Home States  Connecticut  Maine  Massachusetts  New Hampshire  New York  Rhode Island  Vermont  View All Lists  NE 4,000 Footers  NE 100 Highest  NH 4,000 Footers  NH 52 With A View  NH Belknap Range  NH Ossipee 10 Explanation of Ratings Links Ossipee Mountains Notice Search Trail Conditions Trip Log About	Gulf Peak, Mt. Isolation, Mt. Davis, Stairs Mountain, Mt. Crawford Pinkham's Grant, Sargent's Purchase, NH, Cutt's Grant, NH, Hadley's Purchase, NH, Hart's Location, NH Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below. Looking up the Glen Boulder Trail near Glen Boulder Route: Glen Boulder Trail, (Gulf Peak), Glen Boulder Trail, Davis Path, Isolation Spur, (Mt. Isolation), Isolation Spur, Davis Path, spur trail, (Mt. Davis), spur trail, Davis Path, spur trail, (Stairs Mountain), spur trail, Davis Path, spur trail, (Mt. Crawford), spur trail, Davis Path Ever since hiking to Stairs Mountain and thoroughly enjoying the Davis Path north of Mt. Crawford, I had a desire to check out the rest of it. After meeting at the Davis Path parking area on Route 302, we headed up to the Glen Ellis parking area on Route 16. Though the Presidentials were in the clouds, Glen Boulder was in the clear - not a bad sign. Despite the weeks of near-constant rain, the scrambles on the Glen Boulder Trail were fortunately dry. After taking a break at Glen Boulder, we continued to the summit of Gulf Peak, beyond which fog was lingering. Bitter (for summer anyway) winds forced us to put on our shells as we pushed our way into the mist. While normally the descent of the Davis Path from the Glen Boulder Trail junction is one of my favorite stretches of trail, the wind and limited visibility took away some of the appeal. Back into the trees, I was shocked to see how wide the Davis Path was - perhaps as a result of ice storm damage, the trail was a perhaps six foot wide swath - a far cry from how I recalled it being. Upon reaching the Isolation Trail junctions, it returned to the width I recalled. After jumping over mud pits and big puddles, we finally reached the spur trail to Mt. Isolation. While initially we had very little in way of views, the clouds lifted as we had lunch, revealing the southern-southern Presidentials, as well as the Sandwich Range and the North Conway-area peaks. Our next stop was Mt. Davis. Back on the Davis Path, we continued to dodge mud pits as we worked our way to the next spur path. Reaching it, we were soon scrambling up the rock slabs - a bit slippery after the recent wet weather. While we were tempted to go to the true summit of Davis, the sea of thick spruce between it and the spur trail, as well as the prospect of a lot more southbound hiking remaining, convinced us to be satisfied enough with the tremendous 360 degree views offered from the 'fake' summit. The Davis Path between Davis and Stairs seemed to go on forever - the mud pits certainly didn't help things go by quickly. There were some nice areas, however, such as small quasi-meadows and interesting cols. The views from the top of the giant stairs of Stairs Mountain were tremendous - the best of the day thus far, thanks to the continually improving weather. After taking a leisurely break, we set off for Mt. Crawford, once again jumping over pooled water and mud pits. The views from Mt. Crawford were probably the best of the day, as the clouds had lifted off all visible peaks (with the exception of Mt. Washington). Early evening sun provided very interesting shadows, thus only enhancing the views. Still ahead of us was the rough descent of the Davis Path below Mt. Crawford - while not as rough as I remembered (perhaps some more trailwork had been done), it was nonetheless a bit painful at the end of the day. Reaching the suspension bridge a little bit after the sunset, the parking lot was a welcome sight for sore feet. Hike Ratings Getting To Trailhead: Easy Destination: Gulf Peak (Slide Peak) Length: Moderate Steepness: Very Difficult Navigation: Easy Views: Excellent Crowds: Minimal Destination: Mt. Isolation Length: Difficult Steepness: Difficult Navigation: Moderate Views: Excellent Crowds: Moderate Destination: Mt. Davis Length: Difficult Steepness: Very Difficult Navigation: Easy Views: Excellent Crowds: Minimal Destination: Stairs Mountain Length: Very Difficult Steepness: Difficult Navigation: Moderate Views: Excellent Crowds: Minimal Destination: Mt. Crawford Length: Very Difficult Steepness: Difficult Navigation: Easy Views: Excellent Crowds: Minimal Hike Stats Date Hiked: Sunday, July 5, 2009 Hike Commenced: 8:01 AM Parking Elevation: 1,975' Destination: Gulf Peak (Slide Peak) Ascent Commenced: 8:01 AM Summit Reached: 10:38 AM Time Elapsed: 02:37 Trailhead Elevation: 1,975' Summit Elevation: 4,806' Distance: 2.6 miles Vertical Gain: 2,851' Destination: Mt. Isolation Ascent Commenced: 10:44 AM Summit Reached: 1:06 PM Time Elapsed: 02:22 Trailhead Elevation: 4,806' Summit Elevation: 4,004 Distance: 3.4 miles Vertical Gain: 808' Destination: Mt. Davis Ascent Commenced: 1:43 PM Summit Reached: 2:33 PM Time Elapsed: 00:50 Trailhead Elevation: 4,004' Summit Elevation: 3,815 Distance: 1.4 miles Vertical Gain: 365' Destination: Stairs Mountain Ascent Commenced: 2:48 PM Summit Reached: 5:34 PM Time Elapsed: 02:46 Trailhead Elevation: 3,815' Summit Elevation: 3,463 Distance: 4.5 miles Vertical Gain: 853' Destination: Mt. Crawford Ascent Commenced: 6:09 PM Summit Reached: 7:32 PM Time Elapsed: 01:23 Trailhead Elevation: 3,463' Summit Elevation: 3,119' Distance: 2.7 miles Vertical Gain: 720' Hike Ended: 9:14 PM Hike Time Elapsed: 13:13 Hike Vertical Gain: 5,617' The Glen Boulder Trail trailhead at the Glen Ellis Falls parking area Looking toward Boott Spur from Gulf Peak Looking down the Davis Path on the way to Mt. Isolation Looking at Mt. Jackson from Mt. Isolation Looking up the spur trail to the Mt. Davis viewpoint Looking south from the Mt. Davis viewpoint The Davis Path on the way to Stairs Mountain Looking at Bemis and Carrigain from the Stairs Mountain vista The Davis Path on the way to Mt. Crawford Sheep laurel near the summit of Mt. Crawford Looking at Stairs Mountain and Mt. Washington from Mt. Crawford Directions to trailhead: Take Route 16 North from Jackson. The Glen Ellis Falls WMNF fee parking area will be on the left, before the height of land. The Glen Boulder Trail trailhead is located next to the restrooms. The Davis Path parking area is located west of Sawyer River Road on Route 302. Back to Gulf Peak Profile Back to Mt. Isolation Profile Back to Mt. Davis Profile Back to Stairs Mountain Profile Back to Mt. Crawford Profile
	Copyright 2002-2012, All Rights Reserved. www.FranklinSites.com