Black Cap the Long Way: 4/23/21

Black Cap, highest of the Green Hills east of North Conway, is a small mountain with a big view. Though it's just 2369 ft. high, the ledges around its summit command a sweeping prospect that includes the summits of 29 New Hampshire 4000-footers and several more in Maine. When Hurricane Mountain Rd. is open, the climb of Black Cap is one of the easiest in the Whites, just 2.2 miles round trip with 650 ft. of elevation gain. There is a much longer route to Black Cap from the Green Hills Preserve trailhead on Thompson Rd. in North Conway. Using the Black Cap Connector, this is a long and generally pleasant woods ramble of 9 miles round trip with 2250 ft. of elevation gain. I hadn't been across the Connector in more than a decade, and it was a good choice for avoiding snow and taking in some fine views. 

With the recent hiking boom, and the prohibition of roadside parking by the town at this location, parking is now a major issue at the Thompson Rd. trailhead. The parking space only holds about 8 cars, and the hikes to Peaked and Middle Mountains and Pudding Pond are quite popular. The area is also heavily used by mountain bikers. Even on a Friday in April, it took me two tries a half-hour apart to secure a space.

The hiking trails in the Green Hills are maintained by the Nature Conservancy, which owns and manages the 5,500 acre preserve. This area is a true treasure in the North Conway area.

Second or third growth hardwood forest cloaks most of the slopes in the Green Hills. This was a crisp and sunny though quite windy spring day, great hiking weather.

Much of the Black Cap Connector follows old logging roads, and the trail shows erosion in places.

 

Burl fest.

About 2 1/2 miles in there's a really nice section of trail that meanders across an oak-wooded plateau. There's a surprising sense of remoteness, not far outside bustling North Conway.

An extensive oak blowdown looks to be the work of a nor'easter.

Nature Conservancy trail marker. A map and information on the Green Hills Preserve are available on the TNC website, https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/green-hills-preserve/

A fine relocated section of trail winds up through some ledge shelves.

The Connector meanders along a broad ridgecrest, passing over two knobs and through a couple of spruce-wooded saddles as seen here.

The trail dips into an attractive hardwood col before the last climb to the summit spur trail.

This sign is a relic from years ago when AMC maintained this trail system.

Signage at the junction with the spur trail to the summit.

It's a struggle to check erosion on this gravelly footway.

Emerging on the summit ledges.

The summit is marked by this red dot.

A huge thank you to those who worked to preserve this special area.

The best views are found by heading down the NW ledges a short distance on the Black Cap Trail, which comes up from Hurricane Mountain Rd. The red blazes are the current markings for the trail. The faded orange blazes were previous markings. The outlined blue blazes mark a very short loop out to a west-viewing ledge.

A ledge perch just off the trail offers a grand panorama of the high peaks to the northwest.

Close by to the north is Kearsarge North and its northern spur peaks. In the distance are mountains in the Evans Notch region.

The Chandler-Sable-Baldface Range behind Rickers Knoll, South Gemini and Mt. Shaw.

It was a wintry day on the Presidentials. Winds averaged about 90 mph on Mt. Washington with gusts over 130 mph.

Backlit view to the southwest, with Mt. Chocorua in the middle.

On the return trip, evening light in the hardwoods.

 

White Ledge Loop: 4/20/21

 The White Ledge Loop Trail makes a pleasant 4.4 mile loop over White Ledge (2010 ft.), a low northeastern spur of Mt. Chocorua. The trail presents varied woods and several ledgy spots with directional views. Combined with a few bushwhack diversions, it provided an excellent day in the woods below the slushy snowline. 

The trail leaves the main access road in the WMNF White Ledge Campground off Rt. 16. Parking in the off-season is limited with room for just a handful of cars on the sides of the entrance outside the gate. In-season, there is a designated hiker parking area within the campground.

I always go up the longer, more gradual east branch of the loop and down the shorter, steeper west branch (counterclockwise). In its lower section the east branch passes through old pastureland laced with several stone walls.

After a stiff climb you top out on a 1500-ft. pass between White Ledge and its southeastern spur, Roundtop. I had never been to Roundtop (1490 ft.), and decided to make the 3/4 mile round trip bushwhack across to it.

Looking back at White Ledge near the start of the bushwhack.

Evidence of a local resident.

And another.

Ascending a spruce-wooded slope to Roundtop, which has only about 65 ft. of prominence.

The viewless summit of Roundtop.

Boulders right by the summit.

From the White Ledge-Roundtop pass, the trail descends through a fine mature hardwood forest with many white ash trees.

Spotting a cliff on White Ledge through the trees, I bushwhacked across and came to this remarkable roof-rock at the base.

Right below the cliff was the only patch of snow I saw all day.

I stumbled onto a faint climbers' path that led to the base of the cliff. A couple of anchors were visible up on the slabs. This cliff is not included in the North Conway area climbing guide, but it is described on the mountainproject.com website.

Gnarled yellow birches inhabit the jumbled talus below the cliff.

Another angle on the roof-rock.

The biggest white ash in the vicinity.

 

At this stone pile (evidence of past clearing for pasture), the east branch of the trail turns left to climb up onto White Ledge.

The largest patch of open ledge on the trail is at ~1800 ft.

At the top of these slabs is a view back to the Moat Range.

Middle and South Moat, with the several cliffs of Haystack below.

The trail continues up past views of Kearsrage North and the Green Hills of Conway...

...and the Bear-Table Mountain area with Mt. Carrigain, part of the Nancy Range, and Mt. Willey beyond.

Zoom on Table Mountain with the picturesque Rainbow Slabs below.

Just before the summit, an unmarked side path leads left to open ledges with a wide view east and a perspective looking down on Roundtop.

A faded message points to a less open view right by the summit.

Not bad, but the other side path has a better vista.

From the summit I bushwhacked down  through prickly spruce to a ledgy area on the west side of the mountain for views of the wild eastern side of Mt. Chocorua.

A closer look at a backlit Mt. Chocorua and the Three Sisters.

The sharp peak of Blue Mountain is especially prominent from this angle. It looks somewhat like a miniature Mt. Garfield, but offers no open views.

This spot offered a unique angle on the long ridgeline joining Bear, Table and Big Attitash Mountains.

Descending along the west branch of the trail, I made a short bushwhack to a perch with a beautifully framed look at Chocorua and the Sisters. From the trail itself you get a peek at just the summit cone of Chocorua.

A distant view of the Ossipee Range from the trail.

Below that view, the west branch makes a very pleasant, easy descent down a ledgy oak-wooded crest.

Farther down the trail is steeper for quite a distance. Along the way it passes the last vista on the loop, from a ledge reached by a spur path to the left. The blue water bodies are Iona Lake and Whitton Pond. I highly recommend the White Ledge Loop Trail for a rewarding spring hike.