Overnight in the Sandwich Range: Jennings Peak and Sandwich Dome

Ever since I finished the New England 4,000-footers, I dropped the idea of peakbagging, at least for the time. Lately I've found myself focusing more on lists such as the New England 100 Highest, and 52 With A View, two lists with many peaks in New Hampshire. I wanted to create a hike where I could bag a few summits on different lists at the same time, and there's no better mountain for this task than Sandwich Dome and Jennings Peak.

Many of the 4,000-footers as seen from Jennings Peak.

Most people take the easy route from Waterville Valley in order to bag the summits, but I made the decision to start the hike from Sandwich Notch Road, using the Algonquin Trail as our way of ascending the mountain. This is the longest, and most technical route up the mountain. The trail was pleasant as it went through some nice forests, with plenty of evident moose activity. The trail soon passed over some ledges with views up to the mountain ahead.

Even the trailhead is in the middle of no where!

Lucy waiting ahead.

Some of the lower ledges with the slope of the mountain visible.

A closer look at the ledges ahead.

We began to climb the slopes until we reached the base of Black Mountain. From here, the trail started a very steep ascent up the knee of the ridge, and when I say steep, I mean it! The whole climb up begins with a 30-foot chimney; a steep rock face that practically needs to be climbed instead of just walked up. I had to put my camera away in order to use my arms to climb it! Even though it was a lot of effort, it was worth it, as views opened up quickly.

The trail getting steeper!

It's hard to capture climbs like this with a camera, but it is steep!

From atop the chimney: Black Mountains sits to the right, with Mt.Weetamoo
to the left.

Although the main chimney was done, there were still many climbs ahead, albeit, much shorter. After a few more, the trees shortened, and the path emerged onto a wide ledgy area with views south over the many rolling hills and smaller peaks in the area. The trail continued in and out of the treeline, occasionally opening onto open ledges with views toward the Lakes Region, Mt.Tecumseh and other peaks.

Another very steep climb.

The view into southern New Hampshire.

Mt.Tecumseh and Mt.Osceola from the trail.
The extensive ledges below are the peaks of Acteon Ridge.

The junction with Black Mountain Pond Trail.

Many peaks are visible, including Jennings Peak to the far right.

Black Mountain Pond can be seen below, with Young Mountain to the left and
Mt.Israel to the  far right.

Mt.Moosilauke is the tallest on the horizon,
with Welch and Dickey visible to the far right.

The path wound through the trees, high on the ridge for the rest of the trail. The ridge undulated numerous times, with occasional views toward Sandwich Dome through the trees. We reached the col, then climbed easily up the southern slope of the mountain until we reached the Sandwich Mtn Trail, which when followed, brings you to the summit of Sandwich Dome, at 3,980 feet, making it just below the 4,000-foot mark!

Sandwich Dome through the trees.

A portion of the trail between the ledges and the summit.

The junction near the summit.

Nearing the top!

While it's said that the summit has fantastic views, it's clear that the trees have began to grow in during recent years. If you plan on hiking this peak, do it as soon as possible, because these views won't be here for much longer! From here can be seen many famous peaks of the Whites, including many in the Franconia/Waterville Valley area.We then continued the opposite way down Sandwich Mtn Trail to Jennings Peak.

Mt.Tecumseh, Mt.Cannon, Franconia Ridge, and Mt.Osceola

Mt.Carrigain, Mt,Washington, and the Tripyramids from the summit.

Looking toward Kancamagus Pass (Mt.Huntington and Mt.Kancamagus)
with East Osceola to the far left and the Bonds and Hancocks visible.

The trail between the two peaks was uneventful, being a very easy trail. The short spur leading to the summit of Jennings Peak got steep right at the end, but soon opened up to some fine ledges with great views from Mt.Washington to Sandwich Dome, and many peaks in southern New Hampshire. The skies were crystal clear, and many far peaks could be seen, such as Mt.Cardigan, Mt.Kearsarge, Mt.Monadnock, Mt.Ascutney, and even Mt.Killington!

Not much further!

Mt.Carrigain and the Tripyramids visible together yet again,
with the Presidential Range in the far distance.

