NH 4000 questions

[Y.L.]

All ADK 4000 can be done as dayhikes (the longest one being Allen). Is this the same thing for the NH 4000? Which peak is the furthest? What is the distance from the trailhead?

Thanks.

 

[sapblatt]

Yes

They can all be done as dayhikes. The two longest, most remote hikes are Owl's Head and Isolation - 14 + miles for both. However, a good deal of both of these hikes can be done over very easy terrain. Both can be done pretty easily in 8-10 hours or less. The list was designed to be done as day hikes...

 

[SteveHiker]

distance can also be a matter of whether you have a second car and can traverse a series of peaks, or if you have to out and back.

The longest out and back that I did was West Bond from the Kanc. This is about 23 miles round trip, give or take. A lot of it is flat or nearly flat. It makes a full day for most people, but is not overly difficult.

Owl's Head is about 18 miles out and back, the bushwhack route might be shorter. Again it's mostly flat until the last mile.

Isolation is probably the hardest of the three and is about 14 or 15 miles depending on route.

 

[Tom Rankin]

They can all be done as dayhikes. The two longest, most remote hikes are Owl's Head and Isolation - 14 + miles for both. However, a good deal of both of these hikes can be done over very easy terrain. Both can be done pretty easily in 8-10 hours or less. The list was designed to be done as day hikes...

Owl's head is about 14 miles round trip from Galehead hut, correct? It's quite a bit further from a trail head, right? The same is true for others such as Bond Cliff, IIRC.

The huts can sort of be considered ho(s)tels in the woods. I did all 115 of the NE 4Ks as day hikes, if you count the huts. In some cases, it makes the hikes quite a bit easier, and/or allows you to bag multiple peaks in a day.

They're not cheap, but IMHO, they're worth it.

 

[sapblatt]

Owl's head is about 14 miles round trip from Galehead hut, correct? It's quite a bit further from a trail head, right? The same is true for others such as Bond Cliff, IIRC.

that is about right...the dayhike route is about 16-17 from Lincoln Woods. The Bonds should also be included on the long day list...also have a lot of easy terrain going via Lincoln Woods. I found a one way traverse, Zealand to Lincoln to be quite easy...about 10 hours on a nice day...and I am not fast.

 

[maineguy]

Kevin, you are quite correct IMHO. The approaches are longer and the trails are in general much rougher than the Whites. As we were heading back to the car this weekend after climbing Allen, Rick and I were discussing this.

Simply put, there is nothing in the Whites (the official 4K list) that is as difficult as Allen. And that can probably be said for a good number of the ADK 46.

 

[ken]

I'd be curious to hear the comments of other 111ers, but I found the ADKs to be more physically demanding overall than the Whites due to their 1) longer approaches, and 2) trails are rougher & steeper, perhaps due to a longer history of trail maintenance and design/redesign in the Whites.

yes - i also found the whites easier - 11.5 weekends as dayhikes (with old speck included) - except for the loose boulders, most of new england is easier - most mountains in new england above treeline are made out of small boulders (sort of like walking in a creekbed) and ADKs are solid rock - but most new hampshire hikes, you start out with the climb right away (but you do have a long hike into owls head on the old railroad that is about 3 miles each way on a long, straight, level trail that is something like an ADK approach) - and the outhouses at the trailheads are much nicer in new hampshire - - also in the ADKs you can sleep in your vehicle at the trailhead - in new hampshire the "parking lot attendents" in thier forest service pickup trucks will chase you and tell you that it is considered "camping" - the real police officers won't bother you but the seasonal forest service guys will.

 

[RoySwkr]

The list was designed to be done as day hikes...

Huh? The list was peaks over 4K, and while they are probably easier to get as day hikes than the Adk 46 I don't think there was any "design" to it.

Only the Bonds are in excess of 20 miles.

They can be done in 2 day hikes of 18 miles or so, Mohamed's site has/had a good explanation of this.

 

[Mike P.]

All can be done, agree Bonds are hardest

Longest, Bond it's about 10 miles from either direction, less elevation gain from Zealand. Have to go without .1 of Zealand Mt. 9another 10 feet of gain, maybe) over Guyot (a non-conforming 4k with great views) to get there & past the spur for West Bond. From the other direction, more gain although more gradual & you come over Bondcliff which has some of the best views & feeling (when alone) of being remote.

Must be a real bummer for Trailwrights folks since you'd have to make the trip (almost all of it) 3 times.

Owls' Head 18 miles but much is flat

For two times so far for all the Bonds that I've done, first was staying at Galehead Hut - great weather.

