View Full Version : First trip to whites - where to find solitude and distance?
swankerme
07-21-2010, 12:36
In just a few weeks (mid-August) I will be taking a long vacation hike up through the White Mountains. I will have approximately 2 weeks, and ideally I would like to spend that whole time hiking/backpacking. I am fairly experienced in hiking, but I am new to the east coast (I live in NH).
I know there are hundreds of trails and loops in the Whites. I am considering just doing the AT section of the Whites, but I know that trail will be relatively busy. I would love to get some solitude on this trip (as well as some 4000 footers). Do you guys recommend any trails or trail connections that would provide a long (100+ miles), less-taken backpacking experience?
:welcome to WB.
Solitude - in the Whites- in August?:-?
This one has me stumped.:o
Wild River Wilderness. Plenty of quiet trails and a few decent summits in the area.
Cohos Trail
Still on my to do list.... Would love a hike of this in the Fall.
The Cohos explores the Whites off the beaten path. Even if you don't do the trail, the area where it goes will give some ideas. :)
peakbagger
07-21-2010, 14:17
The Killkenny ridge trail (part of the Cohos Trail) tends not to get a lot of hikers. The trade off is there are less developed campsites (plus the Mt Cabot Cabin is now by reservation only), water can be a challenge as its a ridgeline hike (but mostly in the trees). The Wild River Wilderness has lots of trails and doesnt get as much traffic. With some work you can string some nice hiking together. The Davis Path is also not used a lot but has the reputation of a lot of blowdowns. The Grafton Loop over in Maine in combination with the AT north of Grafton Notch will be less busy than the whites. Basically if there is a 4000 footer on your itinerary, its going to be crowded.
Timekeeper
07-21-2010, 14:28
You might also want to check out www.hike-nh.com (http://www.hike-nh.com). It has some great trip reports and you might get some members to share some ideas. As has been said, the Whites in the summer can be very busy, especially on the weekends. I would avoid the Franconia Ridge especially over a weekend, though during the week it is not as bad.
swankerme
07-21-2010, 19:45
Wow, thanks for the quick responses. Showing how new I am to the area, I had never heard of the Cohos Trail. It looks very promising and the mileage/timing is almost perfect. I may have to attempt this one!