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The Westside Trail offers a bypass W of the summit of Mount Washington at about the 5600-foot level, saving about 600 feet of ascent and .7 miles as compared to going over the summit. Much of it was graded in the 19th century, so the footing is much better than most above-treeline trails, and it was carefully laid out to avoid excessive up-and-down. It is entirely above treeline and offers views W in good weather and no shelter in bad weather. Relatively few hikers take advantage of this pleasant walk, however, as most prefer to visit the summit of Mount Washington.
Distance: Crawford Path to Gulfside Trail, about .9 miles one-way
Elevation gain: About 100 feet Northbound, 200 feet Southbound
Maps:
USGS Mount Washington
AMC Presidential Range
Location: White Mountains Region
NH 2003-2004 map G-8
DeLorme NHA&G 44-A6 - Thompson and Meserves Purchase/Sargents Purchase
The trail is located SW of US Route 2 and NH Route 16 at Gorham, and NE of US Route 3 and US Route 302 at Twin Mountain
South End: Crawford Path .6 miles S of Mount Washington, elevation about 5600 feet
North End: Gulfside Trail 1.0 miles N of Mount Washington, elevation about 5500 feet
Owner: White Mountain National Forest
Maintainer: White Mountain National Forest
Special regulations: No fires or camping above treeline unless there is at least 2 feet of snow
From the Crawford Path, the Westside Trail angles uphill slightly around the W side of the summit cone, then descends to cross the cog railway and end at the Gulfside Trail.
Hut and summit visitor center closed off-season
Map Notes: The USGS map incorrectly shows a connector trail halfway along, and shows the trail too high on the cone
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