Highest Peaks in New England

[swatsullivan]

I am planning a trip to hike the highest peaks in New England this summer. I need some help with planning since I don't know much about New England, so I figured I’d post here.

Here is a Word Document I have started in preparation.

We will probably do the long 14 hour drive from Richmond, VA to Maine in one day and then work our way back southwards, climbing a different mountain each day.

My dad is 75 and will come and stay in hotels (he did this trip some time ago with some friends). My father plans to “watch base camp for us” (relax and not climb) and help drive. My family and I (probably me and my 4 sons, maybe my wife if she would like to go, perhaps my two brothers and my nephew) will either stay in the hotel, too, or camp.

So the Peaks/nearby places:

Maine - Mt Katahdin 5,269' (Millinocket, ME)

New Hampshire - Mt Washington 6,289' - (North Conway, NH)

Vermont - Mt Mansfield 4,393' - (Stowe, VT)

Massachusetts - Mt Greylock 3,491' - (North Adams, MA or Williamstown, MA)

Connecticut - Bear Mountain 1,283'* - (Salisbury, CT)

Rhode Island - Jerimoth Hill 811' - (probably would just hit this on the way home)

*the highest point in Connecticut is 2,380 feet on a mountainside of Mt. Frissel whose peak is in Massachusetts

Any thoughts on where to stay/camp?

Does the timeline sound right? Can I hit more than one peak in one day?

I'm really looking forward to a week or so with my kids/family and father and getting to see some of these incredible places!

[colorado_rob]

Very cool, doing the high points/peaks in our states is a blast. We finished the 50 last summer "climbing" the high point of Kansas...

Anyway, I know it's not in "new england", but Mt. Marcy in NY was one of our favorites of the 50 state high points, if there is any way to include that one. It's relatively close to Mansfield in NH. But it is a fairly long hike and probably wouldn't fit your itinerary if your time window is fixed.

Are you out to eventually do all the state high points? If so, do the Frissel ridge thing in CT (the true state highpoint) vs. Bear Mtn if you need to save some time.

[AllDownhillFromHere]

Katahdin will require significant planning as camping in Baxter State Park is tricky and pretty slim. Book soon or now.

[Old Hillwalker]

Very cool, doing the high points/peaks in our states is a blast. We finished the 50 last summer "climbing" the high point of Kansas...

Anyway, I know it's not in "new england", but Mt. Marcy in NY was one of our favorites of the 50 state high points, if there is any way to include that one. It's relatively close to Mansfield in NH. But it is a fairly long hike and probably wouldn't fit your itinerary if your time window is fixed.

Are you out to eventually do all the state high points? If so, do the Frissel ridge thing in CT (the true state highpoint) vs. Bear Mtn if you need to save some time.

Jeez, did New Hampshire steal Mt Mansfield from Viewmont?

[pesphoto]

If you want a better hiking experience here in RI, hit the Mt Tom Trail in Arcadia...

[Slo-go'en]

Climbing each of those mountains will require a full day and an early start. On most of these climbs, you will be hard pressed to do more then 1 MPH.

I suppose you can do Katahdin in a day, but it be a very long and hard day. It will take at least a full day to drive between these Mountains too - their a long ways apart and no direct highways between them. The saying "you can't get there from here" was coined in New England for a reason.

The plan is great, but you need a lot more time to do it in.

[Slo-go'en]

Anyway, I know it's not in "new england", but Mt. Marcy in NY was one of our favorites of the 50 state high points, if there is any way to include that one. It's relatively close to Mansfield in NH. But it is a fairly long hike and probably wouldn't fit your itinerary if your time window is fixed.

Obviously Rob meant VT. Marcy might be close to Mansfield if you could fly like a crow, but it's like a 8 hour drive since you have to go around Lake Champlain on 40-50 mph roads and through a lot of towns. You could take the ferry across, but your still looking at most of a day drive. Then it's a bit of a hike to get to Marcy.

[colorado_rob]

Jeez, did New Hampshire steal Mt Mansfield from Viewmont?

Woops..... Anyway, easy ferry ride to Lake Placid (near Marcy) NY from VT/Burlington, or cruise around south end of Lake Champlain. Cool overall area.

[colorado_rob]

Obviously Rob meant VT. Marcy might be close to Mansfield if you could fly like a crow, but it's like a 8 hour drive since you have to go around Lake Champlain on 40-50 mph roads and through a lot of towns. You could take the ferry across, but your still looking at most of a day drive. Then it's a bit of a hike to get to Marcy.

