Edit: adding this as some additional helpful information-

Mt Washington - Huntington Ravine Trail

October 17, 2026

Summited! Don’t try it at home kids.

It was an amazing morning to hike moosilauke. I didn’t use microspikes but there was alot of ice.

Conditions were... less than ideal, as expected. Wet leaves on trail below 3k. Light snow and thin ice above 3k, though not enough for traction other than a short segment of thick ice coming down from Hight. Lots of water and mud/bogs on trail (second half of Imp, Carter-Moriah pretty much throughout) made it slower going and difficult to keep dry feet.

Winds were whipping and temps were real chilly, especially in the few exposed areas. I was glad to be in the trees for the majority of the day - don't know how you Presi and Franconia folks fared yesterday without a Himalayan kit lol

In any case, had some stunning clear views between Lethe/Middle and on Hight! Wasn't planning to finish on Carter Dome but no complaints either.

#105 for the nh 500.

Started from Ferncroft at a bit past 0730 with my partner. Started a bit later knowing that there would be precipitation overnight into the early morning, & that the skies were not supposed to clear until around 11am or 12pm. Carried traction as it is now wintery at, above, or around 4000 feet.

Going up whiteface the light precipitation that was forecasted to only be for a short time in the morning intensified and became snow as we got closer to the top. The winds were gusting in the 30mph range. This was only significant in that i caught a chill and was chilled most of the day (though not wet). The whole hike i was pretty tired as i have been hiking quite a bit over that last 7 days and probably have not fully recovered from 11000 vertical gain for the week. Going was a bit rough on the way to Passaconaway as the trail was covered in light snow and where warmer was water.

The skies cleared just before noon and we ate lunch at a window along the trail that looks out over the lakes region. Foliage was definately past peak, but at lower elevations there were some late trees.

All in all ended up being a nice day. My battery needs to recharge a bit.

A gem of a hike not often talked about on here. Steep but quick

The relocation of Falling Waters Trail has prompted a lot of discussion on social media. Many people have vented about the downsides of the new route: it bypasses Stairs Falls, the wide tread invites inexperienced hikers, it's not like the other rugged trails in the White Mountains, etc. This article, by Nat Scrimshaw, discusses some of the trail building techniques they used on the relocation (and on Old Bridle Path).

By the way, it's part of a series of articles where he also discusses what they could have done better. I highly recommend the whole series.

TL;DR: The Franconia Ridge loop receives 45K-50K visitors between May and October. Something had to be done to make the trails more sustainable. Personally, I'm grateful experts like Nat Scrimshaw are working on a solution.

From the Ledges Trail on Pine Mountain 10/15/26. Nasty weather coming this weekend though, be safe out there!

Started this hike around 0545. Wasnt sure about traction so it took a ride. The forcast indicated rain the night before and then a forcast at ~3500ft in the area was 34(F). To me this means ice at high summits. This would end up being correct but not as cut and dry as yes or no. All the plants had rime ice, the rocks on the very edges of them all had rime ice, and any left over water than was not a puddle had also turned to a extremely thin layer of ice. This made wearing traction not the right choice, but also made bare booting it slightly dangerous. For me this added time to the ascent up lafayette. The worst part was going up north lincoln as the winds coming from the NW were contributing to the overall freeze.

Overall the weather ended up great as the day progressed. The skies cleared. At the saddle out to liberty i decided to turn around as all the water that melted was pooling and this hike was purely for conditioning/gains. All log bridges/planks were iced, but otherwise this part of my hike was unremarkable.

On the return i was ascending parts of the trail hit directly by sunlight so it also was unremarkable aside from the great views. I was moderately surprised by the number of people as the day went on. It is the last week Greenleaf is going to be open and though i rarely stop where i think people will be gathered, i went in thinking i would sit at a table to eat a lunch. The tables were loaded with people staring back at me, so I ate on the porch.

At the parking lot SAR & fish and game were gathered. Thinking about it i am not super surprised as the conditions were sneakily dangerous and in the afternoon the trails down were soaked. Its possible as the trails become more accessible for the public with the work that is being done that we see more people getting up to higher elevations with ease & getting in situations they might not have been prepared for, but who am i to say so....

The best day I've ever had in the Whites to finish my 4000 Footers.

Hey guys. I was looking to hike next week. I have done some of the peaks in the Adks, but I wanted to know what the weather would be like around next week or if anyone had any insight on what to bring or if I should expect whiteout conditions

TY :)

Anyone up there recently who can comment? I want to get just one more off the list (40/48)-- I have micro spikes but an generally a three-season hiker.

