Beginning winter hiking - which trails to start out on?

I'm hoping all the winter-experienced folks will chime in on this one...

Anyone have advice on which trails are best for beginner winter hikers in terms of being easy to follow? I am assuming most popular ones generally will have a well defined track by the time I get to them. I don't *intend* to be out in poor or iffy weather, but of course, the Whites are the Whites. Just want to maximize my chances of being in a well-marked place.

Strenuous/difficult terrain is definitely okay, and awesome views are of course preferred! I'll have a buddy with me and we've both had some mountaineering experience elsewhere, him more than me. Not looking to do anything too extreme at this point - not until I am better acquainted with my gear - but possibly getting up above tree line would rock...

And/or...help me decide where to go first!

Here are some trails I have always found to be easy to follow:

Nineteen Mile Brook to Carter Notch
Crawford Path to Pierce
Kinsman Ridge Trail to Cannon
Glencliff Trail to Moosilauke
Liberty Springs Trail to Liberty
Mount Garfield Trail to Garfield
Valley Way to Madison Springs Hut

Tim

To those that Tim has mentioned I would add the Mt. Kinsman Trail up to at least North Kinsman. South Kinsman if broken out is an easy addition to that.

Of the entire list I would put Mt. Pierce via the Crawford Path as the best first hike. It's easy, almost always well tracked out and easy to follow and there are spectacular views. The snow laden trees near the treeline remind one of walking through Narnia.

I would suggest a hike up the Tuckerman Ravine trail to HoJos.

Avalon Trail to A-Z Trail to Mt Tom is a great beginner snowshoe hike to a 4K summit.

Lonesome Lake Trail to Lonesome Lake Hut is a great beginner snowshoe hike just up into the woods and with the shelter of the hut as a destination. Really good for initially learning about heat management, layering, and just generally dealing with snowshoes and winter conditions.

Given what you've requested for level of difficulty, these suggestions are probably "too easy" compared to BikeHike's which are pretty on target, but I'm throwing them out there for other interested readers.

add to this the Champney falls trail to, eventually, Mt.Chocoroua

or Mt Moosilauke trails from Dartmouth Ravine Lodge (sic)

in Maine the Pleasant Mountain trails are easy to follow or a hike to Tablerock from Grafton Notch

Ed'n Lauky said:

Of the entire list I would put Mt. Pierce via the Crawford Path as the best first hike. It's easy, almost always well tracked out and easy to follow and there are spectacular views. The snow laden trees near the treeline remind one of walking through Narnia.

Click to expand...

+1. This is my usual response to your question. You can go to Pierce on a day when conditions make more exposed routes a challenge for those new to serious cold and wind. When you get to the top, you can come out of the trees, test your clothing, enjoy a good view, and pop right back down into the trees if needed. And you have the option of continuing farther if conditions warrant it.

Kearsage North trail in North Conway is always broken out, it has a little bit of ice in a few spots just to get a taste of it and an enclosed tower on the top to warm up in on a sunny day. It is not a 4 K but it has an equivalent amount of elevation gain and 360 views. Plus Moat Mountain Brewery is right down the road. If I had to recommend a first winter hike that would be high on my list.

Mt Waumbek and Starr King is always broken out and with the renewed viewpoints a worthy destination. Just be aware that the summer parking lot may be inacessable but there is a winter lot that is normally plowed right across the street.

South Moat is always broken out and on sunny day tends to be warm and protected from the west or northwest winds until the last stretch before the summit. Lots of nice views and some ice to play on if you want to. The trail goes through open woods so if you want to use your snowshoes there are plenty of spots where you can go on untracked snow without losing the trail.

Mt Jackson is another good mountain with a variety of terrain. There is one spot that does drift in windy conditions near the top bt the rest is easy to follow. Plus the Gray Jays are always a good diversion.

Mt field via Avalon is a nice hike but can be icy and the trailhead is one of the coldest spots in NH.

bikehikeskifish said:

Here are some trails I have always found to be easy to follow:
Kinsman Ridge Trail to Cannon

Click to expand...

Since the glade skiing became popular this trail has been harder to find and less pleasant

How about Tecumseh from the ski area? Plenty of plowed parking although you may need to take a shuttle to the trailhead

RoySwkr said:

Since the glade skiing became popular this trail has been harder to find and less pleasant

Click to expand...

It does cross the glade a few times, but the trail corridor is wide open and in the worse possible case, you can always follow the glade (as the trail mostly does) until they part near the top. I was just there two weekends ago and the corridor is very obvious.

Tim

A beginner should look for more than the trail being easy to follow.

