#010 The Baldface Mountains

The Baldface Mountains, located in New Hampshire just west of Chatham, Maine, have made it to near the top of the list for our hikes near North Conway, New Hampshire.  With a wide range of conditions from nearly flat to steep and strenuous, it was a hike that delivered a long day of reward and challenge.

Views include the Presidential range to the west, Black Mountain to the southeast, Evans Notch to the north, and the lakes of Maine to the east including Kezar.

The  elevation gain is almost 3500 feet.  So, settle in for a long day of hiking.  Much of the top is exposed above tree line.  It is has a lot of ledge including the southeast face, which, when hiking down feels like the expanse of a ridge line with bowls to either side when skiing out west. 

In wet conditions or heavy winds these trails could become very dangerous with a lot of opportunities to slip or fall.  Many locations it is good to get low, using a hand or sitting, so that there are additional points of contact instead of risking a fall, perhaps giving up the poles through sections.

Remarkably, a group of technical mountain bikers had reached the summit of the southern peak by way of the Slippery Brook Trail that can be accessed from Town Hall Road in North Conway, which becomes a fire road trail.  We enjoyed watching them navigate the bald south face descending.  They treated it like a mogul run on skis.  They made a couple of runs with their  helmet cameras running.  Fortunately, none of the bikers crashed as we were watching. They all made it down safely, showcasing their skill. They celebrated at the end of the slope before it turned to terrain that could not be descended by mountain bike.






The topography is a smaller version of the Great Gulf between Mt Madison and Mt Washington.  Some of the rock formations looked like incredible slabs layered on top each other.   Surprisingly, there were little coves of wild flowers and flowering bushes that made for scenic photographs. There was also the feeling of being on a tundra in several locations, somewhat barren and low lying vegetation.  One location had lichen covered rock that added to the variety of colors and textures.  It presented as animal like pattern of blotches.

The north side of the northern peak had a foot of snow remaining, similar to the northern slopes of Mt Washington that had vertical and horizontal stripes of remaining snow on the landscape in the distance.

Overall, this is an amazing hike that offers views and challenges that pay off, similar to the presidential range, without the crowds or as much elevation.