Boott Spur Trail, White Mountains – Boott Spur Trail begins off the Tuckerman Ravine Trail and ends at Davis Path, near the summit of Boott Spur Mountain. At 5500 feet, Boott Spur is named for Francis Boott, a botanist who took part in scientific expeditions to the Presidential Range during the early 1800s. The original route of the trail was opened by the Appalachian Mountain Club in 1900.
If I had to pick my top ten favorite trails in the White Mountains, this trail would be on the list. Much of trail is above treeline, and the views are breathtaking! First-timers hiking this trail could suffer from view overload and will be taking many more breaks than expected to enjoy the mountain landscape.
I have explored this trail during all four seasons and think autumn and winter are the best times to create scenic imagery along the trail. The alpine flowers, when in bloom, are also excellent on Boott Spur Mountain. And for summer night hikers, the trail is well marked and for the most part easy to follow during the night.
The view of Tuckerman Ravine from the trail is excellent any time of year, but during the winter months when the landscape is covered in snow is my favorite time. Watching the snow blow in and out of the ravine is a sight to see! Tuckerman Ravine is named for Professor Edward Tuckerman, an 1800s botanist and early explorer of the White Mountains.
An interesting feature along Boott Spur Trail is a glacial erratic known as Split Rock (above). Glacial erratics can be found all over the White Mountains, but this one is cool. And some impressive scree walls (rock walls) line this trail.
Scree walls (above) are built on the edge of trails in alpine areas to discourage hikers from going off trail and stepping on fragile alpine habitat. These rocks walls are very effective and help protect the alpine vegetation. But building them is backbreaking work, and trail crews spend many hours building them.
Eventually, Boott Spur Trail connects with Davis Path near the summit of Boott Spur Mountain where there are 360-degree views. From here hikers can continue on to Mt Washington or head back down the Boott Spur Trail. If you want to hike an enjoyable trail, consider hiking the Boott Spur Trail. And photographers will have a field day on this trail. Just remember this trail is not an easy walk in the park and much of it is above tree-line.
To license any of the above images for usage in publications, click on the image. And you can view more scenes from along this wonderful trail here.
Happy image making..
© Erin Paul Donovan. All rights reserved | Historic Information Disclaimer | White Mountains History
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.
ScenicNH Photography LLC
Specializing in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, Erin Paul’s photography and writing focuses on the history of the White Mountains, and telling the story of abandoned places and forgotten historical sites.