It is also important that the trail be protected from the wind. Many peaks and the trails leading to them are in the trees the whole way. eg Kearsarge North, Starr King and Waumbek, Hale. Peaks like Pierce, Garfield, Liberty, or Flume are also a good choices because you are in the trees almost all the way to the top and if conditions permit, you can pop out on the summit, get a view, and get back with minimal risk. I would recommend against peaks like Moosilauke and Lafayette because their summits are a good way from tree cover (and Moosilauke in particular is notoriously windy).

Speaking of wind--note that wind at your back going up becomes wind in your face on the way down. Make sure you can get down before you go up.

Forget the lists--gaining experience is much more important at this point. Also consider small peaks that you might not consider in summer.

Many of the more popular trails will be broken out soon after each snowfall, but remember that breaking trail is an important skill, so do some unbroken trails. Travel will be slower and harder.

Initially, do out-and-backs. This will minimize the chance of having easy travel out and slow difficult (eg heavy breaking) or blocked (eg an uncrossable stream) travel on the way back and will also make navigation back easier.

Think twice about following someone else's tracks--the guy who made them may be lost or going to a different place so keep your "navigational eyes" on the whole way.

Winter navigation is also an important skill. So while it is a good idea to stick to easy-to-follow trails at the start you will need to learn it if you wish to progress to harder trips safely.

Doug

RoySwkr said:

Since the glade skiing became popular this trail has been harder to find and less pleasant

How about Tecumseh from the ski area? Plenty of plowed parking although you may need to take a shuttle to the trailhead

Click to expand...

Plan to arrive before the lifts open, and you can usually get real close. The trailhead is on the far right of the parking area. But unless there is a LOT of snow, not so much for views except of the ski slopes.

Add my vote for Pierce via Crawford Path. Nice trail, the lot is usually well-plowed (but not always if you are too soon after an overnight storm), and the views are first-rate.

Mt crawford only 3k but a gem.

I'll add my favorite non-4K white mtn peak for the most view for the least amount of effort:
Mt Crawford off the Davis Path. 5 miles roundtrip from the highway.

It is exposed but only for the last 1/4 mile or so to the summit. Wish I had hiked this one first instead of Liberty [which is also a great first 4K hike, but alot more uphill effort].

Enjoy the trails!

LivesToHike

sierra said:

Mt crawford only 3k but a gem.

Click to expand...

Sorry for the duplicate - we were obviously thinking of the same peak at the about same time!

Doug, what winter specific navigational tools should I be ready to work with on a popular, non-bushwhack trail, in good weather? And can I come hike with you?

(At this point, if the forecast is iffy I'll just choose another day. And if it becomes iffy on the trail, I plan to stay strategically placed so that I should be able to get down with little difficulty.)

Size of peak isn't an issue - big, small, whatever. I like the less popular + better views, especially en route, combination! I've lived & been active in Maine for almost 30 years and am an avid ultrarunner, for what that's worth.

Haven't been on 19 Mile Brook Trail but would love to return to Carter Notch... Ski resort area stuff is less appealing.... Pierce sounds like a good fit, too, and I like the thought of continuing on above tree line a while if conditions are newbie-suitable...!

Many thanks everyone for the excellent ideas and insight, please keep them coming.

These are fun, still kind of a beginner myself.

The cool thing about Pierce, in addition to the constellation of factors, is that the access to the exposed peak is literally like walking through a door. The weekend we did it, we camped at Nauman Tentsite (near the closed hut) in about three feet of snow, and it snowed the whole time. When we got to the top, we stopped to gear up, discovering that we were on the doorstep to the wind. We finished, took ten more steps, and WHAM there was the wind & snow. Like a light-switch. We went into it to tag the peak, but were forced to admit that further progress along the ridge (to Ike and friends) was impossibly fool-hardy.

We've also enjoyed...
==Zealand/Zeacliff/the hut/Hale: beautiful, Carrigan Notch seems remote, go at off-peak times for fewer numbers, excellent skiing;
==Willey/Field/Tom from a camp at Ethan Pond: Bring flotation, traction & poles (icy/snowy ladders on Willey), great skiing to magical Thoreau Falls;
==Tremont: progressive, not technical, steep, but with switchbacks, turn back any time or push on to the summit;
==Another vote for the Champney Trail to Chocorua, also for skiing (love to ski!); the summit may intimidate a little;
==Tecumseh, not that awesome;
==The Fishin' Jimmy Trail to the Kinsmans: Big social occasion, very popular, visit the hut, high camping options with Kinsman Pond;
==Ski the approach to the Hancocks, hike up if you have the traction and stamina (steep!); same across the street for the Osceolas; and of course
==the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to HoJo's is the tested classic. Stay overnight in the lean-tos and pick an option for more based on your ability and interest.

Good luck!

I like where Doug & Maddy were going with their answers. The lists are not important, getting used to different conditions & how things look is important. On a clear day, it's route finding can be almost like summer, when the wind, ice & visibility all conspire against you, even familiar summits look different.

