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About


Bondcliff, Mt. Bond, Mt. Bond (West Peak), Mt. Guyot, Zealand Mountain
Lincoln, NH, Bethlehem, NH, Livermore, NH

Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below.
Looking up Wilderness Trail on the way to Bondcliff
Looking up Wilderness Trail on the way to Bondcliff

Route: Lincoln Woods Trail, Wilderness Trail, Bondcliff Trail, (Bondcliff), Bondcliff Trail, (Mt. Bond), Bondcliff Trail, West Bond Trail, (West Bond), West Bond Trail, Bondcliff Trail, Twinway, (Mt. Guyot), Twinway, spur trail, (Zealand Mountain), spur trail, Twinway, Zealand Trail, Zealand Road,

While the better forecast was for the following day, we decided the forecast for the present day was good enough to get across the Bonds.

After spotting a vehicle at the US 302 lot, we headed to Lincoln Woods and set foot on the Lincoln Woods Trail around sunrise. Passing the Black Pond Trail, we were on our own, breaking trail in about 2-3" of new snow - nothing that tough.

The Bondcliff Trail was in generally good shape, though the lower three water crossings were open. While we had blue sky for the ascent, the summit was in the clouds by the time we arrived. Continuing across the ridge, which was surprisingly covered in snow (it's been bare pretty much every time I've been there), we broke trail up to Mt. Bond - about 6-8" deep.

Once again in the clouds, we didn't linger long. The next stop was West Bond which had some limited views below the clouds.

The largest drifts of the day were encountered as we approached South Guyot. Due to the amount of snow, we were able to cut off the corner to the Twinway junction via a snowfield. Reaching Guyot, we strayed off the trail a bit, as the snow depths had obscured the treeline.

Nearing the col between Guyot and Zealand, we saw the first other people of the day - nice to know that we didn't have to do much more trailbreaking (not that it was overly difficult). Nonetheless, the Zealand summit spur was not broken out, and tracks heading northbound were quickly drifted over. Overall, the section of trail from Guyot to the Zeacliff spur junction was very slow going due to numerous blowdowns and leanover trees.

The descent from the Zeacliff area went fairly quickly - we were soon at the hut, where we took a break just before sunset (no display, due to the clouds). From there, we made it about halfway down the Zealand Trail before needed headlamps. After the Zealand Road and subsequent snowmobile trail walk, the US 302 parking lot was a nice sight to see.


Hike Ratings
Getting To Trailhead: Easy
Destination: Bondcliff
Length: Very Difficult
Steepness: Difficult
Navigation: Easy
Views: Minimal (due to weather)
Crowds: Minimal
Destination: Mt. Bond
Length: Very Difficult
Steepness: Difficult
Navigation: Difficult
Views: Minimal (due to weather)
Crowds: Minimal
Destination: Mt. Bond (West Peak)
Length: Very Difficult
Steepness: Difficult
Navigation: Easy
Views: Moderate (due to weather)
Crowds: Minimal
Destination: Mt. Guyot
Length: Very Difficult
Steepness: Difficult
Navigation: Difficult
Views: Minimal (due to weather)
Crowds: Minimal
Destination: Zealand Mountain
Length: Very Difficult
Steepness: Difficult
Navigation: Difficult
Views: Minimal
Crowds: Heavy


Hike Stats
Date Hiked: Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Hike Commenced: 6:43 AM
Parking Elevation: 1,170'
Destination: Bondcliff
Ascent Commenced: 6:45 AM
Summit Reached: 11:15 AM
Time Elapsed: 04:30
Trailhead Elevation: 1,170'
Summit Elevation: 4,265'
Distance: 9.1 miles
Vertical Gain: 3,245'
Destination: Mt. Bond
Ascent Commenced: 11:17 AM
Summit Reached: 12:08 PM
Time Elapsed: 00:51
Trailhead Elevation: 4,265'
Summit Elevation: 4,698'
Distance: 1.2 miles
Vertical Gain: 718'
Destination: Mt. Bond (West Peak)
Ascent Commenced: 12:09 PM
Summit Reached: 12:50 PM
Time Elapsed: 00:41
Trailhead Elevation: 4,698'
Summit Elevation: 4,540'
Distance: 1 mile
Vertical Gain: 420'
Destination: Mt. Guyot
Ascent Commenced: 12:53 PM
Summit Reached: 1:51 PM
Time Elapsed: 00:58
Trailhead Elevation: 4,540'
Summit Elevation: 4,580'
Distance: 1.3 miles
Vertical Gain: 510'
Destination: Zealand Mountain
Ascent Commenced: 1:53 PM
Summit Reached: 2:50 PM
Time Elapsed: 00:57
Trailhead Elevation: 1,170'
Summit Elevation: 4,260'
Vertical Gain: 320'
Hike Ended: 6:44 PM
Hike Time Elapsed: 12:01
Hike Vertical Gain: 5,313'


The Lincoln Woods Trail trailhead
The Lincoln Woods Trail trailhead

Limited views on Bondcliff - Click to enlarge
Limited views on Bondcliff

Looking up the Bondcliff Trail on the way to Mt. Bond
Looking up the Bondcliff Trail on the way to Mt. Bond

Limited views from Mt. Bond - Click to enlarge
Limited views from Mt. Bond

Looking down the Bondcliff Trail on the way to West Bond
Looking down the Bondcliff Trail on the way to West Bond

Looking toward South Twin from the West Bond summit - Click to enlarge
Looking toward South Twin from the West Bond summit

The Bondcliff Trail on the way to Mt. Guyot
The Bondcliff Trail on the way to Mt. Guyot

Limited visibility on Mt. Guyot - Click to enlarge
Limited visibility on Mt. Guyot

The Twinway on the way to Zealand Mountain
The Twinway on the way to Zealand Mountain

Limited visibility on Zealand Mountain - Click to enlarge
Limited visibility on Zealand Mountain




Directions to trailhead: To get to Lincoln Woods, take Route 112 East from I-93 past Loon to the Lincoln Woods WMNF fee parking area (left side of road). To get to the Zealand parking area in winter (Zealand Road is closed), take US 302 west from Bartlett past Bretton Woods Ski Area. A few minutes after, the Zealand parking lot will be on the right. Zealand Road (gated) is on the left, around the corner.

Back to Bondcliff Profile
Back to Mt. Bond Profile
Back to Mt. Bond (West Peak) Profile
Back to Mt. Guyot Profile
Back to Zealand Mountain Profile




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