advice on trip plans

[chudski63]

planning a trip to nh and plan on doing mt washington and northern range..plan is as follows..(day one)comming fron northern ny...head out in a.m. and hit dolly copp campground..spend night and relax..(day2)go to pinkham notch visitors center for info gatering trip..go back to campground...(day 3)..park at pinkham and hit tuckerman ravine trail to washington..from washington gulfside trail to mt clay..from clay down on phinx trail to designated campsites..(day 4).hit six husbands trail to my jefferson..onto mt adams and onto mt madison..down from madison onto madison gulf trail to bluff or clam rock for evening..(day 5)..hike out and home


never been hiking in area so any input would be great...thanks

[Blissful]

I heard Six Husbands is a very tough trail, though I have not been on that one. If you hit Sphynx in rain, its a waterslide down. Not sure why you dont just stay on along the Gulfside trail (AT)around the Presidential loop instead of going down and up in a very tough part (Great Gulf Wilderness)

[chudski63]

was not sure on the camping regulations in that area..did not look like there was any designated camping areas on the gulfside trail..and was not sure what parts of the trail are above treeline...would be first trip in the area..would love to stay on gulfside trail if at all possible...maybe someone would help me out with ideas of a good stopping point for the night on the loop..thanks

[peakbagger]

I would suggest considering setting up a base camp in the great gulf and dayhiking loops to the summits. Unless you need a down day, there isnt a lot of info to gather at Pinkham. A couple of nice (but rugged) loops that I wouldnt want to lug an overnight backpack up is Great Gulf trail to Washington then Gulfside to Sphinx and then down Sphinx back to campsite. Next day Six Husbands up to Jefferson, then Gulfside over to Adams and then Star Lake trail to the Butress and then Butress back to campsite.

By the way, I dont know your experience level, but these are all major climbs over most rocky paths with lots of elevation gains. Many folks can do one of these hikes for one day but will be in hurting condition the next. The reality is that you can base camp and day hike the same summits from the west side of the ridge for a lot less hassle. If you want to go low cost, there is free camping on the North End of Jefferson Notch Road at a couple of spots as well as Cherry Mountain road and the road to North Twin. From any one of those sites, you can do loops or you can backpack up to the RMC huts (Crag, Grey Knob and the Perch) and spend an evening up high.

Its hard to make specific recomendations as there are so many choices.

[chudski63]

thanks for info..there are a lot of different choices on how to go about this trip..looking for any info and ideas everyone has...as for as experience have not hiked white mountains as of yet..my playground is the adk high peaks...experiance level high..thanks

[Blissful]

There are sites off trail fairly near the summits managed by Randolph mountain club (http://www.randolphmountainclub.org/) - you should check into those