jps246's Full Review: White Mountain Guide 26ed Books
The Granddaddy of all guides to hiking in the White Mountains and in it’s 26th edition, the AMC White Mountain Guide is the ultimate resource for hikers and climbers who are in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. This book covers every public trail (and some trailless routes) that exists in the White Mountains. It is an exhaustive and in-depth guide that is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in hiking in this area.
The White Mountains?
The White Mountains are made of several ranges of mountains (including Mount Washington and the Presidential Range, along with the Pilot Range, the Crescent Range, and the Mount Moosilauke massif to just name a few) that are located in the northern half of New Hampshire. Mount Washington at 6,288 feet is the highest mountain in the Whites and is also the highest mountain north of the Carolinas and east of the Mississippi River. Mount Washington and many of the other summits of the White Mountains reach above treeline (the altitude at which trees stop growing).
The White Mountains and specifically Mount Washington have the well deserved description as home to the “world’s worst weather,” and “the most dangerous small mountain in the world.” Inexperienced hikers and climbers do sometimes do not understand the difficulty of climbing these “small mountains.” While the actual trail mileages may not be that great, the elevation gains can be as much as 4,000 feet. These climbs will take longer and will require more effort than most hikes anywhere else in the east and often times you are exposed to and at the mercy of the elements, specifically on the higher peaks that reach above treeline.
What You’ll Find in the Book
The AMC White Mountain Guide provides comprehensive descriptions of all the trails throughout the White Mountains.
The book begins an index and key of the eight maps included with the book, followed by an introduction to the White Mountains and the area. The introduction goes over the White’s reputation and climatic conditions and offers advice for novice hikers and climbers new to the area. In addition the introduction reviews regulations in the White Mountain National Forest along with other information pertinent to the area.
Following the Introduction, the trail descriptions are broken down into chapters that review the various areas in the White Mountains. These include:
1) Mount Washington and the Southern Ridges
2) The Northern Peaks and Great Gulf
3) Franconia, Twin and Willey Ranges
4) Carrigain and Moat Regions
5) Cannon and Kinsman
6) Moosilauke Region
7) Waterville Valley Region
8) Mt. Chocorua and the Eastern Sandwich Range
9) Carter and Baldface
10) Speckled Mountain Region
11) Mahoosuc Range Area
12) The North Country
13) Middle Connecticut River Mountains
14) Cardigan and Kearsarge
15) Monadnock and Southwestern New Hampshire
16) The Lakes Region and Southeastern New Hampshire
As you can see –every mountain region and its trail system in White Mountains are chronicled in this book.
Each trail description goes into practically minute detail about the hike. Major features along the trail are described - as are steep pitches, trail junctions, side trails and more. It is like the trail descriptions were written as someone was walking the trails, they are that accurate and detailed. The descriptions also contain information on the vertical elevation you will be gaining and losing on the hike, the mileage for each trail and an estimated trip time for that trail.
The book comes with the Appalachian Mountain Club’s map set for the White Mountains. This consists of eight maps that are on 4 different foldable sheets. The maps are kept in a small flap at the back of the book. The maps are quite detailed for the areas that are drawn out. They show all of the trails (which in some areas can be overwhelming) along with the locations of all the trailheads and provide enough information surrounding the mountains that you can use the maps to get to the various areas from the main roads and highways. The map set is best used in conjunction with the guidebook as they are both excellent and together, you really can’t get any better.
Past the trail descriptions and into the indexes, you find information the peaks that reach above 4000 feet in New Hampshire, information on the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and a list of easy to moderate hikes that beginners can use to find hikes.
After all of that, one of the best indexes I’ve ever seen comes up. This index is indispensable for find various trails and mountains. Have a mountain name but no trail name, no problem, have part of a trail name, no problem. The index literally references everything in this book.
Earlier editions of the book were produced in a quite small format (well as small as a roughly 600 page book can be) that was easy enough to be packed away in your backpack. The newest editions of the book are a slighter larger format, which produces less pages, but it’s not quite as easy to throw in the backpack. I still keep my smaller sized thick book and take that with me – I get the new addition to look at changes to the trail network and see where the new trails are and what trails have closed. If you don’t want to carry the whole book, I would suggest copying the section where you will be and packing it with you because with the multitude of trails in all of the areas, it always helps to have a guidebook and a map so you don’t get confused.
Who Needs This Book?
If you plan on any hiking in the White Mountains beyond the picnic areas and pull-offs, then you should have a copy of this book because there are no equals to the detail, quality and thoroughness of the AMC White Mountain Guide.
Honestly, no other guidebook even comes close to what AMC has been producing for 26 editions.
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