If this is your final summit, follow the webster cliff trail back to the crawford path. Traditionally, the presidential traverse ends at pierce. You will find some descriptions of way out there objectives, such as summiting all of new hampshires 4000ers in a single push or the 50mile 24hour hut traverse. A presidential traverse section hikers backpacking. In peoples experience, how is the northern stretch compared to book time.
Last time i really felt it going up and took some longer breaks and dealt. Take either randolph path, air line, or valley way trails to the amc madison springs hut. Madison, adams, jefferson, washington, monroe, eisenhower, and pierce. A presidential traverse, as it is known to hikers in the northeast, is a strenuous and sometimes dangerous trek over the presidential range of new hampshires white mountains. A presidential traverse is one of the great hikes in the white mountains, but there.
If youre looking to extend your time in the whites, a multiday presidential traverse is a great option. If you can maintain a book time pace, it will take you 14 hours to hike a 19. Presidential traverse news newspapers books scholar jstor april 2010 learn. About the author philip werner has hiked and backpacked over 7500 miles in the united states and the uk and written over 2500 articles as the founder of, noted. This trip is not for the faint of heart and not to be attempted in just one day but it can be done with the right preparation. The northern half is more rugged than the southern half so it is recommended to do all your rock hopping earlier on rather than when your legs turn to jelly. An understanding of how far you can push your body will lead to a successful hike, even if you need to change plans and bail. The first is simply to go up the valley way to the hut ow. Time control plan for a presidential traverse section.
One of the most intense and scenic activities in the northeast is the presidential traverse hike in new hampshires white mountains. Prepare to crush preparation and completion of this strenuous trek. This obviously varies widely depending on your level of endurance, and whether you are stopping at each peak, camping, or running the whole thing. If you figure on 20minute stops at the huts and an hourlong break on mt washington, youll want to add another 1. Doing the presidential traverse hike in new hampshires. There is also what some consider the full presidential traverse 23.
A more strenuous variation is to start on the valley way, then. An official presidential traverse begins at madison and then to adams. Yesterday, three friends and i did the presidential traverse which includes five of the tallest mountains in new hampshire. A presidential traverse is a strenuous and sometimes dangerous trek over the presidential range of new hampshires white mountains.
This time around i wanted to be more rested the night before and hike out in the dark. It was probably the hardest thing ive ever done but it was. Presidential traverse trail new hampshire alltrails. The presidential traverse is a 19 mile section of new hampshires white mountains that consists of 7 peaks. One of the great hikes in the white mountains of new hampshire is called a presidential traverse. How to crush the presidential traverse in a single day. The traverse can be done in a single day or spread out over multiple days. One of many popular routes, this version of the presidential traverse begins at the appalachian trailhead at the amc highland center. The presidential traverse is arguably the most sought after big hikingmountaineering depending on the season you elect to try it objective in the northeast. Wikipedia describes the presidential traverse as follows. Many of the summits have routes around them or they are on side paths. The presidential traverse hiking trail, gorham, new hampshire. Splitting the route into a northern and southern presidential traverse is always an option.
Ive been planning a oneday traverse of the presidential range in the. Covering nearly 20 miles of sometimes grueling, often beautiful terrain, it takes hikers over the presidential range, crossing seven 4,000foot peaks, all named after u. The presidential traverse is an excellent and welltraveled hike of some of new. Contained almost entirely in the 750,000acre white mountain national forest, the presidential range is a string of summits in excess of 4,000 feet. Mount madison, mount adams, mount jefferson, mount washington, mount monroe, mount eisenhower and mount pierce. Its socalled because hikers climb all of the mountains in the presidential range of the white mountains in one continuous hike thats nearly 23 miles long with close to 9,000 feet of elevation gain. Solo summer one day presidential traverse trail to summit.
Summit mount madison out and back up very rocky, scrambly trail. A presidential traverse is not official if you skip summits. The presidential traverse is an excellent and welltraveled hike of some of new englands highest peaks almost all at maximum exposure. During a presidential traverse you gain 8500 feet over. A oneday death march that definitely earned its name. To complete the traverse, one must begin at either the northern or southern terminus of the. There is also what some consider the full presidential traverse 23 miles which adds an additional 4 peaks. Contained almost entirely in the 750,000acre 3,000 km 2 white mountain national forest, the presidential range is a string of summits in excess of 4,000 feet 1,200 m.