Two to three day long trip ideas.

[Mongoose]

Hello. I'm looking for ideas for two to three day long trips in NH. Usually I leave Mon noon or Tues morning and come back Wed evening. I try to find round trips where I don't have to backtrack; those can be hard to find though. What do you have for suggestions? Anything with the opportunity for a good photograph can make any trip worth the hike.

 

[LenDawg]

You can do a lot out of the Pemi while parking at Lincoln Woods (I love that place). For example, you could go up the Wilderness Trail then head across the flat trails (though I'm sure VERY wet trails) to the northern side of the Pemi, then head up to Guyot Shelter, then come back down via the Bonds. The only repetitive part would be the last three miles on the Wilderness Trail. Or you could park on the Kanc at the base of the Downs Brook Trail, then walk east on the Pemi a mile to the start of the Oliverian Brook Trail. From there you could climbe anything from Passaconoway, Whiteface, the Tripyramids, Hedgehog, etc., and campout. Then come down the Oliverian Brook Trail. Have fun.

 

[dvbl]

Park at Lafayette Campground. Hike south along Pemi Trail or bike path. Go up Liberty Springs Trail and stay at Liberty Springs Tentsite (reliable water). Next day go north along Franconia Ridge to Mt Lafayette. Descend to Lafayette CG (for a two day trip). This hike is busy on weekends, but since you're going early/midweek it should be more quiet.

 

[--M.]

Wild River Drainage

There are also some great loops behind the Carters. Takes longer to get there, but it's nice. Try Wild River Camp Ground to the top of any local peak and around. I did Moriah Brook to Imp & loved it, although it would be very wet right now. There's also loops involving Shelburne, the Royces, and the Baldfaces, all great hikes with loops. Of course, there's also the Wildcat/Carter loop.

Best,

--M.

 

[sapblatt]

Also some great loops can be done from Appalacia. Quite a few major trails converge near there so the options in the Northern Presis are plentiful...
There are tent sites on the Valley Way and at the Perch, two cabins and a shelter...you would not have to back track.

 

[LenDawg]

Mike, good call with Appalachia. You can also park at the Cog and head up the amonoosuk, hit Monroe, Washington, take different trails up there, hit Jefferson, then come down the Jewell.

 

[Mongoose]

Hello. Thanks for the responses. I just got back from a trip up the Twinway to the Guyout shelter and back.

The Appalachia trailhead is nice, there are probably more options for hiking routes there than anywhere else.

Has anyone been around the Caribou Speckled Mountain Wilderness? I was looking for some 2-3 day trips there, but I've never been there before.

 

[snoshoovt]

Whites alternatives

Mongoose, the Speckled/Caribou area is beautiful, and you could do loops to the east or west while basing at the campsite on Rt. 116, including the Baldface loop (a really nice one!). If you're a biker, you might want to consider that the ride from Jefferson Notch to Appalachia or Dolly Copp area is a sleighride (fat tires only), and from Falling Waters parking to anywhere along Rt 4 including Gale River Rd, Zealand Rd, etc (skinny tires fine) is also a breeze, so that you could easily spend 2+ days hiking and have a great ride back to your car. Even a Presi traverse from Appalachia to Crawford works great with a bike return to Appalachia over Jefferson Notch (fat tires only!), or via Twin Mt on highways. Just a thought, in case you're multi-modal-friendly! -John