48x12=576 White Mountains Grid Routes Guide

the bushwhacks

• Firewardens (Hale) - about 20min up from N.twin TH, when you go down a wooden steps and immediately back up a little stone steps left - count to 90-100 seconds walking and there is a sharp left up 150 degrees back - this is firewardens and it's well-trodden all the way up the brook

• Black Pond and Brutus (Owls) - at the rear back of black pond keep going around, trail gets rocky/muddy but continues north - after 30min rejoins the marked trail at lincoln brook crossing. Brutus starts just after 2nd major brook crossing, in summer there is a birch "V" showing the way, much easier than the "main" whack

• Seven Dwarfs (Hale/Twins winter) - its easy - right over car-bridge, left at green sign into woods, follow to upper haystack rd. half-mile below summer trailhead

• Iso Express (Isolation) - winter-only, if you can follow a snow track do so, otherwise stay on the standard route for safety

• Camp Dodge Cutoff (Carters) useful for doing shorter winter routes from 19-mile/carter trails

top 10 lessons to finish your grid

1. Logistics. Planning trips within the same zone (north, central, south) reduces travel time & gas. Prioritize blue-sky days for the presidentials.

2. Seasons. In winter you need many more days out and 3x the gear/weight, but you have the trails to yourself. Risk is much higher (an overnight could be fatal).

3. Temperature. Biggest risk any season is hypothermia. De-layer for climbs, layer up before summits/ridges. Wear a hooded hardshell for snow-laden branches.  

4. Attitude. A grid is 200+ days of endurance hiking mostly alone. Stay in balance, keep your internal narrative positive and lean into the forest's healing effects.  

5. Injuries. There's always some part of the body that is not 100%, you will slip and twist and get sore. Take rest weeks, file & cream your feet. 

6. Reps. You will get stronger and faster over time, like AT thru-hikers, memorize the trails, turns and tricky spots, make faster transitions and better gear choices. 

7. Momentum. The person who consistently gets back out there and enjoys the whole process (home leg: washing gear, scouting next trip) wins over faster athletes.  

8. Traction. Trail runners for May-Oct, microspikes in Nov/Apr, snowhoes and bigger spikes Dec-Mar, ice axe/crampons for gnarly routes eg. jackson, osceolas.

9. Carspots. You don't need two cars, I soloed a grid using custom loops and roadbike spots (spreadsheet). Don't wait around for others, keep moving towards your goal.

10. Tech. You can't eat or wear a phone. Leave plans with family and don't depend on any device for help (even a perfect rescue can take 12+ hrs of sitting in the snow).

tips for camping on a shoestring

• In summer you have your choice of a dozen pay-campsites, try Big Rock (Kanc) and 4th Iron for quieter variety, avoid Hancock's RV-crowd

• The best free summer camping is Haystack Rd. / Gale River Rd. area during the weekdays you can almost always find a spot 

• In winter you're limited to just Hancock (The South/Lincoln Woods) and Barnes (all points North) and the toilets stay open (wear a headlamp in!)

• Car camping at trailheads - national forest rules say you can't camp at trailheads, but people seeking an early start sometimes do car camp.  observations:

  • Crawford Connector and Ferncroft stay quiet, you generally won't get kicked out for sleeping in a car/truckbed, just don't pitch a tent

  • Lincoln Woods parking lot is a 24-hr circus of comings-and-goings (2am Pemi Loop/Bonds Traverse starters), better to park at a nearby campsite

  • Appalachia TH along Rt2. is loud and crowded, no toilets, just pop up to Moose Brook S.P. for a quiet nights rest before your northern presi adventure

  • Waterville (Livermore) is routinely patrolled at its trailheads for (car) campers, you'll get kicked out 

  • Cabot - if you stay at York make sure you're up in the hiker parking lot, not next to the fishery/trailhead - this is a muggy, buggy place most of the year

• Personal safety - I've seen trouble at campsites especially the dispersed ones - groups of drunk males indicate trouble - carry pepper spray or 2A

top 3 resources i used

1. https://mountwashington.org/weather/higher-summits-forecast/ - must-know short-term conditions for the presidentials, add 10 degrees for lower 48 

2. https://trailsnh.com/tools/weather-forecast.php - mid-range weather window planning, accurate and detailed enough for everything but the presidentials 

3. https://www.waterville.com/cams-summit - the southern/sandwich conditions in one picture is better than guessing from the MWOBS forecast 

the gear, made easy 

footwear 

• summer - you'll want multiple pairs of trail runners in the car, I find that for steep climbs like cannon a higher-heel more aggressive tread like salomons (11mm drop) are better, whereas for long traverses (eg. 15+mi days) i prefer an all-rounder hoka/brooks-style with less drop (7mm range) and more forgiving space/cushioning. Alternating pairs and styles on the same trip helps prevent hotspots / blisters from forming.

