Hiking Guide

White Mountains

The White Mountains in New Hampshire provide the most serious hiking in the north east. While short by most standards (a mountain is > 4000' is tall), winter conditions rule from November till April, with snow and ice to be found into May. Do not underestimate these mountains. Conditions above treeline are as bad as almost anywhere in the Rockies. Mt Washington in particular records an average of one fatality per year. There was one incident where a MITOC trip was happily climbing on one side of Mt Washington while, unbeknownst to us, a person was dying of exposure on the other. Come prepared.

• Mount Washington: An intense (very vertical) but fun all-day hike. About 9 miles round trip, with an ascent of about 4000 (?) feet.
• Gentian Pond: In northern NH, not quite 3 hours away.
• Crawford Notch: The southern part of the Webster Cliff Trail in Crawford notch is not often travelled, but it is largely a ridgewalk so it has great views. You can camp on the ridge. I don't know whether it's legal since it's so close to the trail, but I've seen people camping there. There's no water to be had, though. The spots I've seen are to the east of the trail hidden back in the trees near viewpoints. If you can't find a spot, you can camp on the tent platforms at Mitzpah Hut at the north end of the Webster Cliff Trail, but I wouldn't exactly call that peace and it costs $6. The southern part of the Webster Cliff Trail is only about 4 miles long. The northern part of it is part of a very popular and well travelled loop, but if you hike that part in the early morning, you'll miss people. This is at the edge of the Pemi Wilderness, I think, so you could drop down into the wilderness for the next night of camping. Fewer views, but also fewer people. I'm not familiar with the Pemi Wilderness or the camping regulations in it.

Several White Mountains trips are document in the trip reports. The standard guide to the Whites is the AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) White Mountain Guide available in most stores or in the MITOC library.

No transit needed:

• The Charles River: Walk, run or ride the bike/footpath upriver. If you go all the way to Watertown Square and back, too (instead of taking the bus back to Central) you've done thirteen miles. May not be safe after dark on the stretch near MIT -- so bus back from Harvard.

  Possible sidetrips --
  (a) Harvard
  (b) Mount Auburn Cemetery (turn north on Fresh Pond Parkway from Eliot Bridge to Mount Auburn Street, take this west to cemetery gate). This is like an arboretum -- walking is encouraged and the tower has a great view, especially in foliage season. Lots of rhodoendron and azalea in spring, too. Bikes must be walked. Buses 71 and 73 will take you to the gate from the bus cave connecting with the Harvard red line T stop.

• Boston Green Spaces: Another long walk or run is up Boston's Emerald Necklace, a strip of parks including the Boston Common, Public Garden, Back Bay Fens, Riverway, Olmstead Park, Jamaica Pond, Arnold Arboreteum, and Franklin Park. There's a bikepath along Riverway, Olmstead Park, and Jamaica Pond. If you're homesick, you may find some trees from home among the well kept collection of temperate trees in the Arnold Arboreteum; it also has three hills with views of Boston. Franklin Park offers some woody hills (MIT's cross country teams run here), horseback riding, and a small zoo and golf course. You can return by retracing your route on the other side of the stream; or via the Orange Line T from Forest Hills station; there is also an urban bikepath following the Orange Line to Back Bay station. When the weather isn't freezing, water fountains can be found at Jamaica Pond and Arnold Arboreteum. { Carl Manning (caroma@mit.edu)}

Accessible by public transit:

• Concord Trailways has buses to the White Mountains, one that goes up Rte 93 to places like Plymouth, Lincoln, Franconia, and one that goes up Rte 16 to Conway, N Conway, Pinkham Notch, and Berlin.
• The AMC runs hiker shuttles in the White Mountains, but I'm told that maybe they only run in the summertime... check out their Boston Chapter web page or stop by their headquarters at 5 Joy St in Boston.
• Lincoln-Concord public lands with plenty of trails for a day hike, which can include swimming at Walden Pond. Take T from Kendall to Porter (or else walk to North Station) to take the Fitchburg Commuter Line to Lincoln for about $3 each way. Driving to the parking lot there is possible; there's also a parking lot on 117, north side, a mile or two west of 126. Trail map may be purchased (and bikes rented) at Linclon Guides, across road from the railroad stop parking lot. For rail schedule and fares there's an automated phone information system run by the MBTA.
• Middlesex Fells: Walk up hill from Oak Grove orange line stop, past Malden Center, to blue Cross Fells Trail, which connects with trail network with enough walking for a moderate dayhike; views of skyline. Maps available from Friends of the Fells (call their office in Medford to buy a map) or elses weekdays at the Reservation office on Woodland Road.
• Blue Hills Reservation: The Blue Hills Reservation straddles Quincy and Milton. The Blue Hills has a surprising variety of terrain, including rock climbing and views of the Boston skyline. From the Quincy Center T, there is a bus line (238 or 240) which goes tangent to the Blue Hills. Get off at Shea Rink and find the trailhead near the road at the far side of the parking lot from the rink; there will be a bulletin board with a posted map and other information. (I think they also permit mountain biking on designated trails, but I haven't done it and don't know the details.) (by Bob Rogers)

  At the Blue Hills Reservation Headquarters you can get color maps of hiking trails of the Blue Hills for $2 dollars. Reservation headquarters is in the section of the Blue Hills between routes 138 and 28, on Hillside St. between Houghton Pond the intersection with Unquity Rd., in a wood structure up the hill behind the police station parking.

  Mountain Biking is permitted on most of the dirt roads and many of the trails in the sections of the Blue Hills between route 138 and route 28. There is a free pamphlet "Mountain Biking in the Blue Hills" available at the Reservation headquarters which maps these sections, and indicates which trails are off limits (due to habitat and safety concerns). The off limits trails are also marked with no bikes signs (bike with slash through it).

• Books:
  Car-Free in Boston, by the Association for Public Transportation
  AMC guide to Country Walks Near Boston, by Alan Fisher
  More Country Walks Near Boston, by William Scheller

A short drive away

• Mt. Monadnock - Wapack Trail (east of Mt. Monadnock, MA line northward). 21 miles maximum. Sunapee-Monadnock trailway (Maps for this and the Wapack can be bought at the AMC headquarters on Beacon Hill, among other places. Dayhike or backpack. Squam Range -- Southern fringe of White Mountains, where some other trails too are described in the AMC White Mountain Guide. Great fall colors, overlooking Squam Lake (where 'On Golden Pond' was filmed), as those who were with me last fall circus on our way back from Camelot can testify.
• Mount Moosilaukee
  1. take 93 N to exit 32
  2. at bottom of ramp take right
  3. drive over little bridge straight through lights and onto 112
  4. stay on 112 for ~6-8 miles then turn off left on Sawyer highway (Rt 118)
  5. Up this bouncy road ~12mi over crest
  6. on the way back down look for ravine Rd on the right.
  7. Turn onto Ravine Rd and up that dirt road to end.
  DO NOT PARK IN TURN AROUND! Trailhead is at the end of the dirt road. I recommend Gorge Brook up, Carriage Rd combined with Snapper down. This mountain is 4802ft (1460m) butit starts at 1500ft (450m). The hike goes along a stream into a ravine thusly carved then sharply up yielding spectacular views of the whites from a southerly angle. It is the southern-most 4000 footer. A moderate hike.