Bondcliff advice

Hey now,

I figured I might try this list amongst other resources...

I'm to hike the Bondcliff Trail in the White Mountains tomorrow through
Sat. or Sun. Does anyone have advice on where to start/end this trip?
Where to camp? I know of the trails themselves, but wonder how far up
Lincoln Woods we could park etc. to cut down on distance. And I know
where the marked campsites are, but there aren't many and I hear that
they fill up quickly (so where to camp backcountry-style, bearing in
mind it'd be fairly high up, in that case). I'd like to hike the
Bonds/Twins and Guyot, preferably in two days, three if it's the better
idea (so where to camp if for one night only, where for two). These'd
all be 4000+ footers so there's no way I could skip one due to 'time
considerations' (no way at all .

Thanks!
Stephen

You must park at the Lincoln Woods parking area, on the Kanc. It's all walking from there. The Franconia Falls campsite is on the east side of the Pemi, along the East Side Road, about a 3 mile hike in. That's the only established campsite on the way in to Bondcliff. You can get a spot by stopping at the ranger station at Lincoln Woods. If they are full, you'll need to camp elsewhere.

5 miles from the trailhead you reach the Bondcliff trail. About 1/2 mile up that trail, as you rejoin Black Brook, there are some camping spots to be had. Cross the stream at the "No Camping" sign and wander at least 200' into the woods. You'll eventually find some spots there. Since it's Wilderness Area, you MUST be 200' from the trail. Rangers will issue tickets if they find you closer. There's no camping allowed within 1/4 mile of the Bondcliff/Lincoln Woods trail junction either.

Beyond that it's pretty hard to find legal spots as you go higher. Once you get up high it's pretty much impossible to find a good and legal spot before the shelter. The Guyot Campsite is on the ridge past Bond and West Bond. It's your likely destination for the night. Get there as early as you can to get a platform or a spot in the shelter. When they fill up (and they will on a Sat night) the caretaker will direct you to less nice overflow spots on the ridge.

The hike out over the Twins is pretty straightforward (Guyot, though over 4000 isn't a 4000'er) but there are a few stream crossings on the North Twin trail that can be trouble in high water. You can bushwack around several of them, staying on one side of the stream pretty easily. See the White Mountain Guide for details.

-dave-

Depending on your disposition you might be able to do a 2-day hike out of it- hike to the Guyout site on day one and hike back the same way the next day. The Lincoln Woods trail is 5 miles (flat), and from there it's about 7 miles (half uphill, half flat/downhill) to the Guyout site/Twinway trail.
From the Bondcliff/Twinway junction it's about 2 miles (easy following the ridge) to S Twin, from S Twin it's about 2.8 miles to N Twin.

Getting the guide would be the best thing since you can see all these options. I can't really remember a good loop to do to just see that side of the Pemi without backtracking a lot. If you wanted and have 3 days you could easily do the Pemi Loop and hit all of those peaks you want and more by doing about 12 miles each day (just an avg, depends on where the campsites are). Or do it in 2 days and hike about 16-17 miles each day.

Doug

Would missing the trail from Bondcliff itself though the Pemi/Lincoln Woods be OK to miss? I'm thinking of hiking the Twins the first day to Guyot campsite. Maybe to West Bond that day too. Then do Bondcliff and Mt. Bond, Guyot and Zealand the second day. Is that enough of the Bondcliff trail to feel fulfillment of it or does that not do it enough justice? The hike from Bondcliff South just looks too boring and LONG...

But fairly easy.

Yes, I've done it by going in from Zealand to Guyot and then hiking out the Twins. If you have two cars I'd do it that way, or by putting the second car at the Gale River trailhead. If you only have one, then going in and out the Twins is your best bet.

-dave-

Welcome Saveman. Looks like you had a pretty good crew helping you here.

Whichever you decide, if you stay at Guyot I would highly recomend a trip to West Bond at sunset.


IMO the clockwise Pemi loop: Franconia/Garfield ridge, etc. With side trips to Galehead, North Twin, and Zealand combined with sunset at West bond and sunrise on Guyot is worth every step of the flat part on the way out.

Everyone has excellent comments, so the only thing I'll chime in to say is that if you summit West Bond, Bond, and Bondcliff, you will feel plenty fulfilled. Those peaks are beautiful, above treeline, and without reproach. West Bond is only about 1/2 hour from the Guyot campsite/shelter, so I will second the recommendation of going up there for sunset.

There's plenty of other enjoyable sections of trail as well. Near the Bondcliff/Twinway junction you'll be on Mt. Guyot above treeline, and South Twin is an open summit with expansive views.

Actually, I do have a comment. Skip North Twin - just go up the Gale River Trail. Stop in at Galehead Hut for food and water; tag the Galehead summit if you're a peakbagger. Then head over South Twin and directly to Guyot and claim your site; it's a very popular spot. Then I would head over to tag the Zealand summit (if a peakbagger), come back, have dinner, and hit West Bond. The next day, Bond, Bondcliff, back over Bond, strike camp, and head back over South Twin, down and out. Given the length of that second day, you don't want to have to do the detour to Zealand and back. But on the first day, with a light pack you'll easily backtrack a bit from Guyot to the Twinway and then down and up the col.

Both of these days are long and strenuous, but leaving your full pack at Guyot for as much as possible will help.

Enjoy!

"Actually, I do have a comment. Skip North Twin - just go up the Gale River Trail. Stop in at Galehead Hut for food and water; tag the Galehead summit if you're a peakbagger. Then head over South Twin and directly to Guyot and claim your site; it's a very popular spot. Then I would head over to tag the Zealand summit (if a peakbagger), come back, have dinner, and hit West Bond. The next day, Bond, Bondcliff, back over Bond, strike camp, and head back over South Twin, down and out. Given the length of that second day, you don't want to have to do the detour to Zealand and back. But on the first day, with a light pack you'll easily backtrack a bit from Guyot to the Twinway and then down and up the col. "

That sounds like the basic plan I'll take. We've decided to go in Sept. too to avoid any crowds and humidity (like tomorrow's). I've already bagged Garfield/Galehead so I'd do the Twinway to Guyot campsite then West Bond the first day. Zealand/Guyot /Hale the second day after the other two Bonds. We'd have two cars. In theory anyhow... Thanks again!

Ah, Zealand the trailhead as opposed to just Zealand the peak.

Sounds like a fine plan. Day 2 is definitely LONG, going all the way from Bondcliff to Hale - get an early start. That'll be, what, 7-8 hours?

I hope you have perfect weather for this trip - it'll be a beaut!

saveman said:

We've decided to go in Sept. too to avoid any crowds and humidity (like tomorrow's). I've already bagged Garfield/Galehead so I'd do the Twinway to Guyot campsite then West Bond the first day. Zealand/Guyot /Hale the second day after the other two Bonds. We'd have two cars. In theory anyhow... Thanks again!

Click to expand...

Just remember that Zealand Road will be closed to auto traffic due to bridge construction at the Rt. 302 end of the road, beginning Sept. 6 IIRC. This will require you to walk to the highway from the Mt. Hale trailhead.

Smitty