Trip/Event Location: Waterville Valley, NHUS
Trip Leader(s): Gandalf , JDNnh
Max # People: 12
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Moderate to Strenuous
This peak overlooks Waterville Valley, whose fall colors should be on full display at this time! This peak is on both the New England 100 Highest and 52 with a View lists. We’ll be hiking up the
Trailhead is on the north side of the narrow, dirt and rough Sandwich Notch Road [low clearance cars may have difficulty], 1.4 miles north of the power line along Beebe River and 3.5 miles south of NH 49. Sandwich Notch Road is off I-93, Exit 28, about 5 miles off NH 49 as you head towards Waterville Valley; if you reached Smarts Brook Trailhead parking you missed the road. We'll be driving a blue Toyota Tacoma.
Super weather for hiking in peak foliage at New Hampshire’s White Mountains! The Algonquin Trail is fantastic! What a super trail. Easy first mile to stretch the legs on the old road with a climb up to Black Mountain Pass. Beautiful woods.
One scramble was particularly challenging! After we handled the first tough one the others were not a problem. Plenty of rock/root footholds, always something to grab. Many open ledges with fantastic views in all directions. We cleared a path that was blocked with debris to a ledge with tremendous views of the Mad River Valley Mountains.
We were done with the scramble challenges when we reached Black Mountain, just above the Black Pond trail junction with a spectacular view point! We liked it better than the Sandwich Dome summit. We then had a long ridge walk with limited partial views, but we had the cool feeling of the land falling away to valleys on either side of us. There were carpets of moss on the sides of the trail in many sections. Parts of the woods are a very pretty blend of ferns, lichen, hobble, brush, mushrooms and towering hardwoods and softwoods. Ideal for a sunny day, especially the way the trail weaves thru these areas, sometimes tough and other times easy, it all lends to the enchantment.
We had the summit of Sandwich Dome to ourselves for most of the time we were there. From the summit, one can reportedly view 35 four thousand footers including Mt. Washington!
We saw about 5 people on the Algonquin trail. We highly recommend this one. Beautiful colors from our views throughout, weather was crisp and we couldn’t have asked for a better day!
Awesome hike! It was a gorgeous day with panoramic views. Another friendly group of guys. Thanks for the awesome day fellas!!!
Outdoor Fitness Level: Very Strenuous
Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate
Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous
Outdoor Fitness Level: Strenuous
Comment: Foliage peaked at 3PM, glad we got there on time. Everyone knows the peak is at the full moon. Great timing!
