| The Mileage | The Lodging | Additional Notes | |
| Day 1 | ~ 7.4 miles | The Perch | Shuttle service: Priority Transportation Alternate shuttle option: Hiker Shuttle Night-before lodging: CoHo Hostel |
| Day 2 | ~ 13.1 miles | – | Post-hike lodging: Air Bnb Camping |
tips and lessons learned
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The Presidential Traverse – named after the fact that the peaks along this route are named after former U.S presidents. This route turned out to be surprisingly beautiful and rugged! Before going on this trip, I was really thirsting after exploration in the west and exploring the high, rocky peaks that have captured my heart. However, my budget was too small for another west coast trip (I was able to check out Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons in July, will post about that soon!) since I’m in the process of outfitting a camper van (which I am SO excited about). Therefore, I decided to head to New Hampshire to check out this traverse which has been on my list for quite some time. I looked at the relatively low mileage and determined that I could surely accomplish this in 2 days – in fact, it should be fairly easy to complete in two days. However, I got my, erm . . . butt . . . handed to me pretty quickly once the rock scrambling began.
First things first, I drove to New Hampshire the night before and stayed at CoHo Hostel in Conway. I’ve been to this little mountain town in my previous travels to New Hampshire and I’ve begun to fall in love with it a little bit. I also used the hostel as my base the night before running The Beast of the East last September. Both times, I’ve taken advantage of their campsites that they offer and have had an excellent stay on both occasions. The people who run the hostel are super friendly and inclusive and the hostel is significantly cheaper than other options in the area. Both times, I’ve also enjoyed a tasty dinner at The Muddy Moose and would recommend that one as well.
The next morning, I awoke bright and early, enjoyed the continental breakfast and coffee provided and packed my tent as swiftly as I could to get to The Highland Center area. I was able to park overnight at the nearby train depot and that’s where I was picked up by my shuttle service and delivered to the other end of the trail near Randolph. The ride cost me $90 which was a bit steep for a solo hiker but the ride is for up to 4 people so if you have more folks, it would be less of an investment. I had initially planned to ride the hiker shuttle which is significantly cheaper but had neglected to notice that it only ran on weekends after Sept. 21. 😢
The first several miles of hiking were relatively uneventful (except that I did see a moose!!) and not super difficult despite it being a long, uphill journey to the AMC Madison Spring Hut. Once I got to the hut, clouds started rolling in, the temperature dropped, and the wind picked up (I want to re-emphasize the importance of warm layers and layers sufficient for storms!). At the hut, there is a hike out-and-back to the summit of Mount Madison but I decided to skip it since it was super socked in. This was the first of several peaks that I would decide to skip either due to the fact that it was socked in or because of limited daylight on the second day. It was one of the last days the hut was still open and although there was no heat, there was soup, snacks, and coffee! I decided to break and eat lunch there. There is lodging available there for those who would like to stay and many complete this trail as a hut-hut hike, using the other huts made available by the AMC. I decided not to do this because:
1. Each hut costs over $100 a night to stay and require reservations far in advance
2. There are no showers or heat
3. I like being in the woods 😎
Instead, I left and braved the weather to scramble for what felt like forever in order to get to the junction in the trail where I took the Israel-Ridge path to Perch Path and ultimately, The Perch campsites. The Perch also costs money to stay but is a much more reasonable $20. The Perch has a bear-safe container to store food stuffs and a privy (with a view!). There is also an accessible water source close by. The downside of the perch is that it adds a bit of mileage (somewhere between half a mile to a mile each way) to your hike and it’s all uphill in the morning to get back to the trail.
My second, and last day was a loooong day. I did not realize how much more rock scrambling lay ahead of me and how slowly I would move over that rock. I began skipping peaks that were socked in since I would not see a view and I was worried the additional time it would time to scramble up and down would push the hike past sunset. The rock scrambling was also very mentally draining for me – so ensure you are physically and emotionally prepared for the scrambling and I highly recommend trekking poles.
Mount Washington wound up being the turn-around point for me emotionally. I was really worried because of how long it took me to get there that I simply was not going to have the time and energy to finish that day and I started taking a look at potential spots to camp for another night. However, after Mount Washington, some of the clouds started clearing, the elevation started decreasing, and the number of scrambles drastically reduced. After a few hours, I was feeling much better and moving much faster and decided to make the push to finish that day. I was able to take some photos of the beautiful overlooks and scenery and the rugged landscape. It was truly breath taking, I couldn’t believe I was on the east coast!
Unfortunately for me, I still ran out of daylight hours. Although I got some amazing sunset photos, I wound up hiking a good 3 miles or so in the dark woods which was not a particularly pleasant experience. I put on some music which I hoped would scare away any bear or moose who wandered my way and paused often to give my trekking poles a clack for good measure. The trip ended as I stumbled out of the woods and into the bright, fluorescent lighting of the Highland Center. I joyfully trekked over to my car where a sandwich and beer were waiting for me in my cooler.
In short, the Presidential Traverse was an absolutely gorgeous trail which turned out to be deceivingly difficult but super doable for a weekend trip! While The Perch was a lovely place to camp, I would recommend doing more mileage the first day if possible. However, camping options seem to be slim. The two most reasonable options I have been able to find are splurging and staying at The Lakes of the Clouds Hut (Warning: the huts fill up quickly, you would want to reserve far ahead of time) or not increasing the mileage first day and stay at the Perch, but then stay at the Nauman Shelter Tentsite for a second night (this would cut only cut a few miles off but I think it could be worth it). Alternatively, you could just wake up early the second day and take a nice long, rest at lunch time.
Hope you enjoyed this adventure! Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions!
