Distance
Elevation
Observed WildlifeThis is a must for all hikers who live in Boston or closer to this destination. A moderate climb through pretty brings you to a wide open summit with the best view of Lake Winnipesaukee. Multiple trails offer routes up and down the mountain, but you are sure to pass other hikers enjoying this hike, no matter the weather.
The draw of the woods was continuing through winter for my partner and I. Only the northern peaks had snow and neither of us felt comfortable enough to venture to the demanding terrain. I had just gotten a set of maps ordered from the Lakes Region Conservation Trust and wanted to take the area for a spin. My partner had never hiked Mount Major and I fondly remembered its views from a warm summer day and thought it would make for a nice easy mountain climb as we continued to improve our winter hiking skills.
We arrived at the trailhead to a full parking lot and squeezed into a spot before starting up the trailhead at 11:30am. Lots of dogs and people were on the trail with us. We started up Mount Major Main Trail which was wide and had an easy grade. The trail was covered in an inch or two of ice and our yaktrax worked just fine. Although the trail was ice, a light snow covered the woods to bring a mild winter beauty to the woods.
After a half mile, we reached our first intersection and turned left to continue up Mount Major Maine Trail; Brook Trail continued to the right. The trail narrowed and the grade steepened. At this point a more pure sense of the woods began. About a mile in, some very steep and more technical areas greeted us and we took it as a sign to try out our newly purchased Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultras. These microspikes gave us terrific traction as we climbed straight up steeper sections of ice. Though yaktrax provided much improved traction, the microspikes felt like my foot was velcroed into the surface with every step.
At a point when we sensed the summit, we noticed an opening to the right of the trail and pulled off to see an absolutely lovely vista of Lake Winnipesaukee and the Ossipee Mountains. We had packed some leftover Regina’s Pizza from the North End of Boston and picked this place to settle in and enjoy lunch. The spot was almost completely protected from the summit winds and was the perfect spot to hunker down for a bite and some hot coco. The part of the trail behind us was quite slick as we heard intermittent noises of those without traction losing their footing.
We packed up and continued to the summit a couple hundred yards away. It was completely open and strong winds prevented the many hikers from lingering. The views were even more open but we didn’t stay too long. When we’d had enough of the cold wind we turned left from where we had come to start our descent down the orange blazed Boulder Loop Trail.
The trail was quite beautiful to start. It followed a mild grade and passed a small swamp. Some twisted pines made for interesting flora. After maybe a quarter mile, the grade steepened and the condition of the trail deteriorated as the footing became loose dirt. We took our time navigating this section which lasted less than a quarter mile.
The grade eased slightly and the footing greatly improved. We switched back over to our yaktrax to avoid grinding down our spikes on the rock and ice surface. About a mile from the summit we passed Jesus Valley-Beaver Pond Trail to our right and our trail widened.
At one point we tried out our newly purchased thin plastic sleds on the slight grade of ice. I was terrified as I quickly gained momentum on the extremely slick surface. I bailed almost immediately and decided to save the sleds for snow. My partner was not as terrified as me in sliding but we had a few good laughs at our ridiculous attempt at glissading. The trail head greeted us shortly after and we were back at the car at 2:30pm. This was a great way to add to our winter hiking experience and I highly recommend it to those easing into cold weather mountains.
This was a very nice day hike that brought a rewarding view of Lake Winnipesaukee for not much work. The route can be much shorter than I made it. I know my sister and brother-in-law would have appreciated the more direct view to the top. It can get crowded here, but the summit has lots of space to spread out.
