Trip/Event Location: Bretton Woods, NH
Trip Leader(s): dpbyrnes
Max # People: 10
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Moderate to Strenuous
The Mount Jackson and Mount Pierce via Webster Jackson Trail and Crawford Path is a 8 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Bretton Woods that is rated as difficult. Dogs are also able to
FROM THE JUNCTION OF ROUTES 3 AND 302 IN TWIN MOUNTAIN: Turn east onto Route 302 E. Travel for 12.2 miles. Trailhead parking will be on the right-hand/south side of the road south of Crawford Notch [AMC Highland Center].
Look for parking at the Highland Center ( map: 6HCQ+25 Bretton Woods, Carroll, NH), the Crawford Depot Railroad Station (more likely), or along the side of the highway (it should be plowed), and there’s even a small lot a little south of the Webster Jackson Trail Head which should be plowed out.
FROM THE JUNCTION OF ROUTES 16 and 302 IN GLEN: Take Route 302 W and travel for 16.9 miles. The trailhead parking area will be on the left-hand/south side of the road.
The trailhead is about .1 mile south of Saco lake on the same side of the road. Depending on where you park, you will walk along 302 to the trailhead.
Hike Departure is as close to 8:00 as possible, so arrive early to be ready to go.
Look for a white Honda CRV, plate starts with 44
It was an epic day tackling the Mts. Jackson and Pierce loop hike today. Cold but incredibly crisp, clear, quiet and zero wind. We were down to just two of us as started up the Webster Jackson trail at 8am sharp. There were not many folks out and about. The trail was mildly broken - we saw snow shoe tracks and we knew there were 4 folks ahead of us - with maybe a foot of fresh snow off trail which made it was tricky hiking the further up we went. There is not yet the 3-4 of hard pack on the trail you will eventually have in the winter, so you couldn’t tell what was covered rock and/or crevice.
Either way, the trail is super pretty in the winter - snow dappled forest vistas via a curving ascent on the well-protected side of the mountain. We arrived around 10:30 to the summit of Mt. Jackson, which had a stunning 360-degree view of the whites, there got a few minutes with a clear view of Washington which was awesome. After a break we continued forward onto the Webster Cliff trail towards Mr. Pierce. No one had actually traversed the ridge trail so it was all snow.
We struggled for a few minutes to confirm we were actually on the trail but eagle eye Alex found the path and took the lead breaking trail. The snow now was 2+ feet but we marshaled on towards the Mizpah hut. Unfortunately it wasn’t just snowdrifts, it was consistent deep and then deeper snow that got to be waist high. Even in second position following Alexander the snow depth made it exhausting. If we were a larger group we could have taken turns breaking trail, but since it was just the two of us, and we were not sure that Crawford path would even be broken, we decided to turn back after about 3/4 of a mile.
Although break at Mount Pierce to share nuts with the birds, and then headed back down the way we came. By now the trail was perfectly packed down and we made good time. We encountered probably another 15-20 folks coming or going up to Mr. Pierce. We didn’t finish the loop this winter, but it was a beautiful hiking day and we sure got a serious workout. And nice to be on the road home with a few hours of daylight left.
Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous
Outdoor Fitness Level: Strenuous
