Snows Mountain Waterville Valley NH BW 2/21/2010

[Jazzbo]

Snows Mountain BW 2/21/2010

I’ve been wanting to explore the Lost Pass region in Watervill Valley NH for some time now and with snow depths in mountains being on low side I thought this would be an ideal time to take a stab at it. My first approach was to be to follow Snows Mountain Trail to its maximum extent and then bushwhack up the ridge to Snows Mountain and if conditions permit go to Lost Pass.

I got a bit of a late start. In addition I wasted time trying to locate the TH for the South Loop of Snows Mountain trail. I decided to park in parking area at bottom of old ski area and simply headed up the ski slope. Ski slope offers nice views of Waterville Valley ski slopes and ridge. On way up I donned snowshoes for traction. I quickly reached top of lift structures and followed Snows Mountain ski trail and shortly discovered the actual Snows Mountain hiking trail. Before long I reached the end point of the trail and began my whack along the ridge.

The ridge is like a Cocks Comb (This term just showed up in another thread and seems apropos here). If I’d known there was going to be this series of knobs I would have bypassed most of them instead of going up and over each one especially since each one was capped with spruce. The closer I got to Snows Mountain the more I needed to make sure I find the peak.

The woods on this ridge are pretty open by and large with healthy population of hobble bush and birch. It appears to be good moose habitat as evidenced by criss-crossing moose trails, moose scat, and beading areas.

[/URL][/CENTER][/IMG]

I thought surely I’ll see a moose today, but no such luck. Snow depths wasn't particularly deep and was easy to break trail in although neither wasn't as shallow as I was expecting. At 3000' snow there was fresh powder from recent snowfalls last week.

I finally reached what I thought must be Snows Mountain summit. I couldn’t find any summit canister. There must be one, but since summit was tangle of blow-downs and deep snow, I might have missed the canister or the canister was itself on a blow-down. Terrain sure looked right. I could see through the trees the connecting ridge from Flat Mountain down below just were it should have been. The only really thick spruce I encountered was on the tops of the knobs, just dropping down gets you in to fairly open woods. If I hadn’t wasted time going over all the knobs I might have made it to Lost Pass. It was only a little further. It was 2:30 and I wanted to get home at decent hour. I returned the way I came bypassing the PUD’s.

I came across a nice view ledge right at end of the trail offering views of Sandwich and Jennings Peak, and Welch & Dickey. I apologize as I arrived here late in day so scene is backlit and lighting is awful.

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]​

I returned via the north branch of Snows Mountain trail. I now know why I couldn’t find the TH for it. Reason is the TH is at end of someone’s driveway right at hairpin turn in the road. It had a sign, but you’d need binoculars to see it since it was way up the end of the driveway. Only a clairvoyant could find this TH.

It would be interesting to come back here again maybe via one of the un-official trails up Snows Brook or Cascade Brooks and make it a loop hike. I’m thinking Snows Brook would be best choice.

 

[audrey]

There was no canister when we climbed it eons ago. It isn't on the 3K list, which is probably why.

Be forewarned, the Lost Pass area is WET except when everything is frozen. We went in with Little Bear and Mohamed once, up the Snows Brook path, and there was no way to get through except through knee deep water, or possibly climbing well above the low areas.

Snows Brook is exceptionally pretty, with large lichen-encrusted boulders, as we found when brookwhacking down from Flat Mt.

I'd love to go in there again. Let us know your plans.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

In 15 years of skiing in that area (XC) I have seen maybe 6 moose, but 6x6x6 signs of moose - they roam the XC trails and leave piles right on the tracks.

Tim

 

[1HappyHiker]

Excellent report, Ray!

You might have already checked this out, but if not, then you might want to take a look at the link below which describes a somewhat similar adventure undertaken by Steve Smith and reported in his blog.

Steve Smith's blog report

 

[RoySwkr]

I went there with my sister, her Garmin had the summit one bump beyond where it actually was

 

[RollingRock]

I did the exact same trip two week's ago went as far as the trail [up to the ledges]. I thought it would also have been cool to continue forward to Lost Pass but perhaps another day. The Waterville Valley and Athletic Improvement Association used to run a backcountry ski trip to Lost Pass in March but I don't know if they are this year.

I really enjoyed the loop and was also surprised to see it end in the middle of a housing development. It's definitely worth doing again.

 

[DougPaul]

In 15 years of skiing in that area (XC) I have seen maybe 6 moose, but 6x6x6 signs of moose - they roam the XC trails and leave piles right on the tracks.

Once when I skied one of the Waterville BC trails, I found that it had been used as a moose yard the night before. I certainly didn't have to break that section of trail...

I usually see tracks when I ski that trail, but have never seen a moose there.

Doug