2nd was car spotting at Lincoln Woods & Zealand. We had two groups hike towards one another & we swapped keys in the middle. I recall this being one of Dave M.'s favorite hikes, right Sherpa? (it rained)

other Bondcliff trip was the first attempt at the key swap trip, weather stopped us at Bondcliff, a couple who started real early for Zealand made it over while others stopped short of Bond coming from Galehead.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Kevin, you are quite correct IMHO. The approaches are longer and the trails are in general much rougher than the Whites. As we were heading back to the car this weekend after climbing Allen, Rick and I were discussing this.

Simply put, there is nothing in the Whites (the official 4K list) that is as difficult as Allen. And that can probably be said for a good number of the ADK 46.

Well, Allen has only 1 kind of difficulty, a long death march. The elevation gain is quite average.

There are quite a few peaks that are much higher, and some are almost as far to get to, in the ADKs, NH and Maine.

 

[dr_wu002]

All can be done, agree Bonds are hardest

Must be a real bummer for Trailwrights folks since you'd have to make the trip (almost all of it) 3 times.

Bummer!? Why in the world would you do the Trailwrights list if you didn't enjoy going? Visiting the Bonds three times would be a joy as far as I'm concerned!

When hikiing becomes a chore I suggest not doing it!

-Dr. Wu

 

[SteveHiker]

Bummer!? Why in the world would you do the Trailwrights list if you didn't enjoy going? Visiting the Bonds three times would be a joy as far as I'm concerned!

When hikiing becomes a chore I suggest not doing it!

-Dr. Wu

I agree with Dr Wu.

Where is the downside to going to the Bonds more than once?

Bondcliff is arguably the coolest spot in the Whites. Why else would it be on the cover of the WMG?

 

[elvios lincoln]

slow down

I have to suggest that you take the time to camp. At least The Bonds, the Carters, Isolation, Garfield-Galehead, and Owls head should be considered for overnights. Don't miss the forest through the trees. There are very young kids and very overweight old timers who have completed the 4K's. It is really not a physically heroic challenge. Peak-bagging is great exercise but it can be so much more. Walking for days in the world behind the trailheads is a unique experience. The people you'll meet at the huts, campsites, or whererever you stay, are a real bonus. The night skies, mountain winds, and morning calms are precious.

have fun,

el

 

[Davehiker]

Anyone seriously interested in the NH 4000 footers should check out these two references, which contain valuable information and discussions of routes and many other aspects of bagging the 48:

Peakbagging in the Northeast is a neat website with lots of information about several lists.

The 4000-Footers of the White Mountains, by Steven D. Smith and Mike Dickerman is a comprehensive guide to the 48, packed with specific, useful, and entertaining information. It's available at the Mountain Wanderer in Lincoln, as well as other bookstores. Their site has a sample chapter you can read, as well. It's at the very bottom of the Peaks & Paths page, which has lots of other interesting stuff, as well.

 

[Raymond]

Dr. Wu wins one alligator egg.

You can make each hike as lengthy or difficult as you want, but I don't think I ever spent more than 12 hours peakbagging in the Whites. The Bonds from Lincoln Woods was the longest in mileage, maybe the most elevation gain was Garfield-Galehead-South Twin (5000+, I'm pretty sure), or possibly Middle Carter-South Carter-(Hight)-Carter Dome. I don't know for sure.

Isolation only took about six hours, I think. Much easier 14 miles than Marshall or Seymour, for example.

 

[Eric Savage]

Not before the Kanc

The list was designed to be done as day hikes...

As Roy pointed out, how long it took to get to them had nothing to do with it. In fact, the list was put together before the Kanc was built so they weren't all day hikes back then (or at least not for most people). Lack of trail wasn't the only reason no one ever climbed the Hancocks!
In fact, the original approach to Owl's Head was to bushwhack down from the Franconia Ridge and back up.

 

[askus3]

downhill to Isolation

I stayed at Lakes Hut and from there Isolation is predominantly a downhill walk. So it could be depending on where you start one of the easier peaks to summit.

 

[sapblatt]

As Roy pointed out, how long it took to get to them had nothing to do with it. In fact, the list was put together before the Kanc was built so they weren't all day hikes back then (or at least not for most people). Lack of trail wasn't the only reason no one ever climbed the Hancocks!
In fact, the original approach to Owl's Head was to bushwhack down from the Franconia Ridge and back up.

I did not mean to infer that the list was designed as dayhikes, only that they can all be done as dayhikes.