Perkins Notch / Spruce Brook Shelter Questions

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miehoff

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I will be spending 4 days and 3 nights backpacking just east of the Carters in the Whites this weekend. I know the area fairly well, at least some of the trails that start from RT 16 and 113.

I am interested in hiking the trails in this area that I have not done yet. Mostly these will be located between RT 16 and 113. The trails (in no real order) are: Black Angel Tr, Eagle Link, Rainbow Tr, Bog Brook Tr, Wildcat Ridge Tr (from the east) and some sections of the Wild River Tr. Any info on these trails, difficulty, beauty, etc would be appreciated. I do have the AMC guide and I am extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the majority of the Whites, so you can assume that much when responding.

So...not to be too confusing, or to continue the confusion, but...I wanted to hike into either Perkins Notch Shelter or to Spruce Brook Campsite and stay there. I will do dayhikes from basecamp. I cannot decide which one to stay at, so I need some help. Do these sites have platforms, shelters, campsites (dirt)? I prefer platforms. Are they close together? The AMC guide does not specify much. Which of the two is more secluded and/or less crowded? Which site or area has more potential for backcountry camping (i.e. bushwacking to a secluded site)? Which would you stay at and why?

My main goal on this hike is to be alone as much as possible (NO partiers, radios, etc). I also want to be challenged and to take in as much beauty as the area has to offer.

Thanks so much! Sorry I don't post here as much as I used to. I miss talking to you guys, but I am now a carpenter and I am no longer sitting in front of a screen all day. Maybe I will stop by the Gathering this year.
 
I've been to both, and I've even got pictures from Perkins.

Let's see ...

Perkins Notch has an older but decent-condition-as-of-two-summers-ago lean-to shelter, as well as a large area open beneath the trees for setting up tents (bare ground). Just follow the little path and you'll hit the first area by the privy, then a second area further back. There's a ton of room there. Water is readily available from the Wild River headwaters at No-Ketchum Pond by following one of the tiny footpaths north, off the Wild River trail just east of the shelter. The privy was in sorry shape when I was there; there are plenty of woods to go off into.

The views from by the pond over to the Dome are wide open and incredible. The area gets a good breeze, being a notch, but if the wind isn't there, the bugs take over with a vengeance, it being a wet area. You are just a short level walk from the Rainbow Trail and a straight shot up to the summit of Carter Dome. It's a very wild and beautiful place to stay.

Spruce Brook Shelter is only a few miles up the very flat Wild River Trail from Wild River Campground, and is an *excellent* place to stay. The lean-to shelter is fairly new and in excellent condition. There's a nice, protected gear shelf on the backside. It's situated right at the confluence of Spruce Brook into the Wild River and you'll hear the water all night. There are two tent platforms up on the hill and a fine privy. You could set up a tent on the bare ground behind the shelter if you needed to. Two caveats are that if it rains really hard, you could be trapped there; the Wild River is dangerous at high water, and the feeder brooks (Moriah, Cypress, Spruce) can also rise quite high. If Spider Bridge hasn't been repaired yet, you'd be stuck. But if the weather's nice, you can either ford or cross at the Moriah Brook Trail bridge and take the Highwater Trail across Cypress Brook to meet up with the Wild River Trail. Regardless of water, the Black Angel Trail up to Mt. Hight is there, and if you can get across at Spider Bridge, you can head towards Eagle Cliff.

Both locations have pros and cons. My impression would be that Spruce Brook, being only 3-ish miles from Wild River Campground, does not get many sleepovers; however, when I was there on a pouring, stormy summer night, nobody was in the shelter, I was in my hammock, and 4 people (two tents) were on the platforms. Perkins is a much more wilderness place to stay, but your luck could swing from the ranger opinion that "nobody goes there", to my luck of two school groups of pre-teens.

Specifically, the platforms at Spruce Brook probably get you "away" more than the other options. They're up on the hill and nobody would walk up there unless they were staying there. Perkins doesn't really have options for "bushwhack" camping. But Spruce Brook will have day hikers walking by down below on the trail from Wild River Campground; Perkins will really only have backpackers. It's a really tough call, and I could easily over-analyze it.

