Bald Land Trail

[buddy]

Hi all, Has anybody approached N. an S. Baldface (White mountains) via the Bald Land Trail. I was interested in knowing what the trailhead parking was like and if the trail had any points of interest worth knowing about. Is it better to stay high on the west side of the E. branch Saco or better down by the river. We'll have full packs to the Black brook crossing. Are there any good camp sites in that area considering the minimal snow. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Buddy

 

[forestgnome]

Do you mean the East Branch Trail? Black Brook enters the E Branch of the Saco along the EBT. Do you mean the trailhead for the East Pasture Trail? East Branch Trail is very seldom hiked. It's very swampy at the south end, but I havn't been on that trail in years. It's very isolated, and it doesn't see much maintanence. The area around Black Brook is quite flat. I remember quite a few camp sites, but not exactly where the are. I wouldn't worry about finding a good site.

Are you bushwacking from there to the Baldfaces, or hiking Wild River trail and Eagle Link? Very interesting area!

Happy Trails

 

[buddy]

Thanks

Thanks forestnome for the info. It looks like the bald land trail cuts east off the east pasture trail and heads over a saddle between N. Doublehead and the Black Mountains to the EBT. Sounds like just the kind of area we're looking for. We were thinking of bushwhacking to S. Baldface up the East fork. Are the woods open in that area? I don't mind beating my way through some thick areas, but mostly open are what we're looking for . Is there good parking at the East Pasture trailhead? Thanks again for the feed back. Buddy

 

[trailbiscuit]

I'm 95% certain the Bald Land Trail is part of the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation come winter, so it will be groomed for skiing. Parking is available at the East Pasture Trailhead.

 

[forestgnome]

This is a view from South Bladface Mtn toward Mt Washington. The area of the East Fork may or may not be in the lower left, but you can see the type of trees that are in the area. It's excellent bushwacking! Looks like you could shoot for the col b/w N and S Baldface. HTH

Happy Trails

 

[buddy]

Thanks!

Thanks for the additional info forestnome and trailbiscuit, My friends and I will probably do a 4 day trip to explore around the East Branch trail and the Baldfaces. Improving snow conditions in the Adks could draw us to the Dix wilderness instead, see what happens the next couple of weeks. Thanks for posting the photo forestnome. I'll post a trip report when we return. Buddy

 

[dms]

If you do your exploration, bushwack up to West Baldface, it has a very interesting open ridge and summit with great veiws. The wack is through mainly open hardwoods and is worth the effort.

 

[buddy]

West Baldface ?

Hi DMS, West Baldface is not shown on any of my maps. I assume it's an unnamed peak on my maps. Could you describe where it is relative to South Baldface. Is it one of the closer peaks you can see in forestnomes pic. It sounds very interesting. Anything off the beaten path appeals to me esp. if there's views or close proximity to large scale geographic features. Thanks again all for all the great imput. Buddy