Mount Pierce, Great Place To Start – One of the easier and best "bang for your buck" hikes in the White Mountains of New Hampshire is Mount Pierce. You get alpine expose and beautiful views of the Presidential Range. All with the option of being able to retreat to the cover of the forest quickly. Very little of this hike is exposed, which makes it great training for hikers new to winter hiking. It is also a great area to practice using your camera in alpine conditions.
I see many first time winter hikers starting on Mount Piece. Last year I met a hiker who appeared to be new to winter hiking, on two different days, in the area of Mount Pierce. It looked like he was trying to get comfortable hiking in winter conditions, and though he did drift off track on one occasion the area is easy to navigate.
The best route up Mount Pierce is Crawford Path, which is the oldest continually used hiking trail in America. Crawford Path is a steady, gentle climb through a picture perfect forest until reaching the alpine zone where mountains dominate the scene. Once reaching the alpine zone you will travel a short distance before turning (south) on to the Webster Cliff Trail, which will take you to the summit.
Even though the hike to Mount Pierce is considered an easy hike, hiking in the winter is very serious and you should plan accordingly. The weather can and does change quickly in the alpine zone, and being prepared will make all the difference. All of the above images can be licensed for publications by clicking on the image you are interested in.
Great information on safety can be found at HikeSafe.com. And make sure you bring your camera because the views are incredible!
Happy image making..
To license any of the photos in this blog article for publications, click on the photo.
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Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC
Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.
Mount Pierce New Hampshire – Great Place To Start http://bit.ly/eu2vY1