What’s So Great About the White Mountains?

Keith used to accuse me of being a hiking snob.  I’d come back home after spending a week of hiking in Colorado, and I’d be gloomy about the utter lack of mountains where we lived. 

Sure you can still go hiking without mountains.  Or without the terrific vistas.  And you can hike below 5,000 feet of elevation.  But did I really want to???  

Truth be told, I love Colorado’s Front Range.  I adore Wyoming’s Tetons and the Wind River Range.  And of course, I swoon just at the thought of the Sierras.  Those are mountains with a capital “M.”

And so, until recently, I was a bit skeptical about East Coast hiking, where the summits were much lower than out West.  

You’re excited about 4,000 feet??

 

When I heard hikers in New England making a big to-do about peaks that barely crested 4,000 feet, my mouth turned up in a little smirk.  “Really?!  Four thousand feet.  What a challenge, I’d sarcastically think to myself.  

But, even I can admit when I am dead wrong. 

I only had the chance to summit a few of these peaks during our week in New Hampshire.  But, I can attest that these are EXCEPTIONAL mountains to get excited about!  

Maybe its the sharp incline of the mountains that makes them such a challenge.  Perhaps its the giant boulders to scramble over on your way up.  Or it could just be their majestic beauty.  But there’s definitely something to hiking in New England that’s growing on me.

So what are the Whites?

 

The White Mountains are a mountain range in northern New Hampshire, which spans approximately a quarter of the state.  

Nobody seems to know how the White Mountains got their name.  There’s multiple stories out there.  One version claims the English settlers saw the snow capped mountains when they arrived, and began referring to them the white mountains.  Other versions claims the granite summits looked white to new observers.  Whatever the origin, they are a remarkable sight.

As the northernmost part of the Appalachian mountain range, the Whites are the most rugged peaks in New England.  The White Mountains are also home to the Presidential Range, containing a series of mountains named after nine of the U.S. presidents and four other other notable Americans. (Technically, New Hampshire counts it as 10 presidential peaks, since their legislature voted to rename Mt. Clay, changing it to Mt. Reagan after former President Ronald Reagan in 2003.  However, the U.S. Government didn’t adopt this change and still recognizes it as Mt. Clay).

Our experience in the White Mountains

 

So how did we enjoy the Whites while we visited?

You can bet we absolutely had to hike Mt. Washington.  This notorious mountain was calling my name every since we stood on the summit of Mt. Katahdin and looked south.  I knew if there were only two mountains I got to drag Finn up in New England, it had be those two!  (For all the details about (very wet) our experience summiting on Mt. Washington, click HERE.)

Mt. Washington only whet our appetite.  It was challenging enough that we wanted to explore even more. 

During our visit to the Old Man of the Mountain memorial, we noticed the cable car that goes to the peak of Cannon Mountain.  Hmmm.  Why ride when you can hike?  So, I returned the following day to hike up the mountain after a quick loop around Lonesome Lake.  

I deliberately took this roundabout route up to the west of Cannon Mountain.  Why?  Because it allowed me to cross paths with a few Appalachian thru-hikers staying at the Lonesome Lake AMC lodge.  What a motivating start to a hike!  

After the bidding adieu to the Appalachian Trail and the lake, I worked my way up the steep Lonesome Lake Trail to Kingsman Ridge.  Getting to Cannon Mountain from there entailed some serious Class 3 scrambling over giant boulders.  And on the way back down, the trail kept me on my toes on the way down with some fairly nerve wracking wooden ladders on the Hi-Cannon Trail.  But, that’s what make the Whites so exciting!  You never know what lies around the next bend, but you can guarantee it will be challenging!!

One of my favorite hikes was our trek up to Arethusa Falls and the Frankenstein Cliffs.  This hike had a little bit of everything for everyone.  There were waterfalls, steep trails, and beautiful vistas from the summit.  And at the end, you walk under picturesque railroad trestles.  It was the kind of hike that makes you want to spend everyday outdoors.

Are you interested in trying the Whites on for size too? 

 

For more information about the peaks in New Hampshire, I recommend visiting the Appalachian Mountain Club’s 4,000 foot club.  They created a list of all 48 peaks over 4,000 feet in New Hampshire’s White Mountains to build interest in the region.

And if you want to expand your radius beyond New Hampshire, there’s also 4000footers.com celebrating all 67 peaks in New England that summit over this 4,000 feet.  They have pages for each summit providing you with superbly detailed information to prepare for your next New England hike!  If you bag enough peaks, you may even earn a patch or two!