| Owl's Head Path (West Slide) Route |
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| Owl's Head Path (West Slide)   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: New Hampshire, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 44.14410°N / 71.605°W Route Type: scramble w/ long approach Time Required: A long day Difficulty: scramble
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| Page By: nartreb Created/Edited: Jul 11, 2005 / Mar 5, 2009 Object ID: 165816 Hits: 2188 Loading... Page Score: 86.4% - 2 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Standard ApproachThe approach begins at Lincoln Woods Trailhead on Route 112 (Kancamagus Highway), east of the town of Lincoln. Parking is more than ample.
Cross a wooden suspension bridge (over the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River) and head north along the Lincoln Woods Trail (a.k.a. the southern end of the Wilderness Trail). You can't miss the signs and the trail is over ten feet wide.
After 2.9 miles, just after another suspension bridge (over Franconia Brook), turn left onto the Franconia Brook Trail. Follow it north for another 1.7 miles.
At the sign, turn left (west) onto the Lincoln Brook Trail.
In a further 0.5 miles, wade across Franconia Branch.
0.4 miles after that, wade across Lincoln Brook. The trail remains on the left side of Lincoln Brook until about half a mile before the Owl's Head slide, and the remaining stream crossings are much easier.
1.8 miles after the Lincoln Brook crossing, the trail swings northward and crosses an un-named stream while remaining to the left (west) of Lincoln Brook.
0.6 miles after that, the trail crosses Liberty Brook, passes a small clearing (formerly Camp 11 - look for the No Camping icon nailed to a tree), and crosses to the right (east) side of Lincoln Brook within 0.2 miles.
0.4 miles after that (3.4 miles from the Franconia Brook Trail), in a stand of evergreens, the Owl's Head Path diverges to the right. the junction MAY be marked by a cairn; hikers (re)build it and rangers sometimes remove it. You may also find the traces of three arrow-shaped painted blazes that have been scrubbed off from trees.
You can't see the rockslide from Lincoln Brook trail, though once your attention is drawn along the Owl's Head Path you may see a few small cairns marking the route.
Lincoln Brook crossing |
Water Level infoThough it's not really nearby, this flow gauge will give a general idea of whether the water crossings are likely to be deeper than usual. If you do this hike, please comment on the depth of water you encountered.Bushwhack ApproachesYou can avoid the two difficult stream crossings if you're willing to bushwhack.
Option 1: At the bridge over Franconia Brook, stay on the west bank and bushwhack northwards. (For the first 0.3 miles, until Franconia Falls, there is a trail.) Where Lincoln Brook joins Franconia Brook, stay left (west) and continue bushwhacking along the bank. Join the Lincoln Brook Trail after it crosses Lincoln Brook.
Option 2: Take the Black Pond Trail north from the Lincoln Woods Trail (2.6 mi from the trailhead). Follow it to the end (0.8 mi), then bushwhack north from Black Pond. Follow the south/west bank of Lincoln Brook until you join the Lincoln Brook Trail.
For more information and some interesting history see the Owl's Head Routes page on HikeNH.
Northern ApproachesIf you're willing to cross over Garfield Ridge, (an extra 2500 feet of elevation gain plus an equal descent [each way]), you can take the Garfield Trail or the Gale River Trail from trailheads near Route 3. (For directions to the trailheads, see the pages for Mt Garfield and Galehead Mountain.) Once on Garfield Ridge, descend to 13 Falls via Franconia Brook Trail or Twin Brook Trail, then follow Lincoln Brook Trail west and south to the slide.
These approaches are longer and much more strenuous, and traveled infrequently enough that the trail may be somewhat overgrown. Their only advantages are that they pass by the 13 Falls tentsite (and also near either Garfield Campsite or Galehead Hut), and that they avoid the water crossings of the standard approach.
Route DescriptionOnce found, Owl's Head Path leads you directly eastward to the rockslide.
The slide climbs about 1500 feet in under a mile, and consists largely of loose (and often wet) coarse gravel, but is not especially difficult.
At the top of the slide, follow blue blazes along the obvious path which swings gradually northward as it approaches the crest of the ridge. In summer 2005, the trail faded out at a cairn and sign (reportedly no longer there) 0.2 miles south of the actual summit. Chances are, by the time you read this the path will be well-worn all the way to the true summit, but bring a GPS if you care about precision - or keep your eyes peeled for bolts (from the old sign) in a fir tree, then continue 0.2 miles.
update summer 2008: A comment by dirth informs me that blowdowns have become very numerous. Other reports indicate that the blue blazes are no longer so obvious. Still, the route seems to be clear enough.Essential GearUsual New England weather gear.
Good navigational skills.
Poles and water shoes for the stream crossings. Waders or wetsuits for cold-weather water crossings.
Snowshoes, crampons and climbing axe(s) for winter climbs.
Miscellaneous InfoIf you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.
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White Mountains (NH/ME)
