Page Type: | Area/Range |
---|---|
Lat/Lon: | 44.50140°N / 70.99005°W |
Activities: | Hiking, Canyoneering |
Season: | Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
The Mahoosuc (ma-HOO-sic) Range is a NE-SW trending arm of the White Mountains straddling the Maine-New Hampshire border. It is bounded on the south and west by the Androscoggin River and on the north-east by Grafton Notch. Located north of the famous Presidentials and far from any of the traditional White Mountain tourist attractions, it sees comparatively little traffic. Only one peak rises above 4000' feet, so even the peak-bagger crowd is minimal, especially in the remote heart of the range.
The Mahoosucs start with the modest, view-ridden mass of Mt. Hayes rising above the Androscoggin in Gorham, NH, and run northeast over a wilderness of humps and ledges past three notable lakes. Several of the peaks in this area are trail-less and probably see less than a dozen ascents each year. Mount Success is the first large summit reached as the range crosses into Maine. From here, the peaks become more organized and taller alternating between broad, glacier-scoured knobs and sharp rocky peaks.
There are at least eight major summits above 3000' in this part of the range and it is wild and remote. Old Speck marks the range's northern end in Grafton Notch State Park, ME, and is the range's only 4000'er.
Thusfar, only one Mahoosuc Range mountain is on SummitPost. Hopefully others will join the ranks in the near future. I would happily add several of these peaks myself, but currently lack photos for any of them. Submissions would be great!
Listed from north to south with elevations and campsite locations.
Grafton Notch/ME26 | 1600' | 0.0 | no camping | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Old Speck | 4180' | 2.5 | no camping | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Speck Pond | 3400' | 4.6 | shelter, campsite ($6 fee in season) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mahoosuc Arm | 3790' | 5.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mahoosuc Mountain | 3490' | 6.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mahoosuc Notch | 2300' | 7.1-8.2 | Fulling Mill Mountain | 3450' | 9.2 | shelter, campsite | Goose Eye, North Pk. | 3650' | 10.5 | Goose Eye, East Pk. | 3794' | 11.9 | Goose Eye, West Pk. | 3870' | 12.2 | Mount Carlo | 3565' | 13.5 | Carlo Col | 3200' | 14.1 | shelter, campsite | Mount Success | 3565' | 16.5 | North Baldcap (off trail) |
2893' | ~18 | Gentian Pond | 2160' | 19.3 | shelter, campsite | Dream Lake | 2600' | 21.5 | Bald Cap Bald Cap Peak (off trail) |
3065' 2785' |
~22 | Page Pond | 2230' | 23.2 | Trident Col | 2030' | 24.2 | campsite | Cascade Mountain | 2631' | 25.3 | Mount Hayes | 2555' | 27.0 | Androscoggin River/US2 | 700' | 30.8 |
Given the remote and rugged nature of the interior of the range, day hikers are few and overnight backpackers are much more common. The main corridor along the Mahoosuc Range is the Appalachian Trail. It runs from Shelburne, NH, all the way over Old Speck to Grafton Notch and is a great way (indeed, really the only way) to experience these mountains.
The 32-mile trek from one end of the range to the other looks decptively easy, especially for someone used to 20+ mile days in the Mid-Atlantic. However, this is one of the toughest, most taxing hikes in the East! Mahoosuc Notch, the deep, boulder-choked slot between the steep cliffs of Fulling Mill and Mahoosuc Mountains, has been described as the toughest single mile on the entire Appalachian Trail. Unlike other contenders for this title, however, it could also be rated one of the most fun miles!
Principle access to the range from the south is via trailheads along the North Road in Shelburne, NH. The North Road parallels US Rt2 on the north side of the Androscoggin River from the Reflection Pond to the Maine border. These are popular trails and can be turned into rewarding day-hike loops of 5-10 miles each. From west to east, the trails and trailheads are as follows: