Whites guidebook

What's the best guidebook for someone who wants to start hiking in NH? I'll probably stick largely to the 4,000-footers.

IMO it has to be the AMC's White Mountain Guide, referred to even in Backpacker as the White's Bible

Up front I'll admit to being biased because I was on the guidebook committee for several years, but I really think that the AMC White Mountain Guide is the best overall source of info for trails in the Whites, for the 4k's and other NE mountains as well.

For general hiking in the Whites there is no doubt that the AMC guidebook is by a huge margin the best.

On the other hand, for the specific purpose of bagging 4,000 footers I would recommend The 4000-Footers of the White Mountains, by Steven D. Smith and Mike Dickerman. It gives more detailed escriptions of the trails, and is especially useful for hikes which involve several different trails, as it describes the whole hike in one place, rather than divide it in pieces coresponding to the different trails used.

Unlike the AMC guide it has no maps, so you would have to buy them separately.

Both books and the maps are available from The Mountain Wanderer whose owner, Steve Smith, is co-author of both books (and a wonderful resource on everything related to our mountains). I buy all my hiking-related books and maps from him, rather than save a couple of bucks on amazon.com.

Mohamed Ellozy said:

For general hiking in the Whites there is no doubt that the AMC guidebook is by a huge margin the best.

On the other hand, for the specific purpose of bagging 4,000 footers I would recommend The 4000-Footers of the White Mountains, by Steven D. Smith and Mike Dickerman. It gives more detailed escriptions of the trails, and is especially useful for hikes which involve several different trails, as it describes the whole hike in one place, rather than divide it in pieces coresponding to the different trails used.

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IMO, both are worth having (I have both). I'd get the AMC guide first, 4000-footers second.

Doug

I second Mohammed and Doug's recommendation. The WMG is arguably the best guidebook of its kind in the country, perhaps not surprisingly as it has been under active revision for over a hundred years.

Not to change the subject, but can anyone recommend a good map for the Whites? I have the AMC guide and the maps that came with it seem to be lacking in detail.

The National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps are nice ones. They cover most of the White Mountains on two sheets, with one map on each side. Mohamed's Peakbagging in the Northeast site has a Guide to Resources page which has more information on guidebooks, and his Trail Maps of New Hampshire page has good information on LOTS of maps. Good reading!

I have found The 4000-Footers of the White Mountains, by Steven D. Smith and Mike Dickerman, and The (waterproof) White Mountain Trail Map by Map Adventures, to be a great combination.
One of the great things about this map is the length of the trails are right on the map.

Map Adventures

I use this map exclusively now, even though it sits a little fat in your pocket as you go. It's the best and really tells what you need to know. The little stars for views have helped me place myself specifically on the map (as I have no altimeter yet).

I agree with mohamed, both are great books.

I'll also throw in my support for the Map Adventures map. In my semi-humble opinion it has the cleanest colors and graphics to do a quick map recon of anyplace in most of the Whites. It's drawbacks ( I don't have the map in front of me so I'm working from an iffy memory) are that it doesn't cover some areas ( Cabot and the Pilot range come to mind ) because they were included in the book that accompanied the map. Also I think that the elevations are metric which ,accompanied with said iffy memory, can be a pain in the ass. That said, it's my favorite "overview" map. For trail data, the AMC maps win. The National Geographic maps use so many colors that,for me, it overwhelms the topography. On a finer scale I dig USGS but of course nothing beats any map surveyed by Brad Washburn.

For some odd reason my wife calls me Mapboy,
Swampyankee

Other guide books

Among hiking enthusiats, such as most of us on this board, the AMC White Mountain Guide is undoubtedly the best guide for most of us. It certainly is the most details and thorough.

However, this guidebook can be overwhelming for many. Depending on the individual and what type of hiking they are looking for, I might recommend 50 hikes in the White Mountains, or AMC's new best day hike book. For someone just concentrating on the 4000's, I might recommend the applicable 4000 foot guide book.

Ditto on both Mohamed and Doug Paul's advice. 2 Excellent rescources for Wh Mtn hiking!!!

dms said:

Up front I'll admit to being biased because I was on the guidebook committee for several years, but I really think that the AMC White Mountain Guide is the best overall source of info for trails in the Whites, for the 4k's and other NE mountains as well.

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I am not biased in any committee, material, or emotional sense. IMHO AMC White Mountain Guide is the best.

swamp said:

On a finer scale I dig USGS but of course nothing beats any map surveyed by Brad Washburn.

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does anyone sell a Tyvek copy of Washburn's Presidential Range map? (I have a paper copy already)

Thanks for all the feedback. Very helpful. I wouldn't mind seeing a little more discussion on the maps. I take it those that come with the books are less than ideal.

Explorer Editor said:

I take it those that come with the books are less than ideal.

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For on-trail hiking use, they are completely adequate. Some people like milage markers on the maps and the AMC maps don't have that. But otherwise, they are IMO the best general purpose hiking maps for the Whites. They are not suitable for bushwacking, but otherwise they are quite excellent.

-dave-

4000'er said:

The (waterproof) White Mountain Trail Map by Map Adventures. Pne of the great things about this map is the length of the trails are right on the map.

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The other thing I like about this map is that it covers a wide area. My copy lives in my pack where I can haul it out when I get to a summit to help me identify the other peaks that I can see. And of course it's always there for unforseen emergencies.

One note on the White Mountain Map by Map Adventures, the contours are in metric but the summit elevations are listed in feet.