Yeah, I realize it's tight, but we did Marcy then Mansfield in two days, and we took the ferry. I seem to remember only 4-5 hour drive from Marcy to Stowe? But, my memory fades these days...

Just an option if the OP might want to skip CT and RI highpoints and do only "real" climbs. Not that Bear mtn in CT isn't "real", but I'm talking about the easier, shorter true state hp, Frissel ridge.

[peakbagger]

As mentioned Mt Katahdin requires a lot of planning and will eat up a couple of days. Its about 4 hours from Mt Washington to Baxter State Park. There is not much to do "in town" and the park is not very scenic when viewed from the park roads. There is short flat and level dayhike from the Roaring Brook trailhead to a nearby pond where there are usually resident moose. You most likely eat up three days adding it to your itinerary. There are no tourist ways of getting up or down like Mt Washington , Mansfield or Graylock which have roads to or close to the top. Mt Katahdin is an 8 to 12 hour day hike for many. There is no easy way to get to the summit just variations of difficulty. That means get there the night before and be at the gate early in the AM. Clouds tend to form on the summit in early afternoon many days so its best to be on the trail around sunrise. You can take your chances and just show up at the park gate and hope you can get parking space at a trailhead parking spot. Ideally you book a Day Use Parking Reservation (DUPR) up to two weeks in advance. That gets you in quick through the gate otherwise you may have to wait awhile unless there are unused slots. Since you may be getting dropped off and picked up you may not need to deal with the DUPR but be aware, there is no cell service except on top of the mountain and there is no landline service or payphones at the trailheads . Your ride cant just sit it the parking lot and wait for you so its PITA unless they stop at a less popular spot in the park that doesnt require a DUPR and then make occasional loops through the trailhead lot. There is no terrain in VA close to Mt Katahdin. The closest very weak comparison is Dragons Tooth in VA with much larger boulders and far long steep pitches.

Mt Washington in NH is a tourist trap at the summit, it has the cog railroad on the west side and the autoroad on the east side. Both are tourist attractions and they are a nice option for your family to meet you at the top. There is a summit building with big windows and facilities at the top. It also is 8 to 12 hour experience. Gorham NH (my town) is the closest to the the most popular route up via Pinkham Notch. The autoroad is right on the way to it. North Conway is bit more expensive tourist town just a bit further away. Most folks would drive to or from Katahdin via a combination of I95 and RT2 which runs right through Gorham NH. (note Gorham has no nationwide chain hotels they are all local). It is the closest tourist town to a very large ATV network so rooms get booked on most weekends. North Conway has national hotel chains and factory outlets everywhere. Traffic can be problem. If someone wants to take the cog railroad then North Conway, Bretton Woods or Twin Mountain is the best options to stay. There is nice loop hike up Ammonusuc Ravine trail to the Crawford Path (AT) and then up to the summit. Heading down the Jewell trail ends up where you started. Note both the Cog and autoroad only allow guests to stay on the summit for limited period of time so you would need to plan so that everyone ends up at the summit at the same time. The hiking is still very steep and rocky with very steep slopes. The auto road offers the option to drive your own car or take van ride. Both the cog and the autoroad are private and not cheap.

Mt Mansfield is about 3 hours from Mt Washington on US Rt 2. There are trails from the East and the West. The treeline just sticks out of the trees so the views going up are less impressive than Mt Washington which has extensive above treeline sections on both the autoroad and the cog. There is a toll road to near the top but it requires hiking to get up to the above treeline. Its still steep but closer to an 8 to 10 hour hike. I prefer the hike from the west side from Underhill State Park but there are options from the Smugglers Notch east side. Stowe is a very high end tourist town. Lodging is not cheap. There is some less expensive lodging on the north side of the mountain and its not that far from Burlington. The Hell Brook trail is not an option you should consider as it more of a rock climb than a hiking trail.

Garylock is haul down through VT. RT100 looks tempting but its runs through every tourist town in the state. 50 MPH is optimistic. If you take I89 its longer but quicker until you turn off in Greenfield Mass and take State RT 2 in Massachusetts (note its not the same as US 2 up north). Mass 2 is very scenic but real slow. Graylock has a public road to the summit. Its been quite awhile but seem to remember it lot shorter hike and more woods based.

