|
South Moat Mtn. from Dugway Road
Route Summary South Moat Mountain provides 360-degree views from its ledgy summit. This hike approaches the peak from the south via Moat Mountain Trail and returns by the same route.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Trail Guide Well, it was time for me and the boys to get out for a quick getaway and winter hike in the wonderful White Mountains. It was the last weekend of February and the weather was picture perfect; 30 degrees and clear blue skies with only a subtle breeze. I recommended South and Middle Moat Mountain for our snowshoe hike. After I described the trail and showed my buddies the map, we were all hands in. This should be a great half-day hike at any time of the year, but in the winter it is a real winner. The southern end of the Moat Mountain Trailhead was easy to find off Dugway road, just about 15 minutes northwest of Conway, New Hampshire. The parking area is on the north side of Dugway road. The trail winds naturally through pine and hardwood forests with easy grades for the first mile. The snow was deep, but the trail was lightly packed down, well marked and perfect for snowshoes with yellow blazes to help guide the way. The trail begins to climb more moderately about 1.5 miles in and the views come with each new turnout. The blazes do become fewer and far between, but the tracks from previous hikers, a good map and a scent for the trail will keep you going in the right direction, which is north towards the summits. The trail becomes more steep and open with spectacular views east and west as you get within striking distance of the summit. There is a small false summit about 0.3 mile from South Moat that is mostly bald with views in many directions. Once you get over this hump, the summit of South Moat is straight ahead. It's a bit steep with maximum exposure directly to the east, so watch your step and footing. There were a few icy patches to keep it interesting, but snowshoes with toe and heel cleats worked very well. The summit was very impressive with rock and ledge and 360-degree views. The best being southwest to Chocorua and northeast towards Washington. It took us about 2.5 hours to get to South Moat and we decided not to continue on to Middle Moat. This was due to the fact that South Moat was just too cool and we wanted to hang there as long as we could. Going down in snowshoes took us about half the time, as we had gravity on our side. This is now one of my favorite half-day hikes in the Whites and I look forward to doing this in the spring, summer or fall. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Driving Directions
The southern terminus of the Moat Mountain Trailhead is located in Albany, New Hampshire, about 15 minutes northwest of Conway village. From Rt. 16 in Conway:
Heading east on Rt. 112:
Heading west on Rt. 112:
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 Moat Mountain Trail Reports |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website by LeapfrogProgramming.com
© 1998-2024
|