Hiker’s Guide to The Waterville Valley Region
The Waterville Valley and Squam Lakes region of the White Mountain Guidebook (WMG) houses some of the lowest elevation trails in the White Mountain National Forest. This region is closest to my home in south-central New Hampshire, but prior to consciously working on hiking all the trails in the guidebook, I rarely visited the southern part of this region. Cross country ski trails interchange with hiking trails in the Waterville Valley area and I found myself, at times, confused as to which trails I needed to hike and which ones were not in the WMG. But the more familiar I became with this region, the more I could appreciate its more subtle beauty.
Sabbaday Brook Trail was one of the first times I hiked what I considered a less-traveled trail (in 2016) and coupled with Pine Bend Brook Trail, this loop has been one of my go-to trips over the last six years. There are six 4000’ mountains in this region, and the heavily trafficked Welch-Dickey Loop Trail. According to the White Mountain Guidebook, 31st edition, “this section covers the mountains that surround the valley of the Mad River…[and] also covers the lower ranges to the south and southwest…[including] the Squam Range, Rattlesnakes, and Red Hill” (335).
In total, it took me eighteen individual days of hiking to complete the 155.3 miles of trail in this section. My total elevation gain and total miles to complete this section of the guidebook were: 196.81 miles and 51,891’ of elevation. My original plan was to complete all of the trails in 18 hikes, and I ended up completing all of the trails in 18 hikes (a rare time when my planned routes didn’t get changed).
Easiest/Hardest Days
Deciding which days were most difficult in this section is a bit hard because I did a handful of these hikes during winter, which automatically makes conditions harder (for me, at least). I definitely assumed that the day I did the Mount Tripyramid Trail up the north slide would be really hard, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I recommend waiting to do this slide until we’ve had a few days of dry weather because footing can be difficult if it’s wet. I also do not recommend doing this slide in winter conditions.
I didn’t find any of the trails in this section to be particularly difficult and I believe that this region of The Whites is a great place for beginner hikers to start exploring less traveled trails.
The easiest day I had in this region was the day that I hiked East Pond Trail and East Pond Loop. The trailwork on this loop is stunning and deserves more recognition.It’s also a great little loop for people who are just looking for a nice walk in the woods and don’t necessarily want a difficult hike.
Navigation/Trail Conditions
In terms of navigation, the Snows Mountain Ski Area, where trails like Elephant Rock and Snow’s Mountain Trail are located, is where I had the most difficulty navigating for two reasons: not a lot of people hike those trails so they tend to be harder to follow due to less foot traffic, and because this area is also home to a bunch of cross country ski trails it was hard, at times, to locate where the hiking trails went. The Sabbaday Brook Trail has a lot of water crossings and can be hard to follow, at times, as well. Guinea Pond Trail is notoriously wet, but there is a new reroute around the beaver pond that makes this area less difficult to navigate now. The spur trail for Guinea Pond is completely flooded and requires some creativity in finding a way across the beaver bog. The majority of the trails located in the Sandwich Wilderness are pretty easy to follow despite being in wilderness. I found the trails in the Crawford-Ridgepole region to be very well maintained and signed. Trails maintained by the White Mountain National Forest had less signage and were not as well maintained (which is typical because of a lack of funding and workers).
Places of Note
This wasn’t my favorite area of The Whites so although I do have some trails that I’m looking forward to revisiting, I don’t imagine that a lot of them will be ones I seek out again. I suppose the main reason for that is because a lot of the trails were not extremely scenic, and I don’t mean view-wise, I mean the actual forests themselves. Living in southern New Hampshire, a lot of the forests in this region resembled what I can see in my own backyard. Rather than driving ninety minutes north, to see what I can see down the road, I would rather drive up to Franconia (which is the same amount of time away from my house). Additionally, I do not like driving on a lot of winding back roads and the majority of the trails are off of routes 113 or 49 which take longer to drive on than the interstate. There are certainly some stunning areas to visit in this region, but in terms of location within the state, this is an area that doesn’t feel as near and dear to my heart as places further west or north.
Hidden Gems in the Waterville/Squam Region
Five Finger Point Trail
This small loop on a peninsula in Squam Lake is beautiful. I have done this area of the region twice now and both times I really enjoyed the 1.3 miles of trail that runs along the edge of this section of land that juts out into Squam Lake. This is a really nice place to visit if you’re looking for views but don’t want to climb to the top of a mountain. You can also make this hike a little harder by doing it from the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain as an out and back.
Big Pines Path
This very short spur trail leads to a stand of white pines. Right off of the very popular, and easily graded, Livermore Trail, I love taking the time to visit these trees when I’m in the area. It’s a really nice spot to stop and have a snack and if you continue down the spur trail a little further past the trees you will reach the Mad River.
Mad River Path
This trail is new to the 31st edition of the WMG. It is located along the Mad River near the southern Livermore trailhead. I stumbled upon it as I was walking back to my car and decided to check it out (I was working on the 30th edition of the guidebook) and was blown away by the incredible trailwork. There are massive stones placed at perfect intervals at the river crossing, wooden steps leading up and down the one small hill, and the majority of the trail runs along a peaceful section of the Mad River. Nestled into the woods right next to Waterville Valley, this trail is perfect for those looking to take a short walk in the woods.
Old Skidder Trail
This trail gives major less-traveled wilderness vibes even though it’s not in a designated wilderness area. I hiked Old Skidder as a loop with Livermore Trail, and it did not disappoint. The side paths to The Flume and The Scaur were both worth taking, and I was surprised to find myself feeling like I was in a more northern section of the WMNF than I was while on this trail. Thick forest, fallen trees covered in moss, and rotting wooden steps left me feeling all the feels and I will definitely be rehiking this loop again in the future.
