Planned Hike Input Requested

[eddie]

We are trying to put together some peakbagging day hikes and I am looking for some opinions. Our group of 4 will be staying in Lincoln the week of 6/24 - 7/1 and we have two cars. I wanted to see what the VFTT White Mtn regulars thinks about these (of course weather dependent) as thru hikes:

1. N & S Kinsman and Cannon
2. Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, Flume
3. Eisenhower, Pierce, Jackson

We also plan to do an overnighter - Day 1 from Kanc Hwy, Bonds and camp (bivy) at Guyot, next day side trip to Zealand, S & N Twin and out.

Your suggestion on these routes, trails, water availability, etc. is appreciated.

 

[rocket21]

1. N & S Kinsman and Cannon
2. Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, Flume
3. Eisenhower, Pierce, Jackson

I only have experience on two of the above peaks, but from what I hear you're better off to reverse the order of #2, as the descent down Flume slide is wicked steep and dangerous. The Old Bridle Trail coming off Lafayette is reasonably easy in terms of pitch and footing (as well as views for the top half).

 

[SteveHiker]

I've not done #1 all at once, but would (depending on route) would say that would be the toughest. I don't personally care for the Kinsman Ridge trail between Cannon and the Cannonballs so I'd opt to find a route around Lonesome Lake.

Lots of ways to go for hike #2. If you plan to include Flume Slide, then rocket21's advice is sound, although the trail is somewhat overrated in my opinion I still would rather go up it than down it. But you could go up Bridle Path or Greenleaf or Skookumchuck and come out Osseo to Lincoln Woods as well.

Number 3 is the least difficult of the bunch. It can be down with one car and some backtracking or with a carspot. I've started in Crawford notch, going up the webster-jackson trail to Jackson, then over to Mizpah hut and up to Pierce, over the Crawford Path and Eisenhower loop to Eisenhower and back to the car via Crawford Path and and a inconsequential roadwalk to the car. Alternately you could descend via Edmands Path with another car parked there. Another alternative is to start on the Webster Cliff trall instead of the webster-jackson.

In all cases above, adding distances and elevations is left as an exercise for the reader.

 

[Amicus]

Another alternative is to start on the Webster Cliff trall instead of the webster-jackson.

In all cases above, adding distances and elevations is left as an exercise for the reader.

Since I hiked this very route (with rocksnrolls) two days ago, traversing the Webster Cliff Trail from the south, then taking Crawford Path and the Eisenhower Loop Trail to the summit of Ike and down to the Edmands Path, and so out (where SteveHiker met us with his car, as it happens), I can save you the math. Distance: 12.4 miles. Elevation: c. 4,800 feet. We hit those three summits plus Webster, with a lunch break at Mizpah Hut.

 

[Mike P.]

1.) I have not done the Kinsman's with Cannon & once did Cannon & NE Cannonball should be doable, a bit long & perhaps tedious.

2.) Have done it a couple of times, with & without 2 cars. With two cars, I'd spot one at Lincoln Woods & go up either OBP or better yet Skookumchuck.

3.) Easy day, because my knees are better than my heart lung capacity (or I'm too heavy!) with two cars I'd go up Edmands & descend Webster Cliff.

4.) the two day trip has been done as a one day before, probably more enjoyable as a two day, it's doable.

Have fun!

 

[arghman]

1. N & S Kinsman and Cannon
2. Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, Flume
3. Eisenhower, Pierce, Jackson

1 -- ok but somewhat boring. Do this one if the weather is iffy; the other two are really exposed.
2 -- a great day but LONG. I did Lafayette to Liberty in one day & was pretty tired after that; Flume adds another 500' or so of elevation gain, not to mention mileage, + either an annoying car-spot to Osseo Trail or dealing with Flume Slide or an additional 500' elevation gain going back from Flume to Liberty.
3 -- This would be my pick. A glorious hike with oodles of views + a variety of terrain & probably the best of the bunch for alpine flora. Or alternatively you could do Pierce/Eisenhower/Franklin/Monroe which would probably be slightly more difficult but would get you more above-treeline stuff.

