FranklinSites.com Hiking Guide
Home

States
 Colorado
 Connecticut
 Maine
 Massachusetts
 New Hampshire
 New York
 Rhode Island
 Utah
 Vermont

 View All

Lists
 NE 4,000 Footers
 NE 100 Highest
 NH 4,000 Footers
 NH 100 Highest
 NH 52 With A View
 NH Belknap Range
 NH Ossipee 10

Links

Trail Conditions

Trip Log
 Sunrises
 Sunsets


About


Mt. Madison, Mt. Adams
Randolph, NH, Bean's Grant, NH, Thompson and Meserves Purchase, NH

Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below.
Looking down the Howker Ridge Trail
Looking down the Howker Ridge Trail

Route: Howker Ridge Trail, Osgood Trail, (Mt. Madison), Osgood Trail, Star Lake Trail, (Mt. Adams), Air Line, Randolph Path

With a nice day in between rainy days, I headed up north and opted to try a new-to-me trail to the Northern Presidentials.

Starting at Randolph East, the temperature was in the upper 40s. The Howker Ridge Trail started off gradually with generally nice footing, passing some cascades in Bumpus Brook. After crossing the brook on a somewhat tricky set of large boulders, the trail climbed steeply, passing near a rock crevace called Bear Pit. Beyond that, it continued uphill through some nice woods lined with blueberry bushes.

The trail reached multiple peaks (and thus had multiple ups and downs) via a few minor scrambles as well as a few alpine zones. After the second Pine Link junction, the trail eventually emerged into the typical Northern Presidential traprock fields.

There was a chilly breeze on Mt. Madison as some clouds started to move in overhead. Nonetheless, the views were quite strong.

On my way to Mt. Adams, I took a snack/warm up break at the Madison Spring Hut (which was undergoing heavy renovation). From there, I headed up the steep Star Lake Trail, passing by various patches of alpine flowers.

The winds had dropped significantly by the time I reached Mt. Adams. Though the skies were continuing to cloud up, the views were still quite strong.

For the descent, I headed down the Air Line Trail, eventually taking a right onto the Randolph Path. The Randolph Path back to Randolph East was generally gradual with good footing, passing through nice hardwoods.


Hike Ratings
Getting To Trailhead: Easy
Destination: Mt. Madison
Length: Moderate
Steepness: Very Difficult
Navigation: Easy
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Minimal
Destination: Mt. Adams
Length: Difficult
Steepness: Very Difficult
Navigation: Moderate
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Minimal


Hike Stats
Date Hiked: Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Hike Commenced: 7:21 AM
Parking Elevation: 1,225'
Destination: Mt. Madison
Ascent Commenced: 7:21 AM
Summit Reached: 10:08 AM
Time Elapsed: 02:47
Trailhead Elevation: 1,225'
Summit Elevation: 5,367'
Distance: 4.5 miles
Vertical Gain: 4,295'
Destination: Mt. Adams
Ascent Commenced: 10:12 AM
Summit Reached: 11:36 AM
Time Elapsed: 01:24
Trailhead Elevation: 5,367'
Summit Elevation: 5,774'
Vertical Gain: 1,014'
Hike Ended: 2:28 PM
Hike Time Elapsed: 7:07
Hike Vertical Gain: 5,686'


The Howker Ridge Trail trailhead at Randolph East
The Howker Ridge Trail trailhead at Randolph East

Diapensia along the Osgood Trail
Diapensia along the Osgood Trail

Looking at Mt. Washington and Mt. Adams from Mt. Madison - Click to enlarge
Looking at Mt. Washington and Mt. Adams from Mt. Madison

Looking down the Star Lake Trail on the way to Mt. Adams
Looking down the Star Lake Trail on the way to Mt. Adams

Looking at Mt. Jefferson from Mt. Adams - Click to enlarge
Looking at Mt. Jefferson from Mt. Adams

Diapensia along the Air Line
Diapensia along the Air Line

Topographic map of Mt. Madison, Mt. Adams - Click to enlarge


Directions to trailhead: Take US 2 West from Gorham. At the bottom of the big hill, take a left onto Pinkam B - Dolly Copp Road. The Randolph East parking lot and Howker Ridge Trail trailhead are on the right shortly thereafter.

Back to Mt. Madison Profile
Back to Mt. Adams Profile




Copyright 2002-2021, All Rights Reserved.
www.FranklinSites.com