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Mt. Washington via Great Gulf Trail
Route Summary This was a lollipop-loop hike starting at Barnes Field Campground near Route 16, and climbing Mount Washington basically via the Great Gulf Trail. The descent was made via the Mount Washington Auto Road and Chandler Brook Trail, then slightly up the Great Gulf Trail where we had earlier set up our backcountry camp. The next day we finished the descent via Great Gulf to return to Barnes Field Campground. Ascent of Mount Washington - Day 1:
Partial Descent of Mount Washington - Day 1:
Final Descent of Mount Washington - Day 2:
A variation for this hike would be to start at the Great Gulf Trailhead but otherwise follow the route as described. The different starting point would shorten both the ascent and descent by 2 miles each making it a 7.9 mile trek up to the summit and 9.6 miles for the descent. (After 0.3 mile on the Great Gulf Trail, you will reach the junction with Great Gulf Link from which point you can follow the directions above.)
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Trail Guide
We prepared for this Mount Washington hike by first completing three 10-milers as part of a training program. This made sure that those attempting this challenging hike had the stamina and determination required. The night before the hike we camped at Barnes Field Campground. We had two moose walk through the campsite. Be sure to use the "Bearmuda Triangle" and bear bags and/or car trunks for your food and garbage. We started early in the morning from Barnes Field Campground and headed up Great Gulf Trail to its junction with the Wamsutta Trail. That part took from 7:30 a.m. to noon. We found a good designated site to camp, ditched the heavy stuff and set up camp. We brought lightweight winter coats and snow pants, ponchos and flashlights up to the top - it was 40 degrees up there that Monday at noon. Then we continued up to Spaulding Lake by 3 p.m. The weather looked okay, so we continued on up the "headwall": it rises 1,600 feet in about 0.8 mile. What a challenge and what a view! Just as we came over the top by the Cog Railway, the clouds came in and it got real windy and began raining. We got up to the top at about 5 p.m. It was heavy fog - you have to follow the cairns (piles of rocks) - my glasses fogged up and I could barely see my feet! We had planned on going down to the campsite on the Wamsutta Trail, but the weather was too bad and it was getting late, so we went down the Auto Road to get out of the weather and lower in elevation. You can travel fast here; it only took an hour to go almost 4 miles. Then we went down the Chandler Brook Trail. This path might be okay in good weather, but I got that terrifying feeling you get at the top of a roller coaster. Basically you have to slide down a mile's worth of rocks (and 1,300 feet of elevation loss) on your behind. It is very steep; a good hiking stick woulda been useful. It took about 2.5 hours to go down this trail on wet rocks. When we reached Great Gulf Trail after 9 p.m., we needed flashlights to proceed on the last 0.7 mile to the campsite. So overall, we went 10 miles up and 5 miles down the first day, then hiked out 6.5 miles back to our base camp at Barnes Field Campground the next day. Sooooo... if you're thinkin' of goin':
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Driving Directions
To Barnes Field Campground:
To Great Gulf Trailhead Parking:
Facilities At the summit of Mount Washington are bathrooms, a cafeteria, gift shop, and museum. Other Notes WMNF Recreational Pass A parking permit is required to park at White Mountain National Forest trailheads and parking areas. You can purchase a WMNF permit from the forest service and other vendors and can also pay-by-the-day using self-service kiosks located in many parking areas. For more information on parking passes please refer to the White Mountain National Forest website. Rates:
More Mt. Washington Trail Reports |
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