logo NH Mountain Hiking

Hiking Resources

  1. Weather Forecasts
  2. Current Trail Conditions
  3. Snow Depth
  4. Access Road Closures
  5. Trail Maps
  6. Guide Books
  7. Website Guides
  8. Hiker Safety
  9. Acronyms
  10. Patches
  11. Magazine Articles
  12. Lyme Disease Caution
  13. Dog Courtesy
  14. Bushwhacking Basics


Weather Forecasts:

Before you hike, check the weather forecast for a city close to where your mountain is located! Click on a city below to get links to weather forecast services for that area.
 
New Hampshire:
Concord
Gorham
Keene
Laconia
Lebanon
Lincoln
Nashua
Pittsburg
 
Vermont:
Bennington
Montpelier
Newport
Rutland
 
Maine:
Bar Harbor
Greenville
Millinocket
Stratton
 
Or, click on a yellow name on this map:
weather map nashua concord laconia lincoln gorham pittsburg lebanon keene bennington rutland montpelier newport stratton greenville millinocket barharbor

 
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Current Trail Conditions:

  1. New England Trail Conditions -- A well-organized website (by Jeremy Clark) where fellow hikers post current hiking trail conditions, especially helpful in winter.
     
  2. Views From The Top -- Another website where hikers post current trail conditions.
     
  3. Trails NH -- Combines recent trail condition reports from multiple sources, including New England Trail Conditions, Views From The Top and Rocks on Top.

 
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Snow Depth:

  1. NOAA Interactive Snow Information -- Tells how much snow is on the ground (adjust "Select Date" on left, then click "Redraw Map").

 
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Access Road Closures:

  1. Forest Roads and Gates Status -- (closed or open)
    in the White Mountains of New Hampshire
     

 
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Trail Maps:

  1. Map Adventures -- Their White Mountains Trail Map gives the "big picture", showing most of the White Mountain trails on a single map. This map is a superb reference for choosing a new mountain to hike.
     
  2. Wonalancet Out Door Club -- The WODC publishes a fine Tyvek map of the Sandwich Range.
     
  3. ACME Mapper -- A source for free (low resolution) digitized topographic maps.
     
  4. NH topo maps -- A new (free) resource provided by the NH Fish and Game Department.

 
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Guide Books:

  1. Appalachian Mountain Club -- The AMC is the primary source for trail guides for mountains in New Hampshire and Maine. Their guide books are the recognized standard for the area. Included paper trail maps are accurately drawn (via GPS). AMC sells waterproof (Tyvek) versions of the trail maps separately.
     
  2. Randolph Mountain Club -- The RMC publishes the guidebook Randolph Paths covering the Northern Presidentials, with an included Tyvek map.
     
  3. Dartmouth Outing Club -- The DOC publishes the Dartmouth Outing Guide, which includes Mt. Cube, Smarts Mtn. and Mt. Moosilauke.
     
  4. Friends of the Wapack -- This group publishes the Wapack Trail Guide of easy hikes in southern New Hampshire.
     
  5. Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Trail Club -- This group publishes the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Trail Guide of easy hikes in southern New Hampshire.
     
  6. Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Coalition -- This group publishes the SRKG Trail Guide of easy hikes in the Lake Sunapee area.
     
  7. Appalachian Trail Conservancy -- The ATC publishes trail guides for those areas where the AT crosses Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
     
  8. Green Mountain Club -- The GMC is the primary source for trail guides and maps for the mountains of Vermont.
     
  9. Huntington Graphics -- This company publishes mountain-hiking guides for Vermont.
     
  10. The Mountain Wanderer -- This Lincoln, NH, bookstore is loaded with mountain-hiking resources, including hardcopy USGS topo maps of NH.
     
  11. Ted's Favorite Hikes in Southern New Hampshire by Ted Bonner -- Available in print from Yankee Farmer, Greenfield, NH (603-547-6421).

 
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Website Guides:

  1. AllTrails
  2. Bay Circuit Trail
  3. FranklinSites
  4. Hike New England
  5. Joe's Guide to Acadia National Park
  6. New England Hiking
  7. NH Family Hikes
  8. Peakbagger
  9. Trustees of Reservations

 
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Hiker Safety:

  1. Safe Hiking in New Hampshire -- suggestions from NH Fish and Game
     
  2. Gear Guide -- gear suggestions from AMC
     
  3. Hiking with Kids -- What to Bring
     
  4. Hiking in Winter
     
  5. "To the Owner of This Book" introductory chapter in the AMC White Mountain Guide.
     
  6. Accounts of bad experiences:
        - Mountain Rescue
        - Life-Threatening Weather
        - Death on Mt. Monadnock
        - A Beautiful Place to Die
     
  7. Survivor's Fortress -- in-depth discussion of wilderness survival skills
     
  8. Surviving in the Outdoors: An Emergency Guide
     
  9. Leave No Trace Principles -- recommended by MaryAnne and her girl scout troop

 
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