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 Search Trail Conditions Trip Log  Sunrises  Sunsets About Mt. Whiteface, Mt. Passaconaway Albany, NH, Sandwich, NH, Waterville Valley, NH Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below. Looking up the Blueberry Ledge Trail Route: Blueberry Ledge Trail, Rollins Trail, (Mt. Whiteface), Rollins Trail, Dicey Mill Trail, (Mt. Passaconaway), Dicey Mill Trail Upon waking, I quickly realized I didn't have much energy. As a result, I decided not to do anything that would require much driving. Fortunately, the Ferncroft parking area is only a few minutes away. Arriving a bit after sunrise, I talked with a few folks in the parking lot as I put on my snowshoes, and then was on my way up the Blueberry Ledge Trail. The road portion of the trail was okay for snowshoes, as it was covered wall to wall in packed snow and ice and hadn't been sanded - it could have easily been barebooted, but I felt like getting my snowshoes ready before putting on my backpack. Fortunately, the trail had been broken out after the series of snowstorms earlier in the week. Nonetheless, extended portions were completely covered over from wind - if I hadn't hiked this trail multiple times before, it would have been somewhat hard to follow in a few places due to this. I was making decent time until I arrived at the first of the many scrambles. Due to the powder, I struggled to dig the crampons on my snowshoes into the underlying ice/frozen granular. As a result, the upper portion of the trail took a bit longer than I had hoped - and had zapped my minimal energy. While it was a bluebird sky morning at sunrise, clouds quickly moved in. By the time I reached the southern ledge view point on Mt. Whiteface, the sky was almost completely overcast. Nonetheless, I was still able to see Mt. Chocorua, the Ossipee Range, Lake Winnipesaukee, and even some of the Belknap Range. After spending two minutes taking photos and eating a chocolate/peanut butter bar, I was on my way to the true summit. Quite frankly, I would have been content with turning around at the Whiteface summit. Nonetheless, I continued on the Rollins Trail. Extended portions were covered by windblown, requiring a bit more effort than the already packed portions. By the time I reached the Dicey Mill Trail, I was wicked hungry and worn out. Nonetheless, I decided to see how much further I could push it without a true break. Boy was that a tiring portion of trail! I tend to think of the final portion of the Dicey Mill Trail being brief and not climbing much vertical - not quite true! The first portion is gentle enough, however the further it goes, the steeper it becomes. By the time I reached the true summit, I was more than ready to take a break. I quickly downed some chips and chocolate/peanut butter bars while sitting on a pair of gloves - it felt good to be off my feet for a few minutes! I was ready to call it a day, so I limited by break to a few minutes and backtracked to the viewpoint at the top of the Dicey Mill Trail. I thought about going around to the (better) viewpoint, however the trail wasn't broken out and I wasn't up to adding anymore distance to the hike in cloudy conditions. I quickly remember why I chose to ascend via the Dicey Mill Trail the previous time I did Passaconaway - its long and somewhat boring! Extended portions on the flats before the Tom Wiggin Trail junction were concealed to windblown snow. By the time I crossed the field back in the 'residential' area, I was more than happy to take off my snowshoes at the end of the plowed road - suddenly my feet were a lot lighter! All in all a nice day out on the trails, despite the lack of energy and clear, sunny skies. Hike Ratings Getting To Trailhead: Easy Destination: Mt. Whiteface Length: Moderate Steepness: Very Difficult Navigation: Moderate Views: Excellent Crowds: Minimal Destination: Mt. Passaconaway Length: Difficult Steepness: Difficult Navigation: Moderate Views: Excellent Crowds: Minimal Hike Stats Date Hiked: Saturday, January 5, 2008 Hike Commenced: 7:54 AM Parking Elevation: 1,140' Destination: Mt. Whiteface Ascent Commenced: 7:55 AM Summit Reached: 10:44 AM Time Elapsed: 02:49 Trailhead Elevation: 1,140' Summit Elevation: 4,020' Distance: 4.2 miles Vertical Gain: 3,055' Destination: Mt. Passaconaway Ascent Commenced: 10:45 AM Summit Reached: 12:48 PM Time Elapsed: 02:03 Trailhead Elevation: 4,020' Summit Elevation: 4,043' Distance: 3.1 miles Vertical Gain: 863' Hike Ended: 3:20 PM Hike Time Elapsed: 07:26 Hike Distance: 11.9 miles Hike Vertical Gain: 4,038' The Blueberry Ledge Trail trailhead at Ferncroft Looking southeast at the Ossipee Range from the Mt. Whiteface southern ledges The Rollins Trail from Mt. Whiteface to Mt. Passaconaway Looking west at the Tripyramids from one of the viewpoints near the Mt. Passaconaway summit Directions to trailhead: Take Route 113A to Wonalancet, then take Ferncroft Road. The trailhead (the road) and parking lot are both on the right next to the pasture. Back to Mt. Whiteface Profile Back to Mt. Passaconaway Profile Copyright 2002-2018, All Rights Reserved. www.FranklinSites.com