Mount Whiteface and Passaconaway via Blueberry Ledge, Rollins, Walden, Ranger, Mt. Wonalancet and Wonalancet Range Trails

This day hike involved going up the Blueberry Ledge Trail to Mount Whiteface and then taking the Rollins Trail from there across the ridge to Mount Passaconaway. The return trip was via the Waldon Trail, Ranger Traiil and Wonalancet Range Trail crossing the non-descript summit of Mount Wonalancet along the way.

Parking area, Ferncroft - 1155' Blueberry Ledge Trail - 0.85 miles - 1440' Junction with Blueberry Ledge cut-off - 1.85 miles - 2175' Junction with Wigg Trail - 2.95 miles - 3270' Mount Whiteface summit - 3.4 miles - 4020' Junction with Dicey's Mill Trail - 5.4 miles - 3430' Mount Passaconaway summit - 6.15 miles - 4043' Passaconaway cut-off - 6.55 miles - 3340' Junction with Ranger Trail - 7.55 miles - 3080' Mount Wonalancet summit - 8.8 miles - 2825' Parking area, Ferncroft - 10.5 miles - 1155' Total distance round-trip - 8.9 miles Total elevation change - 2,888' Trail map - 700 x 775 - 418K Trail map - 1256 x 1390 - 1,299K

The starting point for this hike was the parking lot at Ferncroft.

The weather was perfest for this one and it was one of those rare hiking days that I live for in the White Mountains. It started off cool with temperatures in the low 60s when I started. I don't think it got much warmer than that until the very end of the hike. I climbed higher as the temperature started to rise and it just seemed like I was always in the perfect zone for hiking. There were some nice gentle breezes up on the ridges that were actually a bit chilling at times but it felt good. When I got back to the lower valley it was still a little warm and humid down there.

The hike itself was a little on the long side at about 12 miles. I finished in just over 10 hours, starting at 8:15 and getting back to the car a little before 6:30.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Trail sign at the parking area 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Mount Whiteface (distance) & Mount Wonalancet (foreground)

The hike started off on the Ferncroft Road and I had to walk along that for about a quarter of a mile before I reached the start of the Blueberry Ledge Trail. I took a left there and crossed a bridge and continued along the trail. The lower portion of the trail was mostly in the forest but there were several ledges where things opened up a little. There are in fact blueberries to be munched on if the season is right for them.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Shelf fungus 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Blueberry Ledge Trail (looking up) 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Blueberry Ledge Trail (looking down) 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Ferns and shadows 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Blueberry Ledge Trail 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Ledges 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Blueberries 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Cairn 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Ledges 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Glacial erratic 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Cairn and ledges 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Blueberry Ledge Trail

There is one very wide open space where the Blueberry Ledge cut-off rejoins the main trail and the view from there is spectacular.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Open space at Blueberry Ledge Cutoff 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Lake Winnepesaukee in the distance 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Blueberry Ledge Cutoff

After that trail was back in the forest again and it started to get more steep the closer I got the the summit of Mount Whiteface.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Fern-like moss 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Nice view 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Blueberry Ledge Trail 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Looking back 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Ferns and shadows 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Wood sorrel

There were some very steep ledges in the upper sections and in one place there was considerable exposure where a slip could easily cost you your life. I have never seen a trail like this in the White Mountains before.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Scary cliff near the first summit 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Squam Lake 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Scary cliff near the first summit 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Mount Passaconaway 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Mount Chocorua 600 x 400   1024 x 683 People heading down the trail 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Rock perched on a ledge

Mount Whiteface actually has two peaks and the lower one had some nice views but the higher one was completely wooded. The cairn marking the high point was right on the trail and easy enough to find but there was nothing at all to be seen from there.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Looking down on Ferncroft and the parking area 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Lower summit of Mount Whiteface 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Lower summit of Mount Whiteface 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Plaque on the lower summit of Mount Whiteface 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Plaque on the lower summit of Mount Whiteface 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Rock cairn on the upper summit of Mount Whiteface 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Rock cairn on the upper summit of Mount Whiteface

The hike along the ridge that runs north of The Bowl to Mount Passaconaway was very nice and I stopped right around midway for lunch.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Moth 600 x 400   1024 x 683 View from my lunch stop 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Mount Passaconaway from my lunch stop 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Mount Whiteface from my lunch stop

Mount Passaconaway was also a bust as far as views and it didn't even have the nice ledges below the summit that Whiteface had.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 Trail to the summit of Passaconaway 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Trail to the summit of Passaconaway 600 x 400   1024 x 683 View of the Tripyramids from near the summit of Passaconaway 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Mount Passaconaway summit marker 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Mount Passaconaway summit

There were a couple of open spaces but no terrific views.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 View from the north side of Mount Passaconaway 600 x 400   1024 x 683 View from the north side of Mount Passaconaway 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Mount Washington in the clouds, from the north side of Mount Passaconaway

The descent route that I picked was not so great. It was about a mile longer than the quicker return and I thought it would be more scenic because it followed another ridge down to Mount Wonalancet.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 View near the top of the Walden Trail

It wasn't. There were no good views and Mount Wonalancet was a bust with not even a summit cairn. I passed by the summit without even knowing I was there.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 At the final leg 600 x 400   1024 x 683 Toad

I did get one really nice view from an open ledge on the south side of Mount Wonalancet but from there it was back into the trees for the remainder of the hike.

This last leg of the hike seemed to go on forever. I could hear and see Spring Brook for most of the distance and the when the trail got really close to the brook I knew I was almost there.

600 x 400   1024 x 683 View from the south side of Mount Wonalancet

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