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Mt. Whiteface, Mt. Passaconaway, and Hibbard Mtn.
Route Summary This ambitious loop hike in the Sandwich Range Wilderness summits Mounts Whiteface and Passaconaway and offers views into The Bowl. The Bowl is a secluded cirque enclosed by Mounts Whiteface, Passaconaway, and Wonalancet. Although the actual summits comprising this formation are wooded, there are views from nearby ledges on each of the peaks. If conditions are good, you can also summit Mount Wonalancet (2760') by hiking an extra 0.4 mile. From Ferncroft parking area to the view ledges of Mount Whiteface:
From Mount Whiteface to Mount Passaconaway:
From Mount Passaconaway back to Ferncroft parking lot:
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Trail Guide
I started this loop hike to Mounts Whiteface and Passaconaway expecting rain so I had packed a bit heavy. I also brought my dog Hunter with me with some trepidation because bears are active now and the trail conditions may not be for dogs. The start was cloudy and cool (about 40 degrees) at the base and starts at about 1,200 feet. Since this is a long trip report, I've divided it into sections: Ascent to Mount Whiteface's Ledges Ascent to Mount Whiteface's Ledges You have to walk through private property for the first half-mile so you need to stay on the road and follow the well marked trail signs. Once we crossed the Wonalancet River (on a bridge) the trail became private and quiet. We saw a sign that gave me pause: No Bear Dogs Allowed! The trail was still covered with deep snow, but since it was only 7:20 a.m. it was hard and easy to stay on top of without postholing. The trail was a low slope at this point. As we ascended into the blueberry barrens the sun began to poke out, the view became incredible and the snow disappeared. This is a good place to stop and take a breather, but I like to push on. The trail up to this point is a reasonably easy hike up although there were a few short steep parts. Blueberry Ledge Cutoff comes in from the right so you have to follow the stone cairns, blue blazes and trail signs. Overall Blueberry Ledge Trail is well marked. As I hiked up, a pair of chickadees roosted just above my head to sing to each other. I took a picture with my phone, but you just can't see them well even though they were only four feet away. Looks like spring is here. The trail starts getting much steeper here and even though I had bought some new gear to help regulate temperature I was sweating like crazy and stripped down to a sweater only with just my light hiking pants on my legs. Some snow came back to the trail as I ascended, but did not require crampons or even much worry for footing (yet). Of course I had just climbed to just above 3,000 feet (on the way to 4,000), so some work is expected. The temperature was still around 40 degrees because the sun warmed up while the altitude kept it cool. The final ascent to the ledges below Mount Whiteface's summit was beautiful. There were frequent views to the south and to The Bowl with Mount Passaconaway behind it (to the left). I picked this route because of the hike around The Bowl, and since it was south-facing I hoped it would have less snow at this time of year. The side of Whiteface is impressive and is a good vantage point for photos. I was able to take a photo from the rock side of Mount Whiteface showing Hunter and a vista of Mount Washington in the background. The lower summit comes shortly after this point and requires some scrambling and hand climbing, but did not require crampons, but since I had just bought a pair of microspikes from EMS I figured I'd try them out and see if I like them. They worked great for the final 100 yards to the ledges of Mount Whiteface, where I could see that they had an ice storm last night and there was a beautiful view of Mount Chocorua to the east. I had to get pictures of Chocorua since I had hiked it just last week. This lower, ledgy summit of Whiteface was rocky and warming (the sound of ice falling off the trees was constant). There used to be something attached to the top of the mountain, but it's gone now... so the view is good, but not panoramic. You can see Lake Winnipesaukee and Squam Lake, as well as Mount Shaw and a ring of mountains around it that I will hike one of these days. I wasn't done for the day so I continued my journey onto Rollins Trail up to Whiteface's true summit and towards Passaconaway. From Mount Whiteface to Mount Passaconaway We started on Rollins Trail and it should more properly be called "Crawllins Trail" because ice from over the winter had made it nearly impassable in some places. There is a point on the trail not far from Whiteface's ledges where the altitude is over 4,000 feet (again) and this is the true summit of the mountain. The snow was very deep on the trail, but since we had summited Mount Whiteface by 9:40 a.m. the snow was well frozen and firm. I left my microspikes on, which was good because the trail runs up and down and even along a ridge that dropped for hundreds of feet. Fortunately for me, you can't see down it like a sheer cliff because it is heavily treed. There was a light snowfall from the previous night and I could see that someone had climbed up before me this morning, but I never did see them. Rollins Trail does not have much in the way of views, but it is pretty and a nice hike without too much elevation change (it never drops below 3,000 feet). The trail here is not well marked and it was hard to see it in spots. After a nice walk down Rollins we came to the base of Passaconaway (at about 3,400 feet). The hike up was pretty easy although there are a couple of steep parts. The switchbacks make the climb a little gentler. The views from Passaconaway are not from the summit. The summit is fully treed and looks like a forest. The overlooks to the west and the north are about all you get, although there is another overlook to the east that shows Chocorua. Descent from Mount Passaconaway via Hibbard Mountain So now the hike down begins and a half-hour stop for lunch and dry off. I had to change clothes and remove my boots to dry off. My wool socks just needed to air out, but my shirt was drenched and I had to take it off and hang it from my pack to dry. I ate my PB and Fluff sandwiches in the noon sun and considered a nap, but the sound of falling ice kept reminding me of bears and I just couldn't relax. We moved on down the mountain, which was steep. The route down is by Walden Trail. We wanted to head over to Square Ledge, but I started down Square Ledge Trail and was postholing most of the way. The trail was not well marked and I wasn't sure of the direction and it was getting late, so I turned around and headed back to Walden Trail. From there we met another hiker who told me that Square Ledge Trail and Old Mast Road were soft snow and a slog all the way. At that point I decided to follow the Wonalancet Range Trail instead of going from Walden to Old Mast Road. This was a good choice since we had a hard packed trail and a gentler slope down. We saw lots of moose poop, but never saw (or heard) a moose. We bypassed Mount Wonalancet's summit by taking The Short Cut. We started towards the summit but after 100 yards on soft snow, turned around and went back to The Short Cut. Being somewhat tired of postholing I opted for the easier route. Towards the end of Wonalancet Range Trail there was a beautiful cedar woods where we took a short break before finishing the hike. The trek was overall very strenuous and about 12 miles. Unless you are comfortable in deep snow, the trip up and down Whiteface is all I would do at this time of year. I look forward to coming back later in the season to get to Square Ledge without all of the snow. |
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Driving Directions
The trailhead for this hike is accessed via the Ferncroft parking area which is located in Albany, New Hampshire, indirectly off of Route 113A. From I-93:
From Rt. 16:
More Whiteface, Passaconaway, Hibbard, Wonalancet Trail Reports |
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