Good autumn hikes in the Whites?

[jessbee]

Summer's almost over and this is finally the year that I will actually keep hiking through all the seasons. I'm looking forward to beautiful fall (and winter!) hikes and thought you folks could probably offer up some great suggestions.

So, what are the best autumn hikes in the Whites (preferably including some 4000 footers)?

 

[SherpaKroto]

My favorite - so far anyway, has been the Baldpates in Grafton Notch in Maine. I know it's a bit farther than the rest, but the views and foliage are incredible. I'll likely also take in Puzzle Mountain this fall as the views from there are also great. It's no t a 4K, but is on the 100 highest

A few others are the Sugarloaves in Twin Mountain, Cherry Mountain, Welch Dickey. I do find that if you are going for foliage, as you get higher, the effect does not necessarily improve (rather, it lessens, IMHO)

Haven't done Carrigain in fall, but that would have to be a great foliage hike!

 

[sapblatt]

Autumn

Jessbee -
It is hard to think of any bad ones! I agree with SK that the higher/tougher it is does not make it better, but it may thin out the crowds a bit. A real nice one I did last year was Mount Jefferson. I realize this is a high peak, but the views are phenomenal from the potholes all the way up via Caps Ridge. No need to be on the summit to get the great foliage effect back into the valley.

 

[--M.]

Wild River!

Did Moriah Brook to Imp Shelter last Labor Day and it was spectacular. Went back for the Basin Rim in late November and it ROCKED, with snow and solitude.

Had to watch for hunters on that one.

Congrats on having this capability! I still have difficulty getting permission slips for multi-day-ers.

--M.

 

[Lovetohike]

Most good spring/summer hikes are good fall hikes, just don't have to worry about getting dehydrated as much (still can be an issue), or spring stream crossings. What you do have to worry about is the weather, certainly much more changeable and potentially dangerous, particulaly if you aren't prepared or keep pushing ahead when you should turn back. Some of the steeper ravine headwall trails can be a little dicey when wet, you should have an alternate route down if that is the case.

All that being said, I love the Ammo, Six Husbands, King Ravine or Air Line, Boot Spur, or Howker Ridge in the fall. The sweeping views of the Great Gulf, Jefferson Ravine, Tuckermans or King Ravine, with foliage coming on strong, are quite inspiring. But once the woods really light up, many trails even if not to the high peak take on a magical luminescent qualitiy if the light is right. Definitely a good time to be out there.

 

[MichaelJ]

If you're going for foliage, you can go up several weekends in a row and "follow" peak foliage from the northern woods down to the Sandwich Range. It seems like that whole stretch of peaks along the Kanc and Waterville Valley area all get spectacular color (in particular, I remember a beautiful patchwork of reds and yellows around Welch-Dickey). The Zealand Valley is extraordinarily beautiful in the fall.

Be prepared for ice if you go high in the latter part of the season. In my experience, although I love my instep crampons in the spring, in the fall they're much less useful because what you're likely to get is a very thin dusting of snow on the bare rock, and it's going to be slippery as hell and there's nothing for a crampon point to catch. Just be very careful.

Look at what you're going into for forest. Maples will have reds and yellows. Birch forest will be yellow. Evergreens will be, well, green.

Finally, if you're looking to overnight, this is the time that there are no bugs whatsoever and you can sleep in open shelters or just under the stars. Enjoy!

 

[Bob Kittredge]

I like King Ravine in the fall. Also the Glen Boulder/Boott Spur loop.

As for fall foliage, you're actually better off staying at lower elevations. Last October, I did Tremont, Chocorua and Jennings Peak, all around 3500' and the colors were great. The hardwoods seem to top out around there.

 

[forestgnome]

Good points by Micheal J and Bob; start further north and follow it down, and smaller mountains offer the best views, IMO.

Up in the Kilkennies, Unknown Pond and The Horn is a beautiful autumn hike.

Middle Sugarloaf or Zeacliff would be nice, as long as the now-closed Zealand Road opens in time(I've forgotten the anticipated date).

Speckled Mt and Carribou Mt, in Evan's Notch are favorites, as well as Baldface Circle.

Mt Chocorua and Mt Potash are also excellent in autumn.

I'm looking forward to the Bonds this autumn. I've only been there in summer. From there, you overlook miles of mixed forest in all directions.

Also looking forward to hiking Mt Isreal and Jennings Peak. Then I'll be hiking the Rattlesnakes, which overlook Sqam Lake.

Happy Trails!

 

[MichaelJ]

Middle Sugarloaf or Zeacliff would be nice, as long as the now-closed Zealand Road opens in time(I've forgotten the anticipated date).

It won't (December), but you can take the new trail that was cut from the highway crossing of the river to get to Sugarloaf.

Got a bike? Here's a suggestion (and one I intend to do, maybe even this year): spot the bike in Crawford Notch somewhere. Drive down to the Ethan Pond trailhead. Take the Ethan Pond trail all the way up past Ethan Pond (visit!), past Thoreau Falls (visit!), through Zealand Notch, past the hut (get water and take in the view from atop Zealand Falls), then take the A-Z trail up and over and back down to your bike, and ride back to the car (make sure your brakes are in good shape).

If you find yourself ahead of time coming over A-Z, swing up to Tom for great views from the two viewpoints. Or go up to Field, then down the Avalon Trail, and stop off at Mt. Avalon for fantastic Crawford Notch views.

 

[Periwinkle]

For 4's (N to S): The Glen Boulder/Davis Path route to Isolation can have great fall views, but it's a butt-kicker of a day hike as an in/out route. I loved Liberty and Flume in autumn. Very memorable with a swash of color in the valleys. And Whiteface has a sweeping southerly view from the overlook for one last look at the leaves. There are also views into The Bowl, which was never logged, so you're not just stuck with birch foliage timing.