Willey Range Snowshoe

On Saturday, February 18, six GO'ers (Kevin, Gary, Martin, Vince, Gil and myself) at the Rt 302 Roadside parking area next to Saco Lake.  Boy, did I take flak for not parking at the railroad station...like the extra hundred yards was going to kill anyone!  Actually, I didn't notice that the lot had been plowed or maintained, and I didn't know when I wrote the original trip.  In the summer it is specifically for Conway Scenic Railroad passengers.

The day was cool, but not overly cold with mostly overcast skies.  We got ready and made sure everyone knew each other.  We then headed across the street, following the tracks to the trailhead, which is behind the station.  It had snowed a couple of inches over the week, but we all chose to use microspikes, since this didn't seem significant.  It was about 8:35, when we started out.  We initially used the Avalon Trail, which has a gentle grade up and it was more icy than snow-covered.  As we climbed in elevation there was about 1-3 inches of snow on the trail.  We took our time...taking several breaks along the way.  Going straight up to the Mt. Tom col, the trail changed to the A-Z Trail and became only a slightly more agressive climb as we headed up to the col.  We reached this point, which was also the location of the Mt. Tom Spur Trail at roughly 10:15AM.  After another short break, we headed up the 0.6-mile spur and we fairly quickly reached a viewing spot and thereafter the summit of Mt. Tom (4051').  Unfortunately there was not much of a view, so we had a group photo taken and headed back.  By this time there was a hazy view of Mt. Field.  We reached the trail junction again at about 11AM.  We continued a short distance along the A-Z Trail to the junction with the Willey Range Trail.  This was mostly gradual as it made its way up to the summit of Mt. Field.  At the junction with the Avalon Trail, we took a break, since the grey (Canadian) jays were congregating!  Normally, I've seen one at a time, but here there were about 4-5 and they were in full begging mode!  We gave in, of course.

The summit of Mt. Field (4340') was just a short distance further and we were on top by 11:45AM.  The views were starting to open up, but there was sill quite a bit of cloud cover.  At least we had views down onto Saco Lake and the Highland Center.  Even though it was close to lunchtime, the group choose to continue on, since there was some wind and it was brisk up on the summit.  After taking another group shot, we descended off of Mt. Field and headed over to Mt. Willey.  The trail dropped steeply in a couple of spots as it winded its way to the southeast of the ridge.  We reached the summit of Mt. Willey (4285') at about 12:50PM.  We continued past the summit and found the ledge on the eastern flank.  The clouds had lifted sufficiently, so there were now views over to Mt. Jackson and the Webster Cliffs and to the southeast to Mt. Carrigain and the Signal Ridge.  Mt. Chocorua's distinctive peak was also visible.  There was almost no wind on this side of the peak and with the open views, we decided to break for lunch.  Sensing the availability of food, the jays were practically in attact mode here too...and they told all their friends!

After lunch we headed back via the same route over the summit of Mt. Field.  Along the way there were now views into the Pemigewasset Wilderness...particularly the Bonds and even Loon Mountain were visible.  We reached Mt. Field again at about 2PM.  After a short break, we continued the short distance off the western side and turned onto the Avalon Trail.  This was pretty easy-going...at least for this section of it.  We reached the short...and rather steep...spur trail for Mt. Avalon at about 2:40.  We all chose to go up and were rewarded with nice views back along the Willey Range and down into Crawford Notch.  We ran into a small group that we had seen on Tom and Willey and chatted for a short time before deciding to descend back to the Avalon Trail.  This is where the trail became fun!  It's normally steep and rocky...with all the packed snow, it was steep and made for a great slide...as Kevin can attest! 

We continued on and were back at the trailhead by 3:45PM...oh, and the grueling hike back along the tracks to our cars!  After the hike most of us went down the road to Fabyan's to cap off the day with dinner and drinks (Gary had to get back home to take care of an obligation).

It was a fun day with an especially great group of guys!  Thank you all for joining me on this trip!  And congratulations to Vince and Gil for doing their first three 4000-footers!  See you all on another activity soon!

Join me for this 10 mile hike, which will ascend to the ridge by way of the Avalon and A-Z Trails...steeply in some sections.  From the top there is a short spur trail to Mt. Tom (4051').  We'll then continue on to Mt. Field (4340') and Mt. Willey (4285').  Both are tree covered, but there are some very nice outlooks into Bretton Woods, Crawford Notch and into the Pemigewasset Wilderness.  NOTE:  The section between Field and Willey is steep, possibly requiring additional traction.  We'll backtrack over Mt. Field on the return and descend via Mt. Avalon, which affords spectacular views to the north and east.  Total distance for the hike is 10.0 miles with an accumulative elevation gain of approximately 4128'.  Plan to meet at the Avalon Trailhead near the Crawford Notch Train Depot at 8:30AM.  We should be finished by 5:00PM.

What to wear/bring:  Snowshoes are required and should be adequate for most of the hike.  Additional traction (microspikes, crampons, etc.) may be necessary on some of the steeper sections.  Wear warm clothing suitable for the exposed ledge(s) and summit(s)...no cotton or blue jeans.  You should also have insulated boots suitable for the season.  Additionally, consider bringing goggles, face protection and a headlamp/flashlight.  Bring along plenty of water (at least 2 liters), lunch, snacks and anything else you may require for a day hike.

Afterwards:  We will head over to Fabyans in Bretton Woods for drinks and dinner, if there is sufficient interest.