• winter - you don't need fancy mountaineering boots (eg. $600 scarpas) - any modern insulated ankle-high boots will do, in fact for multiple days out a pair of $100 merrell/columbia-style leave your feet in a better place due to their softer comfort and warmth. wear copper-style sockliners under wool socks to avoid blisters.

water/hydration

• summer - i don't usually carry water. i carry the simplest sawyer filter it's lightweight and practical to deploy quickly at streams, for long traverses in high summer i also carry a 2L reservoir bag with hose and use electrolytes (lmnt is amazing huge fan).

• winter - you'll read all about insulated water bottles and hot water but i was fine carrying 1 or 2 nalgene HDPE-style 1L wide-mouth bottles with room-temp water, they're lightweight, close them in resealable plastic bags rolled inside your extra clothes layers and they'll stay warm enough to drink. chug a liter before hiking.

poles 

• summer - a must-have during may-october for gnarly descents over rocks and mud. people use 2-section "sliders" but i now prefer the 3-section fold-up aluminums from amazon for under $50. they've proven more durable and quicker to deploy than carbon or sliders, and i can stow them quickly between my pack/back for quick hands-free climbs.  

• winter - you don't need poles in winter, snowshoes are great for the knees downhill, and you need gloved hands to be free to eat, change layers/traction, carry an axe.

traction devices (winter)

• people obsess over this topic - but just by having 1-2 forms of traction you're way ahead of the typical "MA/RI-rescue on falling waters trail".

• spikes - the #1 most used piece of traction gear you'll own.  not all spikes are the same, take some time learning your options before buying. i use two kinds: 

  • microspikes (12-point kahtoolas for $80) for light-carry, mixed rock/ice in the shoulder seasons(november/april). these last a couple seasons, you can re-sharpen the points 1-2x safely using a metal file and vice, after that they get too short to remain effective on ice.

  • crampon-style spikes with 20+ bigger points, available on amazon for $20, despite being lower quality they perform better than micros in deep snow and ice from december-march. the only downside is they can break if you encounter rocks, but are repaired easily with a pliers and/or some wire/paracord.  

• snowshoes - the most pricey piece of gear you need to buy. spend up here. modern msr-style snowshoes with heel "televator" and paragon-style bindings (step-in with straps from both sides of shoe) are an absolute must on long steep climbs from december to march, you'll be hiking hundreds of miles in them, and not having a mechanical advantage puts your calves/achilles at serious risk of strain, unlike in summer when you have rocks/roots as heel support. 

• snowshoe pack - seriously! you'll be putting snowshoes on/off your feet and pack hundreds of times, so think about a system for carrying them as part of the investment in good snowshoes. i like msr's simple snowshoe pack as my winter pack, it has enough capacity for my extra winter gear but is useable while wearing full gloves or mittens - a lifesaver when you're swapping out traction standing on a ridge in 20mph blowing snow at -10F (routine jan/feb conditions).

• crampons - this term is confusing and people mix up all kind of devices as being crampons. the msr snowshoes and the bigger 20+point spikes are in fact crampons that will get you safely up/down just about anything the grid trails have to offer in winter - you're not front-pointing WI2 ice routes. However, jackson, the kinsmans and a few others get short sections of blue ice bulges with 20+ feet fall exposure where you may prefer switching into a full traditional crampons with front points. what matters is you feel comfortable climbing, don't stress over making the "perfect" choice.

• axe - it doesn't matter what kind, the main thing is you have one in-hand when you really need to. if it's too heavy and you leave it in the car, it can't stop a fall. if it's stowed on your pack while downclimbing an ice bulge, it can't stop a fall. i carry a ski mountaineering style semi-curved, lightweight steel/aluminum composite from blue ice for its versatility and have it in-hand whenever wearing snowshoes (easily opens/closes the televators).

• pocket saw - no joke! this is something i learned from a multi-grid finisher high up a ridge in winter punching through multiple heavy blowdowns. having a small lightweight pocket slide-out handsaw (gerber makes a nice one) saves you from veering off-trail into chest-deep snow and spruce traps. this counts as traction. 

• skis - a small number of folks use them (meets the biped human powered criteria) for long hike-ins like owl's, garfield or the osceolas up tripoli rd. any old cross-country skis will do, tripoli rd is groomed so you can even "skate" ski up.  mountaineering skis are less useful for the grid due to the narrow NH48 trails, but you'll share ski tracks up/down the trails at lafayette/lincoln, hancock, osceola and other ski mountaineering objectives during the snowiest part of winter.

first aid kit & know-how

• you'll be out there a lot, more than most forest rangers, chances are you will encounter someone who needs help. be sure your first aid kit is beefier than just bandaids, bring lightweight wraps and compresses for deeper gashes (think sharp branches), tape for splinting, and spend 2-minutes learning basic trail splints. 

hangry... on a budget?  gridders go here

• Mt Washington Rt 302 / Rt 3 Twin Mountain area - the gridders delight is Yaya's Market & Deli for massive $2 pizza slizes, breakfast sandwiches, coffee & Good Vibes!

• Waterville - Jugtown country store has everything from fresh soup sandwiches and coffee to first aid and repairs - the pitstop while peakbagging in the valley

• Kanc / Lincoln Woods area - Lincoln McDonald's has a blazing hot fireplace at your back - Seven-11 next door has a dozen flavors of coffee & $1 refills from 5am daily