White Horse Ledge, NH, 05/03/07

[threecy]

White Horse Ledge, NH

Date Hiked: 05/03/07

Trails(s) Hiked: Bryce Path, White Horse Ledge Trail

Difficulty: Moderate

Conditions: Sunny, no mud or snow

This hike was supposed to be Mt. Israel, but the need to go to the bank overrode previous plans, so I chose something in the North Conway area. Wanting to get back in time for the first Republican debate and The Office, I opted for a somewhat brief hike up White Horse Ledge.

Arriving in the park, I realized the gate was closed and I would have to go around Echo Lake in order to get to where I wanted to go. After figuring out the weird map of mostly unlabelled trails, I found a more direct route via Cathedral Ledge.

Arriving at the base of the ledge, I sent out looking for the Bryce Path. This was not quite as easy as I had hoped, as the trails weren't really marked. At one point, I followed a well worn path up to a random cliff in the woods.

After awhile, I was able to find the Bryce Path (once found, its easy to follow), and ascent up between White Horse Ledge and Cathedral Ledge.

The trail itself was steep in parts, as it climbed up a bunch of stairs. Once it flattened out, the White Horse Ledge trail went off to the left. After a short, steep ascent, things opened up as the trail followed along a set of cliffs. Eventually, I was at the top, which offered good views into Maine, decent views toward Kearsarge North-Middle Mountain, and a view of the Moats.

Though I toyed with heading over to Cathedral Ledge, time was not on my side. The French in me gave up and called it a night.

All in all, a nice somewhat short hike...sort of like a bad indie movie - hard to follow beginning, bland middle, and an interesting conclusion.


Looking southeast into Maine from White Horse Ledge