Good trails for sleds in the Whites

[Pulker Pete]

Can anyone suggest some good hikes in the White Mts for pulling a sled other than the Wilderness Trail or the trail to Carrigain ? Somewhat on the flat side


thx much

 

[dug]

Depends on what your overall goal is. There are a few areas that are ringed by logging roads, which are perfect if you want to set a basecamp up and then do day hikes. The Wild River area I have gone in from Jackson, set up camp, and did the peaks via day trips. We didn't use our sled that time, but easily could.

You could tow a sled partway up the Garfield Trail, I imagine. I have towed one into the Hancocks, but not to where the climb to the peaks start. Three Ponds in Plymouth we've used the sled. Zealand, Galehead, Pine Bend.

Again, if your goal is to haul it to a peak, that will be tougher. But, if you are looking to go in several miles and set up a camp for a few days -and not knowing exactly what you are looking for- I'd suggest going in the Zealand area and exploring from there.

 

[sardog1]

This is the sort of question that the White Mountains Map Book excels at, in my opinion. The map allows you to see "the big picture" and provides sufficient detail for both planning at home and routefinding in the field. Just keep in mind that the contour lines are numbered in meters, although spot elevations appear in feet for some summits. There are also suggested winter routes in the accompanying book.

You might also look at Snowshoe Hikes in the White Mountains by Stephen D. Smith. This one might be out of print but there are used copies and some bookstores might still have new copies.

Finally, search the "Trip Reports" here on VFTT for "pulk" and "pulks" -- you're bound to find some useful info. And I'd use Google to find older threads on this, including those that are still "out there" after the Big Server Crash of a few years back.

No, I'm not going to get any more specific than this.

 

[MichaelJ]

If all you want to do is practice with a sled, going in for scenery then coming back out, the Sawyer River Trail is a really nice place to pull a sled. You have to share with snowmobiles, but that also means it's well-packed.

There's also the AMC Winter Trails map, which is useful to see some of the routes that exist only in winter.

 

[Dave Bear]

I've used the pulk a bunch of times to set up a "base camp" for going after summits in winter or winter conditions. Not that they can't be day hiked but because it is an enlightening experience. Here's a few:

Bondcliff trail about two miles below the summit
Hancocks at the base of Arrow slide
Sabbaday between 4th n 5th crossing to access Tripyramids
Lonesome Lake hut by way of Basin-Cascade
Carter hut by 19 Mile brook
Numerous other short hikes to legitimate and otherwise destinations

Other possibilities:

Owl's Head part way in - say before or just into Black Pond BW
Isolation up past Engine Hill
Carrigain before the ridge climb
Garfield well up Garfield Trail
Passaconaway if you choose Oliverian Brook for an out and back
Many more flat hikes or out of state ideas

Best to share the load between the pack and pulk. Don't overload the pulk because you have all that "extra" space. Use polpropylene cord because nylon stretches too much. I made a harness and belt using suspenders to keep it up off my thighs. Also used small sched 80 pvc to keep the pulk from running me down and cross or run the poles straight in different conditions. Crossed tends to help steer around obstacles if you don't lash the cross over. Happy trails!

 

[Pulker Pete]

Pulker Treks ....

Geez .. thanks guys. All this material is just what I was looking for. I'll check those publications. I was thinking ... pull the sled in and set up base camp then do day trips to the summit. All these trails mentioned is what I was looking for.




Appreciate all the comments. What a great site this is VFFT ...

 

[DougPaul]

Rocky Branch Tr from the south is another good one.

In general, check the maps--quite a few of the trails in the Whites follow old logging RR beds. The Pemi area is loaded with them.

Doug