Note stringing together a week or great days is sometimes a challenge although July and August is about your best shot. Katahdin, Washington and Mansfield should all be good weather hikes if the weather is bad you need to go another day or skip them.

[imscotty]

What a great idea for a themed family trip, but a peak a day? IMHO that is too much driving and not enough enjoyment.

You are driving a long way to get here, and New England is great, your family is going to love it if they are not stuck in the car 50% of the trip. The distances between these peaks may not look like much on a map, but on these country roads some of them are all-day drives. I would recommend taking some time off between climbs to explore the surrounding area especially in NH & VT. In Maine I would try to include a swing by the seacoast. Portland area would be easy enough to hit on your drive north, but the further north up the coast you get from there the better it gets, Rockport and Camden are classic seacoast towns. Be sure to stop at a clamshack for steamers and Lobster.

North Conway NH is a popular tourist destination which would be fun for the shoppers but the traffic can get bad. For a quieter town try Gorham to the North. Easy access to the Tuckermans/ Lions Head route up Washington from there and if he wants your dad could drive up and meet you at the top.

I would take several days to explore beautiful VT. I don't know what your other interests are but Vermont has some of this countries best breweries. If you like 'Americana' the Shelburne Museum is a must see.

You might want to hit the RI high peak on the way up, you will be nearby if you head up 95 to Maine, it would be a lot more driving to get there from western MA.

I would say slow down, take your time and enjoy your trip.

[imscotty]

Peakbagger gives great advice above, but I will disagree with him on one thing...

Rt 100 is exactly how I would drive through VT, there is so much to see. Slow down and enjoy your trip, Vermont is great.

[peakbagger]

Not picking on RT 100 for what it is, for a nice tourist ride its great but if someone is trying to get anywhere during tourist season its very slow. When I go hiking in VT I do a lot of back roads and seasonal roads that a car nav refuses to admit exist to get around the touristy spots.

[imscotty]

Not picking on RT 100 for what it is, for a nice tourist ride its great but if someone is trying to get anywhere during tourist season its very slow. When I go hiking in VT I do a lot of back roads and seasonal roads that a car nav refuses to admit exist to get around the touristy spots.

I just try to avoid North Conway on a weekend Peakbagger

[egilbe]

I just try to avoid North Conway on a weekend Peakbagger

North Conway isnt bad at 5:30am. At 5:30pm my tolerance for tourists hits a low.

[Slo-go'en]

Nothing like getting stuck behind an RV going 20 mph on a narrow, twisty road like RT 100 in VT. Pretty common to get stuck behind one on RT 2 through ME/NH/VT too. It can really slow you down.

[swatsullivan]

Very cool, doing the high points/peaks in our states is a blast. We finished the 50 last summer "climbing" the high point of Kansas...

Anyway, I know it's not in "new england", but Mt. Marcy in NY was one of our favorites of the 50 state high points, if there is any way to include that one. It's relatively close to Mansfield in NH. But it is a fairly long hike and probably wouldn't fit your itinerary if your time window is fixed.

Are you out to eventually do all the state high points? If so, do the Frissel ridge thing in CT (the true state highpoint) vs. Bear Mtn if you need to save some time.

That’s a great goal, and maybe will look into hitting Mt Marcy when we are there.

[swatsullivan]

Katahdin will require significant planning as camping in Baxter State Park is tricky and pretty slim. Book soon or now.

We may just hit a hotel and then do Katahdin very early in the am. I have spoken with the rangers a couple times.

That and Washington will be all day hikes.

[swatsullivan]

Climbing each of those mountains will require a full day and an early start. On most of these climbs, you will be hard pressed to do more then 1 MPH.

I suppose you can do Katahdin in a day, but it be a very long and hard day. It will take at least a full day to drive between these Mountains too - their a long ways apart and no direct highways between them. The saying "you can't get there from here" was coined in New England for a reason.

The plan is great, but you need a lot more time to do it in.

Good to know. Thanks.

[swatsullivan]

Yeah, I realize it's tight, but we did Marcy then Mansfield in two days, and we took the ferry. I seem to remember only 4-5 hour drive from Marcy to Stowe? But, my memory fades these days...

Just an option if the OP might want to skip CT and RI highpoints and do only "real" climbs. Not that Bear mtn in CT isn't "real", but I'm talking about the easier, shorter true state hp, Frissel ridge.

Cool. Thanks.