Mt.Washington

Looking south with Mt.Kearsarge prominently to the left and
Mt.Cardigan to the right.

Mt.Cardigan to the left, with Mt.Ascutney standing far away to the right.

Sandwich Dome from Jennings Peak.

The southernmost peaks of the White Mountains (Stinson Mountain, Carr Mountain, Mt.Kineo)
as seen from the ledges on Jennings Peak.

After enjoying the beautiful scenery from the summit, we continued back up to the summit of Sandwich Dome, then down the Bennett Street Trail, which was likely the old fire wardens road, as the trail was wide and flat for most of the way. The path was easy to follow, and made for a good descent. Once we got closer to the bottom of the trail, it got steeper and thinner, until it reached Flat Mountain Pond Trail.

Time to descend.

Higher up on the trail.

Bennett Street Trail

We followed the trail to Flat Mountain Pond, our camping spot for the night.This portion of Flat Mountain Pond Trail is very easy to follow, as it follows an old railroad bed, which had little evidence of being so, until we found a few rails. The path crossed a nice brook, then a flooded bog area known as Beaver Pond. We soon found ourselves at the junction with the trail to the shelter.

Some of the Flat Mountain Pond Trail.

A simple brook crossing.

Crossing Beaver Pond.

More of the path. Notice the old rail.

The shelter and other nearby tentsites were set just at the western tip of Flat Mountain Pond. We set up camp here. This pond is situated in a beautiful spot, with amazing views up toward some of the higher peaks in the region. The nearby brook flowed from the water through a very old dam, then down a beautiful brook. The water was calm all night.

Flat Mountain Pond Shelter

On the water.

The old dam and Pond Brook.

South Tripyramid from Flat Mountain Pond

The Sleepers and Mt.Whiteface from the bog on the pond.

The next morning we continued back to the Bennett Street Trail, then to the Guinea Pond Trail, which is where we ran into some problems. The path stayed on the same railroad bed the entire way, until it suddenly stopped right on the shore of a very flooded plain. There were no blazes or herd paths around this body of water, so we ended up bushwhacking around it's north shore. We crossed the stream then found some faint blazes which we followed back to the trail on the other side of the bog.

At this point the path disappeared.

We bushwhacked until we found this blaze.
There is a faint trail at this point.

The path was much smaller and more overgrown at this point, until we reached the junction with Black Mountain Pond Trail. From this point, we followed the Guinea Pond Trail beneath some power lines and over snowmobile bridges until we found Sandwich Notch Road once again, which we had to follow for about a mile and a half back to the Algonquin Trail.

A confusing sign post.

The shoulder of Sandwich Dome from a bog.

A snowmobile bridge.

Passing beneath the power lines.

A hill as seen from the power lines.

Overall, the entire distance was 11-miles each day, but the hike was well worth the weather, We got to bag a couple peaks, and even visit some new places, like Flat Mountain Pond, a place that gets barely any visitors. The Algonquin Trail was also one of the funnest paths I've done in the Sandwich Range. While most people stick to the classic day hikes, I always like to try new routes. 

Hiking the Montalbans: Mt.Crawford and Mt.Resolution

The Presidential Range of New Hampshire overshadows many mountains in the Whites, both figuratively and literally. Many people think of other peaks within the vicinity of the range as being boring, and mostly viewless. For example, it's safe to say the Carter-Moriah Range doesn't offer the best opportunities when it comes to views. The high peaks of the range are not the only places to achieve views, as the Montalban Ridge is well overlooked, besides Mt.Isolation. At the end of the ridge is a cluster of four peaks, all of which on 52 With A View. It was time I finish that area, and climb Mt.Resolution.

Mt.Crawford from the lower ledges.

Davis Path, one of the oldest trails in the Presidential Range, served as our route of ascent, as it follows the ridgeline just below each summit. The path is very easy to follow, and starts gradually, until it becomes quite strenuous as it continues to pass over a large rocky area and many steep rocky steps. The path eventually flattened out and arrived at the first ledge, which offer a great view towards many iconic peaks in the White Mountains.

