Crag.

I would enthusiastically second that. I did a big loop last June up Nelson Crag Trail across all the lawns to Boott Spur, down Davis Path and out down Glen Boulder and it was stunning. Think I caught it near peak bloom. Slide Peak and Nelson Crag in particular were an explosion of color. It worked out great too that it was late in the afternoon when I hit Davis Path and Slide Peak so the golden lighting made the colors of all the flowers that much more spectacular. I don't hear people mention Nelson Crag Trail often but that first exposed lawn area before reaching the Auto Road is a fine area with tremendous views even if that was your only destination.

 

[Grey J]

I climbed Nelson Crag Trail on a foggy weekday a couple of summers ago and though I missed the aforementioned wildflowers, I found that section between Nelson Crag and Ball Crag to be other-worldly, especially with only cairn to cairn sight in the fog. A delightfully eerie spot.

 

[DayTrip]

I climbed Nelson Crag Trail on a foggy weekday a couple of summers ago and though I missed the aforementioned wildflowers, I found that section between Nelson Crag and Ball Crag to be other-worldly, especially with only cairn to cairn sight in the fog. A delightfully eerie spot. View attachment 5799

And all that quartz! The Moonrock gets a lot of attention but there are chunks of quartz all over the place in that area. Nelson Crag trail is one of my favorites. Usually work it into some sort of loop every year.

 

[GrayBear]

Any plans for recon to the Alpine Garden yet?

 

[DayTrip]

I did a loop SUN up Israel Ridge to Link, the Castles, across Gulfside and down Lowes Path and there are already Diapensia in full bloom with lots of budding from say 4,000-4,500 ft. There was also red and white Trillium in many spots down low.

 

[Peaks]

Diapensia budded

Any plans for recon to the Alpine Garden yet?

This past weekend (Memorial Day), the diapensia was fully budded, about ready to blossom. Everything else, except the occasional Lapland rosebay, was fairly dormant

 

[GrayBear]

I did a loop SUN up Israel Ridge to Link, the Castles, across Gulfside and down Lowes Path and there are already Diapensia in full bloom with lots of budding from say 4,000-4,500 ft. There was also red and white Trillium in many spots down low.

I did this loop two summers ago. Spent the night get at the Perch. Hit Jefferson early, lounged around on Adams. Stopped at Gray Knob on my way out. It was one of those solo hikes that I think about when I need to get through one of those 48 hours snow storms in the plow truck

 

[DayTrip]

I did this loop two summers ago. Spent the night get at the Perch. Hit Jefferson early, lounged around on Adams. Stopped at Gray Knob on my way out. It was one of those solo hikes that I think about when I need to get through one of those 48 hours snow storms in the plow truck��

There aren't many bad loops in the Northern Presidentials. Many of the trails most people don't take are the best. Which is just fine with me.

 

[JustJoe]

It's hit or miss up there. Never the same from year to year. I finally hit right last year on June 4th. The Diapensia and Lapland Rosebay were busting at the seams. All over the mountain.

Keep in mind different things bloom at different times. Early July can be almost as nice. That's when I've found the Harebell, and Mountain Avens to be peaking.

 

[John in NH]

Alpine Garden Area update:

Next weekend will probably be the best.

I checked out many of the alpine flower areas (but did not make it to the Alpine Garden itself) on Saturday. Things seemed early and just starting, though there were some nice areas of diapensia which seemed furthest along bloom wise. There were some pockets of Lapland Rosebay (small purple azalea/rhodendrum type bloom). Alpine Azaleas (the tiny pink blooms) were almost all not blooming yet. I checked out the loop and AT around Mt. Monroe, which usually has some nice blooms, and the Camel Trail trail and Lawn Cutoff had some good areas too. Tuckerman Crossover is a moonscape and had nothing and probably never does.

I turned around at the junction of the Alpine Garden/Tuckerman Ravine trail because I didn't trust the thunderstorm forecast and had to make it all the way back down Ammo Trail.

If you go this week or next weekend things might be peaking, but keep in mind you might get more motorcycle noise with motorcycle week and the proximity of the Alpine Garden Trail to the road.

Tuckerman Ravine Trail is still closed on the headwall, so you can't take that up or down!

 

[dave.m]

JustJoe, those are great shots!

 

[jniehof]

If you go this week or next weekend things might be peaking, but keep in mind you might get more motorcycle noise with motorcycle week and the proximity of the Alpine Garden Trail to the road.

This coming Saturday is the road race, so it'll be pretty quiet until about noon when the cars transporting the finishers head down. Around 1:30 is when the frustrated motorcyclists will start tearing up the road. The summit will be pretty crowded though. I think priority for summit photos should be racers->hikers->tourists but nobody listens to me; I had a ten minute wait to just touch the sign after finishing last year.

 

[Billy]

..I think priority for summit photos should be racers->hikers->tourists but nobody listens to me; I had a ten minute wait to just touch the sign after finishing last year.

I don't go to the summit sign anymore unless I've hiked up with someone who's on their first Mt Washington hike. But it would never occur to me that, as a hiker, I would have summit photo priority over someone who drove/rode up. And if someone ever told me he should be able to get a summit photo before me because he jogged/shuffled/power-walked up the paved auto road, I'd laugh in his face.