 

[SherpaKroto]

1. N & S Kinsman and Cannon
2. Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, Flume
3. Eisenhower, Pierce, Jackson

1. Hiking over the CannonBalls is a lot of fun. The drop down to Coppermine Col is a steep one.
2. Haven't done the stretch from Haystack to Liberty Springs. This will be a long day. Heading out on Osseo would be my choice.
3. Heck, why not add Monroe and do it North to South, stopping in at Lakes and Mizpah for rest breaks and cookies?

You mentioned the Bonds as a 2 day. Wel,, let me throw a curve at you: PemiTraverse. It is a relatively easy traverse to head from Zealand Falls across Zeacliff, Zealand, Guyot, and the Bonds. We did it with Dave Metsky on a Beautiful, Sunny Day

 

[amstony]

I have done all 3 of these hikes solo and #1, N/S Kinsmans, the Cannonballs and Cannon was by far the hardest. The stretch of the Kinsman trail between Cannon and the Kinsman Trail Junction up from the LL hut (trail name escapes me) is by far one of the nastiest trails I have been on. On the flip side, it was a great hike, bagged 4 peaks on NE 100 highest list, and I am considering doing it again for some sadistic reason. I was able to descend from Cannon on the high Cannon trail near dusk, which made for a beautiful descent. However, for safety and for being such a remote stretch of trail, I would take a partner along. The route is close to 14 miles if you do it out of Lafeyette campground and with about 5,000 feet of elevation gain, give or take a few.

The other two hikes I also did solo and are great hikes, your main issues there are the weather on the exposed ridges.

A good referance is Mohammeds Peakbagging website. He has accurate elevation gains and mileage for these 3 hikes.

All 3 are most definitely doable in a day hike.

The Bonds and Twins would make an excellent overnighter, especially if the skies are clear.

Enjoy your hikes!!

 

[WhiteMTHike]

I personally like #2. I've done them each, doing them as a thru hike would be great.

Actually I think all 3 choices are good and you can't go wrong with any of them.

 

[skiguy]

1.) I have not done the Kinsman's with Cannon & once did Cannon & NE Cannonball should be doable, a bit long & perhaps tedious.

If you don't have your heart set on doing a traverse/through trip on this one you may want to consider doing a loop from Lafayette Campground. There are a few variations although you will have to go over to N. Kinsman and back to S Kinsman (which is quite easy IMO) retracing your steps somewhat but you will cut out the Reel Brook trail which may eliminate some of the longness and tediousness that Mike P. is refering to.

 

[Mike P.]

"Beautiful, Sunny Day" aka liquid sunshine. It was a fun day though!

 

[albee]

Well, since you asked for opinions, I'll throw mine out there...

People should remember that experience and effort are relative. What may be easy for one person might be difficult for another, and vice versa. I think all three of these hikes would be easily done in a day.

I have literally run the Kinsman Ridge trail over the Cannonballs in winter and it was pretty nice. I don't understand why it has been described here as nasty, tedious, boring, etc... I liked it just fine. Kinsmans + Cannon is a great choice. I think it is 12.2 miles if you descend to the ski area.

The Franconia Ridge traverse is a classic trip. You could go either direction. I would avoid the Greenleaf trail since I didn't enjoy it last time I was up there - I much prefer Old Bridle Path. Climbing the Flume Slide trail was fun but not as tough as you might expect. Descending Osseo to Lincoln Woods is a fine choice and the car spot is a 15 minute drive at most. You could also backtrack after hitting Flume and go down Liberty Springs trail. (This adds a little more mileage and elevation, but nothing outrageous.)

The southern Presis sounds like a nice trip. I'd second Sherpa Kroto's suggestion to add Monroe, just so you don't have to go back for Monroe when you do Washington.

Bring cash when you go to Guyot shelter... I believe there is a caretaker there this time of year, and it costs between $5 and $10 per person per night. Best sunrises in the Whites from your sleeping bag inside the shelter! You might want to stash a couple of your packs near the summit of Guyot when you go out-and-back to Zealand. The rest of the trip sounds fine, and you could potentially take the steep route down South Twin and go grab Galehead, then take the beautiful/easy Gale River trail down.