So do some peaks you know well, once either without open summits of very small open summits.

On the list of generally accepted peaks, I do have a couple of disagreements.

Pierce, depends on the amount of snow & wind. Comes out of the trees maybe 100 or so yards from the junction with Webster Cliff. If the snow & wind are against you, it will fill in the track. Been up 3x in the winter, & twice more after 11/15. On two of the winter trips, I lost the trail near treeline & just bushwhacked until I hit the Webster Cliff trail.

Just below the summit of Jackson in light snow years, the rocks can be kind of tricky.

One of my last winter trips in NH was N. Twin a couple of years ago. On a blustery day, figured this one was protected. What I forgot to factor in was the depth of the snow. Those 7-10 foot trees were only about waist high when standing on 6-8 feet of snow & they really provided no shelter at all.

My experience on Valley Way in the winter is that near treeline, the trail veers right to stay out of the drainage from the col where the hut is located. Some years. the beaten path goes straight into the drainage.

I do like Tecumseh & Liberty by Liberty Springs. While this approach isn't real exciting, is straight forward. Field & Tom are also pretty straight forward, although the wind can fill in the Willey Range trail between the two & getting to Willey can be tough as the snow fills it in & the trail meanders back & forth along the ridge crest. Kinsmans are pretty straight forward.

You've been around VFTT for a bit so I'm thinking you're in pretty good hiking shape (I'm getting back into shape & making my own list based on distance & elevation)

Hale involves a walk up the gated Zealand road to the Hale Brook trail but it's easy to follow. Some years, you have a bit of a side hill traverse in one spot but it's not too bad. (a warm up to the side traverse up Wildcat A)Garfield is not hard but the road walk tacks on a couple of extra miles. Galehead requires a road walk or knowing the Beaver Brook X-C ski option.

Willard should be a highway as it's a winter favorite for Highland Center guests. Just getting to Greenleaf is a good winter hike.

Here are some other choices outside of the whites also.

Greylock from Cheshire Harbor
Bear (CT)
Everett from the back of the Berkshire School. Can do from Race Brook also but a couple of spots do get icy
Slide in the Catskills
Blackhead & Black Dome in the Catskills
Wachusett just walking up Administration road from the South. the road higher up does have some nice views & exposure


Being familiar with your gear is key also & having spare gloves, insulated water bottle holders (old socks work well too) Remember trying to get my old crampons on while out in the open on Mondanock, Also tried changing from snowshoes to crampons & back near Madison hut on a windy -10 day. Practice doing regular tasks with fleece gloves or at the least glove liners. Having to go bare handed for just a minute can be nasty.
Just my .02, well may .50

The Unstrung Harp said:

Doug, what winter specific navigational tools should I be ready to work with on a popular, non-bushwhack trail, in good weather?

Click to expand...

Your brain...
Compass, map, altimeter, and GPS all work the same in winter as in summer. In winter the treadway is not visible so one looks for the trail corridor and trail clearing marks such as machine cut branches. Blazes are great if you can see them, but they may be white and indistinguishable from snow, covered by snow, or under the snow. Also you may be walking several (or more) feet up in the air so you may be up in the tree canopy and any visible trail marks may be at your feet. You may have to duck walk to keep your head out of the tree branches. (I've had to duck walk on snowshoes with a ~50lb pack...) A good sense of where the trail goes (or should go) can also be helpful. Or if you can't see where the trail goes, for instance due to open woods, check the other side of the open area to see where it exits or the terrain may dictate where the exit should be.

And can I come hike with you?

Click to expand...

That might be doable... However, my leg has been giving me some trouble and my range and speed aren't too good these days. Of late, I've mostly been XC/BC skiing when there is enough snow.

(At this point, if the forecast is iffy I'll just choose another day. And if it becomes iffy on the trail, I plan to stay strategically placed so that I should be able to get down with little difficulty.)

Click to expand...

Certainly sticking to good weather is a good idea at the start. But just like navigation, you should experience and learn how to deal with less than ideal weather at some point. And of course, the weather can turn on you unexpectedly when you are out in the field. Once when I was leading a winter school trip, I chose a more exposed objective rather than a more protected objective because the students would learn more even though we were more likely to have to turn back before reaching the chosen objective.

Many of these skills are best learned under competent leadership--you learn faster with lower risk. If one is available a good winter school (eg AMC) or a trip or two with a professional guide can teach you a lot. (I was lucky enough that my college outing club taught a very good winter school. With weekend labs, of course...)

While we are on the general topic of skills, some wilderness first aid training can be useful too. (Most Red Cross-type first aid classes assume that an ambulance is only 15 minutes away. In the wilderness help can be hours to days away and a number of issues (eg shock) can be much more severe in the cold.)

Doug