Elevation gain: 3090'
Trails used: Dicey Mills Trail.
We decided Friday to do Mount Passaconaway, one of the few winter four thousand foot peaks that I had left to do. The weather was for mainly sunny skies with cold temperatures (-17 when we left Concord) but it did manage to warm up a bit during the day. There was another snow storm coming for later in the day so this hike would hit the spot.
Mount Passaconaway is located in Albany, New Hampshire and also in the Sandwich Range Wilderness. It's summit is viewless but there are several view points around the summit that offer nice views to the north and east.
Mount Passaconaway is on the New Hampshire 4000 footer's list, the New England/New Hampshire 100 Highest/New Hampshire 200 Highest List.
Brian knee deep in the snow behind the trail sign at the Ferncroft parking area.
We decided to take the direct approach up the Dicey Mills Trail, which goes through this private property (they allow hikers but do not park on their property). Mount Wonalancet is on the right and the ledges heading up to Mount Whiteface on the left.
A side profile along Dicey Mills Trail looking at the ridge heading up to Mount Whiteface, and right around the Tom Wiggin Trail which makes a direct, steep approach towards Mount Whiteface and it's nice ledge area (just below the summit).
The side profile with the sun as a backdrop of Mount Wonalancet from the Dicey Mills Trail.
We originally started off barebooting our way up the Dicey Mills Trail but switched to snowshoes when we started encountering knee deep drifts of snow.
The Dicey Mills Trail does a few switchbacks (after the Rollins Trail junction) as it makes the roughly 0.7 mile hike to the summit of Mount Passaconaway.
The views on the way to the summit of Mount Passaconaway. The Sleepers, Tripyramids, Fool Killer, Mount Tecumsuh and the Osceolas .
More views of Mount Moosilaukee, Franconia Ridge, Mount Garfield, Mount Carrigain, the Bonds, and Owls Head.
Even more views of the Presidential Range, Mount Carrigain, and the Mount Crawford/Mount Resolution/Stairs Mountain area.
Me on the summit area of Mount Passaconaway (elevation 4043'), which makes 42 in winter.
Views from the eastern view point (Walden Trail side) of the main bulk of the Mount Paugus area (in front) with Mount Chocorua behind it.
Looking to Bear Mountain, Big Attitash Mountain, the Moat Range, and Kearsarge North (in the background).
Hedgehog Mountain way down at the bottom of the view, with Bear Mountain, Mount Tremont, the Wildcat Range and Mount Washington all making an appearance.
A zoomed in view of Mount Chocorua from the ledge view point just below the summit of Mount Passaconaway.
A section of the Dicey Mills Trail coming down from the summit was in full on winter mode.
We made good time going up and even quicker coming down off of the summit. When we first got to the parking area, there were a few people there for an AMC Boston hike; about 20 people with some doing Mount Passaconaway and then Mount Whiteface (and vice versa). I even got to meet Keith from Hike-NH so add another face to to growing people I have met along the way.
While this was one of the last few winter hikes I had left to do, it was one I had dreaded for some time based mainly on the length of the hike. It turned out to not be as bad as I thought, although the last push to the summit through the drifts was a bit taxing. Overall, a good hike which has been rare this winter.
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