These are my opinions. I realize my itineraries are more aggressive than most, but that is just how I hike. If you're staying a week you could schedule in a couple off-days or bad weather days to recover if need be. Have fun!

 

[--M.]

Been on or near all three hikes. If I were counseling myself before hand,

==Don't underestimate water needs on the dry Franconia Ridge. We dipped well into our extra supply.

==The southern Presis are nice, pleasant, especially compared to their northern counterparts, but watch out for subjective reactions to workload & caloric outlay. Some hikes are tougher than others!

Have fun,

--Mike

 

[RoySwkr]

I have done all 4 of the suggested hikes as day hikes, #4 is long and may require a short day after.

Lafayette-Flume requires good weather, I believe this area has the most lightning deaths in the Whites. If you do Lafayette first you have less total elevation gain. I would go up Greenleaf and down to Flume as these parking areas seem less subject to vandalism and it's easier to skip a peak or two at the end.

Eisenhower also requires good weather but you can do the rest of the trip most anytime.

Cannon-Kinsman I have done as loop from Lafayette Place or thru-hike from Tramway to Kinsman Notch, while there is not much expoasure on this hike there is a lot of steep stuff that is a pain when wet. I would say this is less spectacular than the other choices if you haven't done them before.

 

[JohnL]

I’ve done all of these peaks together several times each so here’s my take on some trail choices.

Kinsmans & Cannon:
My advice here is to avoid the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail if at all possible. A nice choice for a starting place is actually the Basin. Start early and you’ll avoid most of the tourist crowd. Follow the stream uphill (with the stream on your left) and you will come to the start of the Basin-Cascades Trail. Take this to the Cascades Brook Trail and then to the Kinsman Pond Trail which will take you past the shores of Kinsman Pond and just past that, Kinsman Junction. From there take a left to climb the Kinsmans. Don’t forget to drop down to the outlook ledge on North Kinsman. Backtrack from South Kinsman and then take the Kinsman Ridge Trail over the Cannonballs and then up to Cannon Mtn. Descend to Lafayette Place via the Hi-Cannon Trail. One car at the Basin and one car at Lafayette Place. You can get water at Kinsman Pond.

The Franconia Ridge can be done in either direction, my favorite being south to north. Drive to Lincoln Woods on the Kancamagus Hiway, then take the Wilderness Trail to the Osseo Trail. Ascend Flume and now you are on the Franconia Ridge Trail which you will take all the way to Lafayette. Descend either via the Greenleaf Trail which offers a wonderful hike through Eagle Gap or descend via the Garfield Ridge and Skookumchuck Trails. The Skook Trail has its own parking area and for the Greenleaf Trail park in the Cannon Mtn ski area lot. If you descend via the Greenleaf Trail, you can get potable water at the Greenleaf Hut. Otherwise water spots are at the far ends of the hike.

Ike, Pierce and Jackson can also be done in either direction. My choice of trails would be Edmands Path, Eisenhower Connector, Crawford Path, Webster Cliff and Webster-Jackson Trails. One car at the Edmand’s Path end and one car in Crawford Notch. By adding Monroe you would park at the Cog Railway (fee required). If so hike from there; it seems all downhill from there. You could always add Webster at the end and get a good look down into Crawford Notch. Descend via the Webster-Jackson Trail. You can get water at the Mizpah Hut.

All three hikes are excellent and have lots to offer. I could get by pretty easily with 3 litres of water on each of these hikes but your mileage may vary. All these hikes are doable in a day. Your conditioning and experience will determine just how long your day will be.

JohnL

 

[--M.]

AMC White Mountain Guide

Since it hasn't been said, and since there's a new edition out, but especially since it actually IS the gold standard for trail info in the Whites, get and use a copy of the AMC White Mountain Guide. There are better maps (I like Map Adventures), but the trail descriptions, mileages, water & shelter information and lots of other data really answer many of the questions you have, and their reliability is fairly constant, as opposed to the potentially variable nature of the www.

That said, it looks like you've gotten some good material on this thread, so I hope your hike benefits (or went well, depending).

 

[eddie]

Thank you all. I'll write trip report and let you know what and how we did.