Winter Hiking Mount Whiteface (4,020') and Mount Passaconaway (4,043')

HIKE STATISTICS

Total Distance: 11.9 miles

Elevation Gain: 3,680 feet

Hiking Time: 8 hours, 10 minutes

Difficulty: Difficult

Curious to learn more about these peaks during the summer time when there is no snow? Click here for Mount Whiteface and click here for Mount Passaconaway!

HIKE DATE: 02/01/2020

Description: Mount Whiteface and Mount Passaconaway are located in the Sandwich Range Wilderness. The lookout ledges just below the wooded summit of Mount Whiteface offer great views south towards the Lakes Region. Mount Passaconaway has views to the west and north from a lookout point below the wooded summit. While both hikes can be hiked individually, the most efficient way to tag both peaks is a long loop, which is what we did for winter.

Trails Used: Ascend via Blueberry Ledge Trail to Rollins Trail to the summit of Mount Whiteface. Continue along Rollins Trail then take Dicey’s Mill Trail to the summit of Mount Passaconaway. Descend via Dicey’s Mill Trail back to the trailhead.

Trail Summary: The trailhead for this hike is at the end of Ferncroft Road. As you’re driving up the road, you’ll see a big open field. After that field, the parking lot will be on the right. You have to park here because the rest of the road is private access for the residents that live there. The road can definitely be a bit icy depending on the recent conditions, so drive slowly as you pull in! We did the loop clockwise by ascending Whiteface first then going to Passaconaway so that we would be going up the steep ledges rather than down them. To start, you will be taking the Blueberry Ledge Trail to get to the summit of Mount Whiteface, which is a very scenic route, though the upper portion of the trail is steep and rough. For this reason, the Blueberry Ledge Trail earned itself a spot as an elective on The Terrifying 25 list, so more specific details and photos about this trail can be found here. For this reason, we opted to carry full crampons and ice axes with us just in case we didn’t feel like we had enough traction. To get to the Blueberry Ledge Trail from the parking lot, you will have to walk along the road for about 0.3 miles, passing some of the houses, until you reach a split where Blueberry Ledge Trail goes left across a bridge (while Dicey’s Mill Trail continues straight). After the bridge, you will still be on a private gravel road for another 0.2 miles until you pass the last house and head into the woods. Soon after entering the woods, you will come to a split where the Blueberry Ledge Cutoff goes right along the Wonalancet River. The cutoff is equal in distance as the main trail, and is a bit more rougher than the parallel section of the Blueberry Ledge Trail. Though it is a nice alternative, we chose to stick to the main Blueberry Ledge Trail for this hike since that was the portion where the snow was packed down nicely. The trail follows an old road for a while before passing through a flat area, where it then begins to start gaining elevation at a moderate grade. You will then come to the bottom of the ledges and climb to the top, where you will have limited views looking towards the Ossipees. The trail continues to climb moderately, and eventually the Blueberry Ledge Cutoff will rejoin the trail on the right (marked by a cairn). The trail enters the woods again, still climbing moderately, though there are some steeper sections that you’ll start to encounter. Once you reach the junction with Tom Wiggin Trail, after 3.2 miles of hiking, the trail will really start to climb as you ascend the ridge. You will approach a steep cliff and then you will climb up a steep ledge. This was the one spot we were most worried about, as it can be extremely treacherous if it is very icy. Luckily for us, there was hardly any ice and we were able to scramble up this section with minimal difficulty. You’ll continue scrambling up steep, rough, and rocky terrain, passing lots of nice viewpoints that look west and east along the way. There was only one section on the upper portion where we felt like we could have utilized our ice axes, though we did not actually use them. The ledges take you to a false summit, at the junction of the McCrillis Trail and Rollins Trail. To get to the true summit of Mount Whiteface, you will continue on the Rollins Trail for 0.3 miles. The Rollins Trail will do some minor ups and downs and pass the Kate Sleeper Trail before reaching the wooded summit of Mount Whiteface, which is indicated by a sign. After tagging the true summit in the woods, it’s time to head on towards Mount Passaconaway!

You’ll already be on the Rollins Trail, so at this point it’s about 2.2 miles until you reach the junction with Dicey’s Mill Trail. From the true summit of Mount Whiteface, the trail descends gradually, though there are some short, steep sections. We found there to be a lot of minor ups and downs which was annoying (turns out it equates to about 220 feet of gain on the way down!). From the summit to the junction, you’ll drop 870 feet. Eventually, you’ll come to the junction with Dicey’s Mill Trail. From this point to the summit, this section of the Dicey’s Mill Trail becomes a bit steeper and tougher, especially after going up and over Whiteface! It’s only 0.9 miles from the Rollins Trail junction to the summit. There is another junction (known as the East Loop) which is 0.2 miles after the Rollins junction - keep to the left there. In a bit, you’ll find yourself at the summit! There is a nice outlook, but the actual summit cairn is further up on a spur trail - keep going straight from the outlook and you’ll come across it. There used to be a sign here, but we looked around everywhere and could not find it. We think it may have been removed or destroyed. After enjoying a lunch and some snacks, it was time for us to descend on Dicey’s Mill Trail. This descent is very moderate and easy going, especially the lower half, making for a quick return trip. We did the 4.5 miles from the summit of Passaconaway to the trailhead in just over 2 hours! It was a great day for Winter 48 numbers 7 and 8 for us!