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Trail descriptions are the main feature of this web site. Every trail description was written by someone who has actually hiked it; we do not just copy descriptions from elsewhere. The description is often reviewed either by someone else who has hiked it for comments or by someone who has never been there to see if it is too confusing. Hence authorship is usually a group effort and the author is usually not listed. Contributed descriptions may be credited to principal authors.
Our goal is to add a new trail description every week. We will try to begin with trails that are very popular or those for which published maps are inaccurate.
We are not an insurance company so we do not guarantee the accuracy of any description. Trails do change due to actions of man and nature and it is even possible that an error has crept in. If you find conditions that are not as described, please notify us on the Forum or by e-mail so that we can investigate and make corrections, allowing others to benefit from your experience.
The following sections describe the components of a typical trail description.
Distance: Is given usually in miles, and is usually specified as one-way unless the hike is a loop. Distances are estimates, usually obtained from trail signs or map measurements although a few were measured on the ground.
Elevation gain: Approximate total ascent in feet on the specified route, including intermediate gains if they are substantial (over 100 feet at a time). The ascent in the reverse direction is also given if you need to climb to return.
Next is a link to the Hiking Time Estimator which calculates travel times using either standard or custom speeds.
Maps: The names of some maps that show the area where the trail is. This always includes the U.S.Geological Survey (USGS) 7.5 minute quads, which generally show the topography accurately but may be out-of-date on highways and may not show trails at all. Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) maps are listed if available for that area and are often the most accurate. Look for these types of maps in bookstores and outdoor equipment stores. Other useful maps may be listed if thay are more accurate or more available.
Location:
First item is the general location by Tourism Region: the state is divided into seven regions which are shown on the back of the Official Highway Map and in many tourist publications. A Trail Index by Region is available.
The next item is the grid coordinate(s) of the trail on the Free Official NH Highway Map, available at highway rest areas and other tourist outlets, which shows major roads but not every road to a trailhead.
Unfortunately the state keeps slightly changing the index grid on this map, so if you have a different edition than that specified the trail may be just outside that grid square.
"DeLorme NHA&G" refers to the 1998 edition of the "New Hampshire Atlas & Gazetteer" by DeLorme, which shows nearly every public driveable road in the state (and a few you shouldn't drive on). (It is assumed that updates of this book will use the same grid.) Also included is the name(s) of the town or place where the trail is located, note that this refers to legal ownership and not necessarily the best approach: few people would climb Potash Mountain from Waterville Valley.
Finally, a general location of the trail from major cities or highways is provided so that people familiar with New Hampshire will recognize its approximate location. More precise locations of trailheads are in the next section.
Trailhead: The trailhead is where the trail leaves a road. First is a general description of the trailhead location, followed by an approximate elevation for estimating ascent difficulty and snow depth; you might want to refer to a map to set your altimeter more accurately. Next are the (WGS84) coordinates of the parking area which are usually taken from maps. Some mapping sites such as google allow you to paste in these coordinates to get directions, see Map Use for more info. We will try to indicate where parking fees apply but these are subject to change. Last are more detailed driving directions via a popular approach but not necessarilty the best one for you.
Some trails have more than one trailhead and separate descriptions are provided.
For trails that don't start at a road, we use "Lower End", "South End", or similar to describe where they start. The elevations are approximate for estimating ascent difficulty and snow depth; you might want to refer to a map to set your altimeter more accurately.
Far End: Where the other end of the trail is, or the trail's highest point if it is a loop, with approximate elevation.
Owner: The name or type of owner if known, contact them for regulations or permissions.
Maintainer: The trail maintainer if known, report needed work to them.
Special regulations: Theoretically this includes only unusual rules, but due to the magic of cut and paste we often repeat ordinary ones.
This section contains a more detailed description of the trail and mileages, hopefully the information you might need to decide if this hike is for you. Some descriptions are more detailed than others.
This section is intended to contain information on whether the trailhead can be reached by car year-round and special concerns for this trail in the November to April period. This may not include obvious information such as that trails in New Hampshire often require crampons or snowshoes in the colder months and streams may be hard to cross in the Spring.
Map Notes: Here we try to list errors in the referenced maps for this trail location.
Topozone.com live map If this was a real trail description, the link would point to an online USGS map of the trail, provided by the commercial firm Topozone.com as the USGS doesn't provide this service. Their user interface allows you to change the map scale and move in any direction so you can see what the adjoining terrain is like or how to get to the trailhead, see Map Use for more info. Maps are opened in a new window so you can view the text and map together. We feel this is usually more beneficial to the user than posting our own static map.
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