New England Camping?

[lheiw]

Thanks! Great info. I'm looking for a place where I can stay lower, set up a basecamp in a very secluded area, and hike around. Is some way to park near a trail head for Davis path?

 

[David Schott]

Ive done extensive hiking in the NE area. I thru hiked the Long Trail from MA to Canada and have been hiking in the whites my whole life. IMHO, the best bang for your buck is getting a permit, hiking into the Pemigewasset area from Lincoln Springs trailhead, banging a left at Ossio trail and following the ridge up over the flume, haystack, lincoln, lafayette, and ending up on the north side near Zealand hut. You can stay at liberty springs campsite just off Lincoln on your first night, and make it over to Zealand on your second day if you hike hard. From there you can hit Thoreau falls which is spectacular, thriteen falls, and any other number of areas. You can then turn and hike into the Pemi wilderness and summit Owl which is the only 4000+ footer without an established trail to the summit, and end up back on the Kangamangus side. Its about 5-7 days of hard hiking, but you hit some of the best trails and summits in the whites without doing the main presidentials.

If you want more traditional camping, you can camp at any site along the Kangamangus (i suggest Big Rock) and hike any summit in the whites with less than a 45 minute drive to the trailhead. You could probably summit 12 or 15 4000+ mountains in a few days depending on your skills and the loops you do.

If you want real solitude, look into Isolation train and Desolation shelter...you probably won't see anyone and have the site to yourself. norther VT is also desolate in terms of day hikers. Find an area that can't be day-hiked like the Bonds, and after you are ten miles in, you'll only meet people like yourself and no morons with their fat dogs and whining kids ruining the views.

 

[IUKE12]

you'll only meet people like yourself and no morons with their fat dogs and whining kids ruining the views.

truer words were never spoken, great observation:thumbup:

 

[kr1]

Thanks! Great info. I'm looking for a place where I can stay lower, set up a basecamp in a very secluded area, and hike around. Is some way to park near a trail head for Davis path?

Two excellant ways in. Either right from the Davis path trailhead on RT 302 and crossing on the suspension footbridge. The other is the Mt Langdon trailhead which is off of RT 302. I can send map coordinates or strip maps or whatever you might need. You should of course get maps of the area. The first night you can spend either at Resolution shelter or if you climb stairs mountain you can camp off trail on the ledge. This will require some effort. You can then travel north on Davis and camp the second night on the ridge. This is montabaln ridge. Views from Isolation are excellant if the weather is good. You can clearly see the mooks driving up the Mt washington road. :barf:

You can get out by Isolation trail east to RT 16. There are other trips if you want to stay low, or camp low and maybe do dayhike up some 4000 footers.

KR

 

[kr1]

Ive done extensive hiking in the NE area. I thru hiked the Long Trail from MA to Canada and have been hiking in the whites my whole life. IMHO, the best bang for your buck is getting a permit, hiking into the Pemigewasset area from Lincoln Springs trailhead, banging a left at Ossio trail and following the ridge up over the flume, haystack, lincoln, lafayette, and ending up on the north side near Zealand hut. You can stay at liberty springs campsite just off Lincoln on your first night, and make it over to Zealand on your second day if you hike hard. From there you can hit Thoreau falls which is spectacular, thriteen falls, and any other number of areas. You can then turn and hike into the Pemi wilderness and summit Owl which is the only 4000+ footer without an established trail to the summit, and end up back on the Kangamangus side. Its about 5-7 days of hard hiking, but you hit some of the best trails and summits in the whites without doing the main presidentials.

If you want more traditional camping, you can camp at any site along the Kangamangus (i suggest Big Rock) and hike any summit in the whites with less than a 45 minute drive to the trailhead. You could probably summit 12 or 15 4000+ mountains in a few days depending on your skills and the loops you do.

If you want real solitude, look into Isolation train and Desolation shelter...you probably won't see anyone and have the site to yourself. norther VT is also desolate in terms of day hikers. Find an area that can't be day-hiked like the Bonds, and after you are ten miles in, you'll only meet people like yourself and no morons with their fat dogs and whining kids ruining the views.

I think desolation shelter is closed and has been removed because of pretty serious bear problem. They use to call him Brutus. Very large male. I can check to be sure.

KR

 

[Tohatchi NM]

White Mountains, Pemi Wilderness.

There's also the long trail through vermont, the adirondacks, and tons of forest land in Maine. Acadia is pretty, but not terribly remote. Katahdin is nice from what I hear.