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Trip report

Mt Crawford Snowshoe Hike

Hiking/Walk DATE: 03/04/2012 - 03/04/2012

Trip/Event Location: Hart's Location (Bartlett), NH
US

Trip Leader(s):

Max # People: 12

Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money

Difficulty Level: Moderate

If you’re looking for a winter hike that offers a big mountain feel for a modest effort, this is your opportunity brotha! An ‘up and back’ trek with an elevation gain of 2100’,

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Copy/Repost Hike

Driving directions to the location and spot to meet at:

From the east take NH Rt 16N to Rt 302W and drive approx 12.7 miles. The Davis Path parking lot will be on your right. From the south or west, take I93N to exit 35 onto US Rt 3N toward Twin Mountain. Drive 10.3 miles to Rt 302E, then drive approx 16.4 miles. The Davis Path parking lot will be on your left.

Trip Report/Photos

After a hearty blanketing of late winter powder followed by a crispy, thin glaze of wintry mix, 6 die-hard hikers met at the Davis Path trailhead parking area at 10:00am to ascend the picturesque summit of Mt Crawford.

Concerned about the rain factor from Saturday, Mike & I got there a little early to scope out the trail conditions and found a decent base of about 10 inches of dry powder delicately protected by an ultra-thin crust of frozen precipitation, easily broken into. The temps were already into the mid 30’s with breaks of sun and blue skies vying for dominance. The bottom part of the trail itself looked to be adequately broken by no more than 4 or 5 footprints, of which were mostly traction strapped boots and maybe 1 pair of snowshoes. Just ahead of our dry run, were two beginner hikers trying out their snowshoes but opted not to venture too far up the path.

By 10:15, Leonard, Vinny, Matt & Dave arrived and I had advised all to consider starting the trail with micro-spikes but strapping snowshoes to their packs as I had a hunch, from past hikes this season, that deeper terrain was imminent as we reached higher elevations. After introductions were made and a pre-hike group (hug) photo was snapped, we headed out over the Bemis suspension footbridge, across a small brook and entered the woods of the WMNF.

An easy, gentle grade along an old logging road that follows a wide but shallow brook, we soon crossed into the Presidential Range-Dry River Wilderness. At 0.9 miles, we took a sharp right to enter the old bridle path, ascending the moderately steep ridge between Mt Crawford & Mt Hope through a series of switchbacks & zig-zags. The temperatures now pushing over the 40 degree mark, we stopped at various points to shed layers, hydrate and catch our breath.. all the while maintaining a fairly relaxed but steady cadence.

Following the ridge north, we reached the crest at 1.9 miles to discover remarkable views on a packed ledge lookout with fairly clear views of Carrigain & Tripyramid. As we started back onto the trail toward the summit, we noticed that, of the few that had broken the trail before us, only 2 snowshoe prints had gone any further, as we found the soft depth of the previous storm under foot and it was at this point that those of us who carried our snowshoes were putting them on. (let it go Matt! :D)

At 2.2 miles, we reached the side trail that diverges left up the sloping ledge leading to the open, bare peaked summit of Mt Crawford. After some scattered effort levels amongst the group we were reunited at the summit just before 1:00pm. With very minimal wind and mild temps we decided to hang out and soak in the panoramic views of Crawford Notch, the Dry River Valley and the Presidential Range, including the cloud covered peak of Mt Washington. Matt, who snowshoelessly slogged through a half mile of mashed potatoes was quite content with planting his feet on a bare rock portion of the summit, while Mike & I played a competitive game of “Name that Peak”. Vinny was meticulously snapping photos of the incredible views around the ledges of the summit. Leonard, who helped to identify several bird calls along the way, took in the breathtaking landscape and Dave stayed content on firmer ground with Matt at an optimal vantage point for views toward the Presidentials.

After all had consumed an adequate bounty of optical as well as calorie burning sustenance, we headed back down for our return descent on a well packed trail. By now temps were cooling slightly with very light scattered flurries. At about half way down, Matt heroically stopped a falling tree from crushing a good portion of the group with his super-human strength and fearless bravery! (see photos) :D

Following an effortless and gravity fed decent, the group reached the parking lot at around 2:45pm. After a round of ‘bunny-hugz & butterfly kissiz’ we high-fived a great day and most of us met up at Fabyan’s in Bretton Woods for pub & grub.

Thanks guys for sticking out the resched and keeping me company on one of my all time favorite half-dayers!

There are 59 photos in Album (Note: Move mouse pointer over larger pic and click on NEXT for better viewing)

What Members Are Saying About This Trip/Event

Another great day in The Whites. So glad I had my snow shoes with me...next time I'll take them out of the trunk. It was also cool to see the snow fleas. Thanks Kevin for a great day. - Happy Trail
I had a lot of fun on this hike. It was great to see familiar faces and to meet new hiking buds! Great job on leading the trip, Kevin! - Vinnysca

Members That Participated

guest member

Vinnysca

Outdoor Fitness Level: Strenuous

Whitefield, NH

United States

Attended

Online Status: OFFLINE
Last Login: 04/10/2025 01:14 PM
Member Since: 01/29/2012

guest member

mjm727

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate

Methuen, MA

United States

Attended

Online Status: OFFLINE
Last Login: 04/22/2021 02:24 PM
Member Since: 08/07/2009

guest member

Happy Trail

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous

Manchester , NH

United States

Attended

Online Status: OFFLINE
Last Login: 02/20/2023 05:46 PM
Member Since: 07/12/2010

guest member

Flycatcher

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate

Franklin, MA

United States

Attended

Online Status: OFFLINE
Last Login: 07/23/2025 12:42 PM
Member Since: 10/04/2011

sustaining member

dpbyrnes

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous

Ipswich, MA

United States

Attended

Online Status: OFFLINE
Last Login: 08/04/2025 09:43 AM
Member Since: 01/24/2009


Happy Trail Mar 5, 2012 at 10:31 PM Comment: Another great day in The Whites. So glad I had my snow shoes with me...next time I'll take them out of the trunk. It was also cool to see the snow fleas. Thanks Kevin for a great day. Vinnysca Mar 5, 2012 at 9:18 PM Comment: I had a lot of fun on this hike. It was great to see familiar faces and to meet new hiking buds! Great job on leading the trip, Kevin!