Trip report
BEGINNER WINTER HIKE – WEST AND EAST RATTLESNAKES
Half Day Hike DATE: 01/15/2023 - 01/15/2023
Trip/Event Location: Holderness, NH
US
Trip Leader(s): Gandalf , JDNnh
Max # People: 12
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate
So, you just got some new MicroSpikes and/or snowshoes [or expecting them for Christmas] and are itching to try them out. Perfect!! Join us for a hike up to West and East Rattlesnakes in Holderness,
...If you’re coming from the south, turn off US 3 in Holderness onto NH 113, and drive 5.3 miles to the parking area on the right. From the north on NH 113, drive 6.3 miles from the overhead blinking light in Center Sandwich to the parking area on the left.
Trip Report/Photos
The Old Bridle Path up West Rattlesnake [1,243 feet] and East Rattlesnake [1,289 feet] is one of the busiest trails in New Hampshire but today it was quiet. It was 3.7 miles round trip with 800 feet elevation gain. Today was a good day to head over for a hike up the Old Bridle Path and share with everyone the famous watery view from the summits!
We pulled into an almost full parking lot at 11AM. We started up the wide well-trodden trail that was once a cart path. The trails are maintained by the Squam Lakes Association, and the land is owned by the University of New Hampshire. They have done an amazing job with replacing & installing steps, retaining walls and drainages along the trail!
We enjoyed the walk up the trail. We work Microspikes the entire day. All the leaves were down so we had better views than summer!
We approached the top and walked out on the granite ledge, and found a quite spot overlooking the southern view of Squam Lake. The views from the top over Squam Lake is phenomenal!
We continued over to East Rattlesnake using the Ridge Trail and saw a few people enjoying this section of trail. There was nice section of hemlock. The East Rattlesnake Ledge was peaceful, and while the outlook there isn’t as expansive as west peak, it’s quite nice!
This was one of the best days ever for a hike here - temperature was good, lake views couldn't have been better and the group of guys enjoyable! The Rattlesnakes are well worth many more visits.
There are 34 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
- Very fun hike fellas! It was my first winter hike, and I'm glad I got to do it with you guys! I had a great time trying out all of my new winter gear! As always, it was with a bunch of nice and interesting guys. Great pictures too! The main picture of the hike turned out so cool! Looking forward to the next hike! - GpD
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