Whiteface & Passaconaway

I could not remember the last (only) time I hiked Mount Whiteface and Mount Passaconaway, two non-descript peaks in the eastern section of the White Mountain National Forest here in New Hampshire. My records show that I climbed in 1996, when I was wrapping up my effort to climb all 48 of the NH peaks over 4,000 feet in elevation. Today, when I drove along the dirt road and approached the trailhead, a strong memory flashed into my head… a memory of the meadow beside the parking area, of remote farmhouses nestled between the road and the burbling brook known as the Wonalancet River, of plodding down that dirt road after a long hike with friends. Today, 27 years later, I was back because it seemed like a nice opportunity to revisit some trails and peaks I’d seen before but since forgotten. Read on!

I walked up that same dirt road this morning, passing well-kept farmhouses that likely now serve as summer homes, and soon entered the Sandwich Range Wilderness. I felt good, striding up the Blueberry Ledge trail (built 1899) at a quick clip, well aware that many challenging miles were ahead of me. The sky was cloudy but (for now) refraining from any rain. As I hiked higher, and approached the eponymous ledges, a light mist sometimes joined me as I climbed into the clouds. Fortunately, the clouds came and went, as did the rocky outcrops. Some offered great views of nearby peaks like Chocurua, and others only a wall of gray cloud.

The trail became steeper in its final mile. Whereas I’d covered the first two miles at 25 minutes/mile, this final mile was so steep and rugged – almost a Class IV scramble in places – that it required 40 minutes of my attention. The AMC Guidebook says “This trail is still one of the more challenging climbs in the White Mountains. [And that’s saying something!] It is particularly difficult on the descent, even more difficult when wet, and dangerous in icy conditions.” I was glad had decided to climb this trail and loop over to Mount Passaconaway and descend via a different trail. This video might give you a sense of the steepness of Blueberry Ledges.

Still, I reached the summit outlook after 2 hours, not at all shabby for a climb of 4.2 miles and 2,950′ gain. I paused only briefly, as it was in the clouds, and continued along the Rollins Trail toward the true summit (barely noticeable) and on across the ridge toward Mount Passaconaway.

I wobbled up and down the connecting ridgeline for an hour before reaching the junction at the base of Passaconaway’s summit. I turned left and up toward the summit, and the trail soon became steep, then steeper. It finally ended at a spot in the woods where one stops, turns all the way around, decides it is not possible to go higher, and realizes it must be the summit. Ho hum.

Fortunately, the ‘Walden Trail’ continues past the summit to a fine, rocky outlook – where a mix of clouds and sun enabled another fine view of Mount Chocorua, but not much else (photo below). Studying the map, I found the Walden trail would allow me to loop back to the aforementioned junction – why backtrack when you can loop? – so I followed it around and down. It was just as steep, now all the more tricky as I was descending.

Once back at the junction I was able to follow Dicey’s Mill Trail on its steady descent out of the spruce-fir forest, down into the hardwood forest and along the tributaries that form the Wonalancet River. This trail was pleasantly gentle after all the rugged trails earlier, and allowed long strides and ultimately a stroll past those beautiful farmhouses and back to the parking lot.

Not a lot of views, but it’s always a beautiful day when you are hiking! Check out the photo gallery for more.

Hike stats:
Distance: 11.15 miles
Elevation gain: 3,623 feet
Time: 5h30m
Mount Whiteface: 4,020′ (named for the ‘massive granite cliff’ near its summit)
Mount Passaconaway: 4,043′ (named for a 17th century chief of the Penacook)
Route: clockwise around the main loop, and the little loop, shown below.