Kinsmans - Preferred Winter Approach??

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SherpaTom

SherpaTom

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A group of us is planning to hike the Kinsmans on Sunday and looking for advice on a preferred winter approach since there should be 6”+ of new powder on Thurs/Fri.

Options:
1/ The traditional route from Lafayette campground (10.0 miles, 3550' in elevation) by hiking Lonesome Lake, Cascade Brook, Jimmy Fishing & Kinsman Ridge Trails.
2/ Basin Cascades, Kinsman Pond, Kinsman Ridge and although it adds an additional mile it loses 100' in elevation and you are able to cut out the difficult steep sections of Jimmy Fishing and perhaps a less strenuous hike.
3/ The third choice is Mt. Kinsman Trail to Kinsman Ridge which is 10 miles but 3913' in elevation. It appears to be a nice snowshoe trail however the trail is hardly used, parking can be an issue and blazes are far and in between as you must follow arrows. One of my buddies said the parking has improved.

I would appreciate all thoughts.

Thanks and Happy New Year
SherpaTom
 
I would drop a car at the Mt. Kinsman trail. Then go up from Lafayette Place, grab a snack at the hut, then head up FJ and grab a snack at Kinsman Pond shelter. Then hit the two summits. Then sled down the Mt Kinsman trail. It would likely be broken out at least to Bald Peak. :)
 
SherpaTom said:
A group of us is planning to hike the Kinsmans on Sunday and looking for advice on a preferred winter approach since there should be 6”+ of new powder on Thurs/Fri.

Options:
1/ The traditional route from Lafayette campground (10.0 miles, 3550' in elevation) by hiking Lonesome Lake, Cascade Brook, Jimmy Fishing & Kinsman Ridge Trails.
Click to expand...
Assuming you have hiked this trail with no snow, you know what you are in for with the rocky PUDS that might be tricky with the snow-covered ice. I was up at Lonesome Lake (didn't go further) and there is not enough snow to completely cover the spaces between the rocks. The new snow may resolve that.

SherpaTom said:
2/ Basin Cascades, Kinsman Pond, Kinsman Ridge and although it adds an additional mile it loses 100' in elevation and you are able to cut out the difficult steep sections of Jimmy Fishing and perhaps a less strenuous hike.
Click to expand...
The basin cascades is more strenuous than the LL trail, especially in the snow breaking trail. I did this only once, beautiful but lots of work. I have only hiked the KP trail once, not my favorite but will be completely different with snow cover. I think the extra work on BC offsets whatever you will find on FJ.

SherpaTom said:
3/ The third choice is Mt. Kinsman Trail to Kinsman Ridge which is 10 miles but 3913' in elevation. It appears to be a nice snowshoe trail however the trail is hardly used, parking can be an issue and blazes are far and in between as you must follow arrows. One of my buddies said the parking has improved.
Click to expand...

This is my favorite winter approach. Have done it a handful of times. The parking is MUCH improved. I have only broken trail once on this trail but it is very well travelled and I never had trouble following the trail. Go for it.

Here is a tr from your option #1 http://www.newenglandtrailconditions.com/nh/viewreport.php?entryid=14993

Have fun. Post pics.
 
My usual route for the Kinsmans now is the Mt. Kinsman Tr. Plenty of parking in the new lot, and I have yet to find it unbroken. It is currently well blazed with blue. There is one turn you might miss on the way down in the dark in the autumn, but you won't go very far without realizing you're off trail. The Mt. Kinsman Trail is a nice snowshoe most of the way, but last weekend (very little snow on the ground) there were several ice bulges in the trail (above Bald Knob) which microspikes handled well on the way up, and crampons made them a nice walk on the way down. The most difficult section will be the cone of North Kinsman. With lots of snow, this is an easy walk.
 
TJsName said:
Then sled down the Mt Kinsman trail.
Click to expand...
I'm curious, what exactley do you mean by "sled"? I may go for the kinsmans on Sunday also. Did North two winters ago from cascades (and yes puds and ice up from LL was bad) but bailed on South, so I had to go back to tag South for my 48 but did her in summer (from Kinsman trail side), so i have to go one more time to tag South in the winter. Id pick option 3.
 
1SlowHiker said:
I'm curious, what exactley do you mean by "sled"? I may go for the kinsmans on Sunday also. Did North two winters ago from cascades (and yes puds and ice up from LL was bad) but bailed on South, so I had to go back to tag South for my 48 but did her in summer (from Kinsman trail side), so i have to go one more time to tag South in the winter. Id pick option 3.
Click to expand...

A swissbob type sled. Weighs a little under 3lbs. I use a 'Merikan missle'. REI had some on clearance. They are great for trails with a consistent moderate grade, such as the Mt. Kinsman trail. Comfy ride since it isn't just a thin sheet of plastic. Super easy to control too. I don't reccommend them for anything steep, since theyvare quite fast.
 
I think parking at Mt Kinsman Trail can be iffy without 4wd

As for Kinsman Pond Trail, you can bushwhack to the col saving some distance and elevation gain, or bushwhack downhill only - this route was easier when you could park at Whitehouse Bridge
 
I've been there in winter both by the Lonesome Lake/Fishin' Jimmy route and the Mt. Kinsman/Kinsman Ridge trail route (twice), and I prefer the Mt. Kinsman route. It may technically come in at more elevation gain but the Mt. Kinsman trail has more of a steady, mellow grade than the route over Fishin' Jimmy. Also, I didn't have any parking problems either time at the Mt. Kinsman trailhead.

Note that if you are using an older version of the WMG Guide, you may be thinking it's still roadside parking. A dirt parking lot was created a few years ago along with a re-route of the first portion of the trail. I think it's about 0.2 miles from the old trailhead.
 
They don't plow the trailhead parking and I think there is a private home past the turn off for the parking, so please don't block the driveway. I would be tempted to park out the highway and walk in the short distance.
 
A large group of us will be doing these tomorrow. Trail will be well broken out. Post later tomorrow on parking.
 
Trail is broken out (some were bare booting, or on microspikes) by 10 pair of snowshoes up and down. Parking lot is plowed and room for 15 cars if people park correctly.
 
Hikers posting their trips on the Mt. Kinsman Trail with conditions encountered are greatly appreciated as it alerts me to potential issues needing attention. This is particularly the case with issues such as blow downs. The posts provide needed and appreciated extra eyes on the trail.
Bruce
Mt. Kinsman Trail Adopter
 
The biggest challenge to the that trail were the big rocks going into the parking lot. My civic really didnt like them :)
 
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