Snow’s Mountain Trail
This hike located in the Snow’s Mountain Ski Area is beautiful. I’ve done the entire trail twice and both times I hiked it clockwise. With a very short walk through Waterville Valley, you can make this a loop. What I liked most about this hike was the southern portion of the trail. It descends down an old logging road from the summit of Snow’s Mountain (which is wooded but has a small view). It’s unlikely that you’ll run into another hiker on this loop and for a short hike (under 5 miles) is just the right amount of difficulty to make you feel like you did something good for your body.
Popular Hikes in The Waterville/Squam Region
Mount Tripyramid Trail
I would be remiss if this wasn’t the first hike on my popular hikes section. Along with the other 4000’ers in this region, this hike sees a lot of traffic throughout the months when there isn’t snow on the ground. Usually done clockwise, going up the north slide and down the south, this loop has views (mainly just from the slides), one of the steepest pitches in the WMNF, and a nice walk in the woods. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this loop when I completed it (I don’t typically like slides) and definitely recommend it if you enjoy shorter, steeper hikes.
Flat Mountain Pond Trail
Although some may argue that this isn’t necessarily a popular hike, both times I’ve done it there were people staying at the shelter on Flat Mountain Pond. This loop doesn’t take you to the top of any mountains, but the trail leading to the shelter nestled in the Sandwich Wilderness from Bennett Street trailhead is stunning. For those who choose to do this hike from the Bennett Street trailhead, you will have to ford a stream, and both times I’ve done this loop I had no choice but to get wet feet. The portion of Flat Mountain Pond from the eastern junction is less traveled but equally as pretty. As it runs along the edge of Flat Mountain Pond, the trail gets rockier and can require some climbing up, around, and over rocks.
Mount Osceola Trail
The Osceolas were my second 4000’ers and while I almost quit hiking because of how difficult I found the return trip from Osceola East (back in 2016), as I’ve grown as a hiker, this trail is now one of my favorite quicker hikes. However, it’s also a lot of other people’s favorite trail. During the summer, it is hard to find a parking spot because of how crowded the trailhead can get, and if you’re looking for quiet time in the woods on top of a mountain, this is not the hike for you (at least not in the summer). The accessibility to the trailhead from I-93, and the views that you get from the rock slab on the summit of Osceola makes this a wonderful hike for people looking to get into peak bagging, or those who are trying to squeeze in a hike that will take less than a half a day to complete.
Crawford-Ridgepole Trail
This traverse is beautiful. I completed it in the late spring and it was the first time that I’ve done the entire ridge. What I liked most about this traverse was that it was just hard enough and just long enough to make me feel accomplished for the day. There are multiple side trails that you can bail off of the ridge onto if you want to cut the day short, or if you want to make this a shorter hike, just start at any of these other trailheads and do the hike as a loop. My favorite part of this ridge was the section south of Mount Morgan because it is less trafficked and felt a lot like I was hiking on an old road at points.
Wentworth Trail (Looped with Mead Trail and Guinea Pond)
The first time I hiked Mount Israel in 2015 I summitted it via Wentworth Trail and barely remember the hike. In 2022, I completed Israel as a loop with a road walk (which I don’t necessarily recommend because it’s not very fun) and ascended it via Mead Trail. I loved Mead Trail. It was much more gradual and less elevation to climb Israel from this side. The descent down Wentworth Trail was nice, and has switchbacks (a rare find in New England), but I prefer ascending from Mead Trail because it’s less traveled and I like those kinds of trails better than the ones that are heavily trafficked. Don’t forget to stop at Beede Falls if you ascend Israel from Wentworth Trail!
Final Thoughts
This section of the White Mountain Guidebook is where I would recommend starting if you’re new to hiking and want a taste for what it’s like to hike a 4000’er or are looking to get more into tracing (formerly called red lining). I also prefer to visit this area in late fall or winter because the lower elevations means less snowpack. Spring is also a good time to hike these trails as the snow tends to melt faster in this region. Just be sure to check that the trails are open in spring, because some of them are closed in spring to preserve the integrity of the trails. In an attempt to quantitatively rank the 12 sections of the guidebook, I will give it a score out of 10 in three categories:
Variety of Hiking Trails: 6/10
This area doesn’t have the greatest variety of hiking trails. Most of them are pretty similar in terms of views, difficulty, and my overall enjoyment. I found that what I enjoyed most about this area wasn’t the variety or difficulty, but the lack of snow in winter, and that I could do a lot of these trails most of the year, even without snowshoes. This is a great area to visit to get yourself ready for summer hiking in spring, or to avoid the snow in late fall.
Accessibility from South-Central NH: 7/10
Although this region was much further south and took less time to drive to, for me, the lack of variety and difficulty level of the trails didn’t make the closer drive worth it. I would rather drive an extra 20-30 minutes north and hike something with more varied terrain and increased difficulty because those are things that are motivating factors for me. However, it is definitely closer to southern New Hampshire mileage-wise.
Overall Enjoyment on WMG Journey: 5/10
Not to sound like a broken record, but the reason I gave this area a 5/10 is because of the lack of diversity of terrain and the lower difficulty level. I would recommend this area for people looking to get into hiking more (I would say this area offers equivalent or one step up in terms of difficulty from places like the Belknaps or Ossipee Range). Or, if you’re interested in training for summer but want to avoid the snow in late spring, this is a great place to visit. There are a lot of really pretty areas in this region, but compared to the other 11 sections of the guidebook, it is my least favorite section to visit.
