AMC Outdoors, September 2007
The Northeast boasts 770 summits higher than 3,000 feet. Of these, 115 exceed 4,000 feet and attract the majority of attention; hordes of peak-baggers climb them every year. Yet many 3,000-footers are just as impressive as their taller cousins, offering big mountain views without the big mountain crowds. Here are some of the best, including three destinations in and around the White Mountains—the heartland of peak-bagging fervor.
Doubletop Mountain
Baxter State Park, Maine
Doubletop lies just inside the western boundary of Baxter State Park, rising 3,489 feet above a creased landscape of mountains and glittering ponds. The mighty bulk of Katahdin scrapes skyward seven miles to the east, luring most park visitors away from Doubletop’s open summit views. A network of paths connects Daicey Pond and Kidney Pond campgrounds to the nearby Doubletop Mountain Trail, an occasionally muddy route that ascends steadily to reach the mountain’s twin summits and panoramas of Katahdin and the surrounding terrain.
Distance: 9.6 miles round-trip
Info: www.baxterstateparkauthority.com, 207-723-5140, Maine Mountain Guide, 9th edition (AMC books)
Mount Crawford
White Mountain National Forest, N.H.
Montalban Ridge traces south from Mount Washington, running parallel to the peaks of the southern Presidential Range to form the eastern ramparts of the Dry River watershed. Mount Crawford stands sentinel at its southern end, a ledgy and little-visited summit crowned with blueberries and a 360-degree view of the entire drainage. The Presidential peaks bristle across the valley; the summit of Mount Washington rises in the distance above the deep bowl of Oakes Gulf. Reach the top via the strenuous Davis Path, which quickly rises 2,200 feet from its trailhead on Route 302.
Distance: 4.5 miles round-trip
Info: White Mountain Guide, 28th edition, Map 3: Crawford Notch–Sandwich Range (Amc books)
Percy Peaks
Nash Stream Forest, N.H.
The twin domes of the Percy Peaks hide north of the White Mountain National Forest and overlook the vast forested landscape of far northern New Hampshire. The Percy Peaks Trail emanates from Nash Stream Road in state-owned Nash Stream Forest and steeply climbs to the saddle between the two summit humps. A rough spur trail leads to the top of 3,230-foot South Percy, but better views—and a more established path—can be found on its slightly higher (3,460 feet) sister peak to the north.
Distance: 4.4 miles round-trip
Info: White Mountain Guide, 28th edition, Map 6: North Country–Mahoosuc (AMC books), Cohos Trail Guidebook (Cohos Trail Assn)
North and South Baldface
White Mountain National Forest, N.H.
Sheets of granite peel like onion skin from the eastern ridges of North and South Baldface. Perched above Evans Notch in the eastern White Mountains, the twin peaks offer a sweeping take on the neigh-boring Wild River Wilderness to the west and the seldom-trod landscape of the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness to the east. Extensive and continuous views line the Baldface Circle Trail as it rises up 3,570-foot South Baldface, past a shelter ideal for an easy overnight excursion, and then over to 3,610-foot North Baldface. Return via the Bicknell Ridge Trail.
Distance: 9.0 miles round-trip
Info: White Mountain Guide, 28th edition, Map 5: Carter Range–Evans Notch (AMC books)
Mount Horrid
Green Mountain National Forest, VT
A heart-pounding ascent rewards hikers with a falcon’s-eye view from atop a precipitous cliff. The Great Cliff of Mount Horrid lays bare the mountain slopes; above it hikers can relax, look across the Lake Champlain Valley, and scan for peregrine falcons. Past this primary high-light, the trail continues to the wooded 3,216-foot summit and on to Cape Lookoff Mountain, passing several additional viewpoints. Check in with the Green Mountain Club before departing—trails may be closed during nesting season.
Distance: Great cliff lookout, 1.2 miles round-trip; mount lookoff, 3.4 miles
Info: www.greenmountainclub.com, Long Trail Guide (GMC Books)
Snowy Mountain
Adirondacks, N.Y.
Snowy Mountain lurches skyward above the long finger of Indian Lake in the southern Adirondacks. Its lower slopes rise gradually, then shoot abruptly upward into an imposing summit block. A restored fire tower crowns the 3,899-foot peak, taking in 360-degree views that extend north more than 30 miles to the High Peaks region. The Snowy Peak Trail strikes out from Route 30 on a gentle ascent, then scrambles steeply for 1.2 miles to reach the summit plateau.
Distance: 7.4 miles round-trip
Info: www.adk.org, Adirondack Trails: Central Region (Adirondack Mountain club).
Mount Davis
Salisbury, Pa.
Clamber up the observation tower on the 3,213-foot summit of Mount Davis and you’ve reached the state’s highest point. On a clear day, the view sweeps south into West Virginia and Maryland, and north toward the rolling ridge lines of the Allegheny Mountains. Located within Forbes State Forest, Mount Davis is readily accessed from the north via the High Point Trail. En route, the path wends its way through the untouched woods of the 581-acre Mount Davis Natural Area.
Distance: 1.6 miles round-trip
Info: 724-238-1200; www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/forbes.aspx
More Great 3,000-footers
Me: Bigelow Mountain, Mount Blue. NH: Mount Chocorua, North Moat Mountain, Kearsarge North, West Royce, Mount Cardigan. VT: Jay Peak, Mount Hunger, Mount Bromley, Mount Stark. NY: Windham High Peak, Blackhead (Catskills)
- Compiled by Matt Heid and Laura Morgenthau
Contributors
Larry Garland, AMC cartographer; Dave Hardy, Director of Field Programs, Green Mountain Club; Pete Ingraham; Kelly Powers; Eric Savage; Faith Salter; Pete Senterman, Trails Chair, New York–North Jersey Trail Conference; Fred Shirley
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