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I'm not from the area so I don't know everything about Mt. Washington or this route. I know that the Lion Head Trail is a winter variation of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, but what I can't find is info on avalanche danger. Is there any avalanche danger for the Lion Head Trail? If there is avy danger for the Tuckerman Ravine Trail does the Lion Head Trail detour before I reach the avy danger for Tuck, would you still be in the runout for instance? Any info is great. Also, do I need snowshoes or just crampons and axe? Thinking about an attempt in mid to late January. Thanks!

gwave47 wrote:I'm not from the area so I don't know everything about Mt. Washington or this route. I know that the Lion Head Trail is a winter variation of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, but what I can't find is info on avalanche danger. Is there any avalanche danger for the Lion Head Trail? If there is avy danger for the Tuckerman Ravine Trail does the Lion Head Trail detour before I reach the avy danger for Tuck, would you still be in the runout for instance? Any info is great. Also, do I need snowshoes or just crampons and axe? Thinking about an attempt in mid to late January. Thanks!

First of all, welcome and hope you enjoy it here. The eastern slope of Mt. Washington has quite a few trails and deciphering this network can be tricky at first. You are correct that the Lions Head Trail is more or less a variation of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail - as in, it leaves the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, ascends to treeline via a different route and then rejoins it on the Alpine Garden, a plateau below the summit cone of Mt. Washington. That said, the Lions Head Trail itself has a variation, called the Lions Head Winter Route. To make things more confusing, this winter route actually leaves the Tuckerman Ravine Trail at a different location than the summer route. To get to the winter route, the easiest way is to turn right on the tractor road just past the second bridge over the Cutler River (about 1.8 miles from the trailhead) as if heading towards the Harvard Cabin. After a few hundred yards the Lions Head Winter Route diverges left. A first aid cache on the right side of the tractor road marks this location. This trail then climbs steeply (at times very steeply) up to the treeline where it joins the summer Lions Head Trail.

All of this happens well before you get to any of the avalanche runout zones in Tuckerman Ravine, so this will not be a concern even in the worst of avalanche conditions. In general, the Lions Head winter route was placed where it was precisely to avoid avalanche danger. That being said, in times of exceptionally heavy snowfall, there MAY be some avalanche danger on the snowfields of the Lions Head ridge just above treeline. This however is rare; in most cases your biggest concern on the Lions Head will not be avalanches but rather the ferocious winds that often batter the upper part of the Lions Head ridge (often worse than on the summit).

The Lions Head Winter Route is the "regular" route to the summit of Mt. Washington in the winter, and because of that it usually does not require snowshoes unless you happen to go there during or immediately after a significant snowfall. Crampons and an ice axe are always recommended, both for the steep section in the woods and above treeline. Luckily the steepest section is in the woods, which means there are roots and branches to grab onto for added security. If you are generally comfortable on steep snow, microspikes will probably suffice in most conditions, unless it's very icy. However if you are relatively new to this I would go with full-on crampons for good measure.

Good luck and enjoy!

Great answer AlexeyD. The only thing I would add who be to remind the poster to sign in/out at the Pinkham Notch Visitors Center. The book is located in the gear room on the bottom floor accessible by the ramp from the parking lot. They also post a weather forecast above it on the wall.

Thanks Brad. Another "p.s." - the USFS avalanche advisory, posted daily on the Mount Washington Observatory's website - http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/avalanche/ - will usually have a short blurb about hiking conditions in general and the Lions Head Winter Route in particular. Also, check out this link http://www.outdoors.org/recreation/tripplanner/go/backcountry-weather.cfm for trail conditions in general.

Can't forget this one either...
http://www.tuckerman.org/

Awesome replies. Those have to be the most thorough and on topic replies I have ever received on SP. Thank you so much, that was exactly what I needed to know.

Where is a good place to find a cabin or yurt, or even an open campground in the Mount Washington area for mid January. I don't want to spend $120+ for a hotel room, and would rather camp than stay in a skanky hotel. I have a -10 degree bag, so I'm not worried about the fact that it will prob be zero degrees outside. Any suggestions?

gwave47 wrote: I don't want to spend $120+ for a hotel room, and would rather camp than stay in a skanky hotel. I have a -10 degree bag, so I'm not worried about the fact that it will prob be zero degrees outside. Any suggestions?

AMC Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch runs about $60+ with dinner (family style) and breakfast (huge, buffet), mostly two doubledecker bunks in the room,some one-bunkers, pretty likely you'd have a room to yourself this time of year. You save by not eating their food, but it's a great place to load up at remarkably fair price. And to catch latest condition reports.

The Conway Hostel in Conway runs $23 or thereabouts, cook for yourself or eat out. But it's near an hour from Pinkham. Bunkrooms like Pinkham. Both places provide the linens and blankets. Check websites on towels ....

And as Alexey D. sez the Harvard Cabin is a fine choice.

Have a good one.

[edited to delete remarks on false assumption of Traverse]

If you don't mind the hour-long hike in, the Harvard Cabin (same approach as I described in my first post, except that you continue on the tractor road for another 10-15 minutes) is $15 per night, I believe. It has a separate sign-in next to the hiking register that Brad described, which should tell you how many people are already staying and if there will be room (max capacity is around 20). If the cabin is full there are campsites next to it for reduced price, and you can still cook inside and use the facilities.

Yeah I thought about Harvard Cabin, I'm prob going to have to see how cold it gets first. I'm not big on bunk rooms, I have had too many bad experiences with people snoring, and I cannot sleep with earplugs. Would rather camp out in the cold, but this is def. a possibility. Thanks. I also looked at the Joe Dodge Lodge previously mentioned. $75 for a private room isn't bad. I can live with that.

You might wanna take a look at the tent platforms and/or lean-to's at Hermit Lake (about a half-hour below Tucks).

An inexpensive clean hotel is the School House in North Conway at about $50 per night.
You can get up early, stop in at Peach's for a good breakfast and be on the summit just after noon if the weather is good. The cabin is also a great place and the snoring isn't too bad, usually, especially if you're there through the week.

Some freinds and I are heading out for a one-day ascent on 9 Jan, meet us at the trailhead and follow along if ya like!

Colonial Fort Inn in Gorham has a hostel that is $15 or $20 and this is only 20 minutes from Pinkham. I stayed there twice last year and will be back on 12/30 and 12/31.