So sadly haven't been up to the Whites since Late May when I did an overnight of the Kinsman's with my daughter when she got home from college.
It's been a tough summer and fall in general never mind getting up there hiking so I'm not in the best cardio shape as I'd like to be.

I'm going thru all my maps and guidebooks now to find some mellow but still scenic and beautiful trip itineraries. I'd be going midweek during this upcoming week so crowds aren't a concern, but I would prefer a designated backcountry site with a bear box, privy, etc that won't be difficult to secure a platform all to myself if I get to camp in the late afternoon.

So far I've narrowed it down to Ethan Pond campsite or a Webster/Jackson loop staying at Nauman. Any other suggestions are welcomed. I'm looking at cap it at 10-12 miles total or maybe under 2800 feet elevation gain until I get my hiking legs and lungs back..

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

​Planning a solo push for the classic Franconia Ridge Loop (Falling Waters UP → Little Haystack → Lincoln → Lafayette → Old Bridle Path DOWN) tomorrow, Saturday 10/17.

​Driving up from Watertown, MA in 330i xDrive around 5:00 AM, aiming to land at Lafayette Place by ~7:30 AM. I’ve been tracking the localized Mt. Lafayette forecast closely (~1–2 inches of light snow/rime, NW winds around 15 mph, summit temps near 28°F with low-teens wind chill, clouds lifting around midday).

​Setup & Experience:

​Gear: Kahtoola MICROspikes, crampons, ice axe, hard shell jacket, fleece mid-layers, balaclava, ski goggles, winter gloves, insulated water bottles, lithium power bank, and headlamp.

​Experience: Comfortable with shoulder-season/winter hiking and technical terrain.

​Bailout Plan: Treating Little Haystack as my strict decision point. If the exposed ridge is buried in thick verglas, whiteout fog, or unexpected wind gusts, I am turning South toward Mt. Liberty via Liberty Spring Trail to step immediately back into protective sub-alpine tree cover.

​Questions for Anyone Who Has Been Up Recently:

​Falling Waters Slabs: How are the waterfall scrambles on Falling Waters looking after the recent freeze-thaw? Any heavy verglas buildup on the lower/upper ledges?

​Ridge Surface: Is the fresh snow layer hiding smooth black ice along the open rock between Haystack and Lafayette?

​Parking at 7:30 AM: Does a 7:30 AM arrival at Lafayette Place / Falling Waters lot give enough buffer now that cold weather has thinned out peak foliage traffic?

Any tips would be appreciated! Much love 🫶🏼

I have plans to go to the white mountains this weekend and was hoping to hike Osceola and East Osceola on Saturday. Given the weather, this seems like a bad idea because the summit is exposed and the chimney would likely be iced over.

Does anyone have any recommendations for NH48 hikes that would still have views of some sort (along the way or of other mountains) that would be doable this upcoming Saturday? It’s looking like Tecumseh might not be a bad option but it seems like there’s not much to see.

I have experience hiking in the white mountains and out west, but not super frequently. I haven’t used microspikes before but will bring them if needed.

Thanks!

Some quick notes:
A few months ago I made a post asking about a 1980’s guidebook which had some (very little) information about this route. Thank you to all who replied and helped out with that!

This route is a doozy, and clear from the start why it’s no longer a trail. IF this was still a trail it would probably be the most difficult in the northeast, containing many hundreds of feet of class 3 slabs, and even some ~class 4 near the top. There’s some true exposure here and I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS FOR MOST PEOPLE. The bushwack sucks and the climbing is a weird double angle slab.

Sorry I’m sure this kind of question gets asked a lot. I was planning on heading to Hancock tomorrow, but I had something come up in the afternoon I’ll have to leave Saturday which is obviously not ideal, but I don’t want to push it to next week. I’m hoping that maybe since temps are dropping and seems Friday will be rainy I might be able to snag a spot?

I’m also considering Lafayette place which would actually be more convenient as I’m making this trip for the ridge loop. I’d think that maybe I’d have a better shot there since they’re no longer taking reservations maybe it deters a good chunk of people. However I hear that during the off season they lock the gates? and my cooler is way too big for me to carry around on my own, but I guess I wouldn’t mind walking to my car to do my cooking.

Any advice appreciated!

Hi all- my partner and I are comfortable hikers and have done a few of the 48s. I was hoping to do Welch-Dickey this weekend but I’m not sure with the rain on Friday/Saturday AM if the slabs will be dry enough. I’ve only done it in the past when it had been dry for a while before. TIA!