Statistics needed

[Hillwalker]

Anyone know how many miles of hiking trails there are in New Hampshire? Not just the Whites, but all.

Also, the number of shelters currently existing.

 

[David Metsky]

Steve Smith mentioned that he's only got 70 or so miles left on all the trails in the Whites. I don't know if he's added up the trails in the Southern NH book as well.

Here's the shelters in the Whites (I think I'm missing Unknown Pond). In addition there are shelters along the AT at Velvet Rocks, Moose Mountain, Trapper John, Smarts, Hexacube, Ore Hill, and Jeffers Brook. I don't know of others, but there certainly could be some.

-dave-

 

[RoySwkr]

Anyone know how many miles of hiking trails there are in New Hampshire? Not just the Whites, but all.

Also, the number of shelters currently existing.

I will guarantee that nobody knows either one

I used to add up the trail mileage in the White Mountain Guide when that covered all of NH and got about 1500 miles but haven't done so for several editions. This was not an easy task as some mileages were omitted, some were conflicting, and sometimes 2 named trails run together.

There is no central registry of trails in NH and some are abandoned and some built every year. See my trip report for Frenchs Ledge and last weekend I saw a sign for a 2.3 mile trail up Sunday Mtn in Orford.

In addition to the shelters DM mentions, there are some on the Cohos Trail and the Monadnock-Sunapee Trail.

 

[Paradox]

I will guarantee that nobody knows either one

I used to add up the trail mileage in the White Mountain Guide when that covered all of NH and got about 1500 miles but haven't done so for several editions.

Not only that, but much of the mileage posted on signs is not very accurate. I find my new GPS gives me different data from my older GPS's and it always differs from the mileage posted on signs. I think the honest answer is: a whole bunch for such a small state.

 

[DougPaul]

Not only that, but much of the mileage posted on signs is not very accurate. I find my new GPS gives me different data from my older GPS's and it always differs from the mileage posted on signs. I think the honest answer is: a whole bunch for such a small state.

GPSes tend to give short mileage if there are gaps (zones where satellite contact has been lost) in the track.

Doug

 

[Hillwalker]

I only need a ballpark figure to use in responding to requests for hiking information from my contacts in international hiking/mountaineering organizations. Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) for one. Since I hillwalk (hike) in Scotland quite often I have built up some interest among my contacts there for hiking/backpacking in New Hampshire. And for such a small state, I think it's a bragging point

 

[David Metsky]

2000 miles is a ballpark figure. For shelters/campsites, figure about 60.

-dave-

 

[dug]

I half-assedly tallied up the miles in the book ('94 edition? the last small one) and I think it was just over 2,000. I equated it to an AT thru-hike.

There was no exact science involved. Just a calculator, the book, and a couple of beers.....