Frankenstein Cliff from the bridge over the Saco River.

The rocky, never ending trail.

The view toward Mt.Hope and the Sandwich Range.

From there, the path continued up the mountainside, in and out of the trees along open ledges. It's worth mentioning that there is a short side trail which leads to a large gravelly ledge with a great view looking into Crawford Notch, and the Presidentials on a clear day. Sadly, the only summits in the range that were visible were Mt.Webster and Mt.Jackson, but we knew the skies had to clear up at some point.

Looking back towards the Sandwich Range. Peaks visible include:
Mt.Tremont, Bartlett Haystack, and Bear Mountain

The path soon found the trail junction, with a spur trail leading up to the beautiful summit of Mt.Crawford. We followed the path, which brought us to the expansive ledges of the sharp peak. There were incredible views from this spot out to many peaks in the Whites, most notably Stairs Mountain and Mt.Resolution, our next destination. There are views in every direction, just not from one spot.

The junction with Mt.Crawford trail.

Approaching the summit with a clear and distinct view toward Stairs Mountain.

Crawford Notch (Mt.Willey and Mt.Webster) as seen from the summit.

The massive summit of Mt.Resolution as seen from the true summit.

Mt.Carrigain as seen from another ledge.

After descending from the summit, we began to make our way out to Mt.Resolution, the only peak I had left to do in the area. We stayed in the woods for a while until emerging onto some ledges that had minor views toward the surrounding peaks. There were very good views back toward the summit of Mt.Crawford. The path then reentered the trees for a while. I can't express how beautiful this area truly is!

The path atop the ledges.

Crawford Notch from the ledges.

Is this a hiking trail or a sidewalk?

The forests were nice and open, and unlike the way up, the trail was flat and not rocky at all. Eventually we were brought to the junction with the Mt.Parker Trail, which when followed to it's end, leads to the bald summit of Mt.Parker, a mountain I've climbed previously. We were only going to follow it about half way, to the summit of Mt.Resolution. The path got steeper, and more overgrown, but was still easy to follow.

The path to the junction.

It took no time for the trail to find it's way to the first ledge, where we enjoyed great views over Mt.Crawford and Crawford Dome. The trees slightly obscured the view back towards Stairs Mountain. We entered the trees yet again, and the path stayed there for a while. The path started gaining elevation again, until we emerged onto the open summit, which had great views in almost every direction. Some of the Presidentials even cleared up!

This is the trail!

The Crawfords can be seen below, with Mt.Carrigain towering above all other peaks.

Stairs Mountain from the summit of Mt.Resolution.

The Sandwich Range, with Mt.Tremont and Greens Cliff visible.
Mt.Passaconaway can be seen to the far left.

Crawford Notch, and the Twin Range in the backgrounds, lost in the clouds.

Being on the summit showed us just how extensive the ledges were on Mt.Resolution. This peak is definitely worth coming back to, as there were more views to be had further down the trail. We enjoyed a clearer view of the Sandwich Range from here, and an excellent view toward Mt.Carrigain. There were paths running all throughout the ledges of the summit, and I'd like to find out some day where they lead. On our way down, Mt.Washington even cleared up.

Mt.Willey and Mt.Field cleared up to the left.
Mt.Webster and Mt.Jackson are also visible now.

Mt.Washington and Boott Spur through the trees.

After following the trail all the way back to the junction with Mt.Crawford, we continued over all the ledges, which offered even better views than before, as most of the peaks were clear now, especially Mt.Chocorua and Mt.Willey. The Bonds and Twins never cleared up, but everything else did, and that's all that matters. We soon found our way back down the trail.

The now clear peaks of the Sandwich Range.

Mt.Chocorua with Bear Mountain blocking most of it.

This area of the White Mountains is truly beautiful, and one of the most scenic locations in the region, outside of the 4,000-footers. Any of the four peaks are worth climbing, Mt.Crawford, Mt.Resolution, Stairs Mountain, and Mt.Parker. This is a great area, so next time you can fit in an extra hike when in the White Mountains, keep this place in mind. Just be sure to do it on a good day, because you don't want to miss out on the incredible views.