It's easy to get from one to the other, though!
 
Nice Info!

Thanks a ton for that post. I can understand that it can be tough to choose sometimes. I might opt to bounce around a bit if needed. I do like the wilderness idea of Perkins, but I do like platforms, especially tucked aways ones. Did you do the Black Angel Tr? My hiking brethren really would love to tackle that one while we are there, and it seems daunting on the map. No big deal. I kinda like a hellish hike, but it would be nice to be prepared.

Thanks again. Great info and nice photos.
 
I haven't done Black Angel but I know there are people here who have. Eagle Crag is rumored to be a must-see (though I haven't seen it). Also, the Moriah Brook Trail up through Moriah Gorge is supposed to be spectacular.

It's a gorgeous area; it's hard to go wrong in the Wild River Valley. And if it's not the weekend, it's pretty unlikely you'll bump into many, if any, people.
 
This weekend

I was going to leave on Friday morning and return Monday evening, so I guess I will get some weekenders, but hopefully only a few.

And with my experience this year (which has been a lot), I hope to god those fuggin flies are dead.

Thanks again.
 
I did a three-day loop in that area a few years ago. Starting at Wild River Campground, I followed the wild River trail to Spider bridge, crossed there and continued past the Spruce Brook campsite and camped in a tent in the flat area uphill from the Perkins Notch shelter. If your preference is to do dayhikes from a basecamp and you prefer platforms, then Spruce Brook is the best choice.

I also noticed that along the Wild River upstream from the Spruce Brook campsite, there were hardened tentsites between the trail and river. Also, about 1/2 mile or so before the Perkins Notch shelter, there was a tentsite off the trail to the north.

When I did my hike, I continued to Carter Notch, over Carter Dome etc. to the Imp campsite, and returned via the Moriah Brook trail. I really enjoyed the swimming in many pools on the Moriah Brook trail.
 
miehoff said:
Did you do the Black Angel Tr? My hiking brethren really would love to tackle that one while we are there, and it seems daunting on the map.
I did the Black Angel/Rainbow loop as a day hike last year. The Carter Dome side of Black Angel is just a steady woods walk until nearly at the ridge where there is some boulder scrambling. Rainbow seemed much nicer, with an open knob partway down.

There were 2 guys camped at Perkins Notch shelter who shared it with mice and snakes. I did not find the area attractive as it was boggy - a lot of mud in the trail from there to Spruce Brook. As mentioned, Spruce Brook Shelter is much newer and is near the main river with cascades and swimming holes. The hike in/out is very easy, ATVs did it when that was legal.
 
I was at the Perkins Notch Shelter in early June. We stayed over there Friday and Saturday night. We hiked in on the Bog Brook Trail on Friday Night, did Carter Dome Saturday, and hiked back out via Bog Brook.

We only saw three people the entire weekend. Two were at the summit of Carter Dome and the third stayed over at the shelter Saturday night.

Bog Brook trail was certainly true to its moniker and the area around the shelter was pretty muddy as well. It was fairly buggy, not overwhelming though. My partner brought a pack of 'Mosquito Coils' and those really did the trick. They kept all the little buggies out of the shleter.

Overall a pretty decent shelter and fairly secluded from the major throughways.
 
Oh, I forgot to mention...

When I was at Perkins, two folks that I ended up hiking out with, stayed by themselves in the shelter. When they woke up in the morning, there was a moose browsing just outside the shelter, maybe 10' away.
 
LoL! No, I hadn't. And it's going to be 916 now. I'm too gosh darn prolific. Thanks! :)

It looks to be a warm one this weekend; enjoy the Wild River Valley, miehoff!
 
All Geared Up!

I have my new Osprey all packed and ready to go! Might be some heat, might be some showers, but I really don't give a damn. I am going to have a blast! Thanks again MJ, and others...hope all the beers at Redbones don't make it hard for me tomorrow.
 
miehoff said:
hope all the beers at Redbones don't make it hard for me tomorrow.

Beer *and* beef. Okay, keep in mind that Wild River Campground and Spruce Brook Shelter both have privies. I believe Blue Brook Shelter does as well. :D
 
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