Mount Jefferson and the "Ridge of the Caps"
Mount Jefferson is the third highest peak in the White Mountains and aside from the Caps Ridge Trail it has the longest and some difficult approaches to reach its summit out of all the summits in the Presidential Range. The rewards for these long hikes are remote trails with excellent views and fun challenging terrain while hiking the Castle trail, the Six Husbands trail, and the Castle Ravine trail. In bad weather all of the trails around Mount Jefferson are awful escape routes so it's best not to venture above treeline to the summit cone when the weather is unpredictable.
Trails I've Hiked
-Castle Trail: 7.5 miles 4,400 feet (via The Link). By traveling along The Link on the way to the Castle trail you'll be hiking though ancient and beautiful forests that pass by many trails along the bottom of King's and the Castle Ravines. The grades are moderate and the footing is decent up until past the Castle Ravine trail junction when it gets rough as you hike over the exposed roots and mossy covered rocks surrounded by ancient evergreen trees. The Castle Trail branches off the link at 6.0 miles and within .3 miles attacks the narrow rocky "Castellated Ridge." From here you are completely exposed to the brutal north/north westerly winds and except for some scrub sections between the castles you will be fully exposed to the weather so use extreme caution when venturing through the Castellated Ridge if the weather is suspect. There are three "Castles" that the trail climbs up and over, the first one is the most impressive, fun, and steepest. The views while traversing over the castles are great and the hike is fun and very rewarding!
-Caps Ridge Trail (AKA) "The Ridge of the Caps": 2.5 miles, 2,700 feet. The Caps Ridge Trail is the quickest way to summit Mount Jefferson and the trailhead can be accessed from the Jefferson Notch Road and is the highest trailhead in the White Mountains. This trail is extremely fun but also can be extremely dangerous due to the exposed steep ledges that become dangerous when the weather becomes bad. The trail enters the scrub and above treeline just as it reaches the first "Cap" 1.5 miles in and over the next .5 miles the trail becomes steep and continues through some pretty tricky but fun rock scrambles all the while offering awesome views.
-Six Husbands Trail: 6.9 miles, 4,350 feet (Via Great Gulf Trail) One of the roughest, steepest, wildest, and unnerving trails in all of the White Mountains! The Six Husbands Trail lies deep within the Great Gulf Wilderness and has unique views into Jefferson Ravine and the eastern side of Mount Adams. The Trail is best known for it's ladders that are very well placed on the side of vertical rocks which makes it possible to pass. Past the last ladder is a section of tough rock scrambling under then around an overhanging rock where use of handholds and caution is required. Soon the trail emerges above treeline and heads up the eastern slope of Jefferson to the Jefferson Loop Trail .1 mile from the summit. Descending this trail is not recommended and if weather is bad be aware that once above treeline there are no easy escape routes.
Trip Reports:
December 20th, 2016: Up and down Jewell, Gulfside, and Mount Jefferson Loop Trail
November 19th, 2016: Presidential Range traverse (North to South)
August 20th, 2016: Weekend Warrior Loop - Up Great Gulf Trail, across Gulfside Trail, Mount Clay Loop, Mount Jefferson Loop, Lowe's Path, down Airline, up Osgood Trail, down Daniel Webster Scout Trail and Great Gulf Link
August 19th, 2016: Up and down Caps Ridge Trail (No Report)
July 11th, 2016: Up and down Caps Ridge Trail
June 18th, 2016: Presidential Range vs. Great Range Traverse
June 16th, 2016: Presidential Range Traverse (North To South) No Report
January 7th, 2016: Valley Way, Osgood Trail, Star Lake Trail, Lowe's Path, Gulfside Trail, Mount Jefferson Loop, Randolph Path, Amphibrach, The Link, Presi Rail Trail
September 26th, 2015: Presidential Range Traverse, North to South (Run)
August 2nd, 2015: Up Pine Link Trail, Howker Ridge Trail, Osgood Trail, across Gulfside Trail, up and down Jefferson Loop, across Gulfside Trail, up and down Clay Loop, up Gulfside Trail, down Crawford Path, Southside, Tuckerman Crossover, Camel Trail, Davis Path, Glen Boulder Trail, Direttissima
July 11th, 2015: Up Caps Ridge Trail, across The Link, up Castle Ravine Trail, across The Cornice, up Castle Trail, down Jefferson Loop, down Gulfside Trail, down and up Sphinx Trail, up Gulfside Trail, across The Cornice, down Caps Ridge Trail
April 13th, 2015: Up and down Jewell, Gulfside, and Jefferson Loop Trail
February 27th, 2015: Up Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, up Monroe Loop Trail, up Crawford Path, across Gulfside Trail, up and down Jefferson Loop Trail, across Gulfside and Westside Trail, down Crawford Path, up and down Eisenhower Loop Trail, across Crawford Path and Webster Cliff Trail, down Webster-Jackson Trail, Route 302, Mount Clinton Road, and Base Station Road walks
December 15th, 2014: Presidential Range Traverse, North to South
September 8th, 2014: Trail Run - Up and down Caps Ridge Trail (RUN NH48)
August 10th, 2014: Up Caps Ridge Trail, down Jefferson Loop, Gulfside, Sphinx, and Great Gulf Trail, up Wamsutta and Nelson Crage Trail, southbound along the Crawford Path, Monroe and Eisenhower Loop, down Edmands Path, road walk up Mount Clinton and Jefferson Notch Roads
June 15th, 2014: Presidential Range Traverse, North to South
April 12th, 2014: Up Crawford path, down Cog Tracks
October 12th, 2013: Presidential Range Traverse
September 7th, 2013: Up and down Caps Ridge Trail
August 10th, 2013: MMD 50K
July 21st, 2013: Double Presidential Range Traverse
July 13th, 2013: Up Huntington, down Great Gulf, up Adams Slide, down Lowe's Path, across Gulfside, up Jefferson Loop, down Gulfside and the Sphinx, out Great Gulf, Madison Gulf, and Old Jackson Road
June 16th, 2013: Jefferson through Webster Loop
March 9th, 2013: Presidential Range Traverse
October 26th, 2012: Up Caps Ridge Trail, down Castle Trail, across The Link, down Caps Ridge Trail
September 16th, 2012: Up Caps Ridge Trail, down Jefferson Loop Trail, across Gulfside Trail, down Jewell Trail, across Boundary Line Trail, up Jefferson Notch Road
May 20th, 2012: Double Presidential Range Traverse
May 19th, 2012: Madison through Isolation Loop
May 6th, 2012: Jefferson through Jackson Loop
September 10th, 2011: Up Great Gulf and Six Husbands Trail to Jefferson, across Gulfside Trail, up Osgood Trail over summit of Madison and back down and out via Great Gulf Trail
July 30th, 2011: MMD - More and More Difficult: "Pinkham Notch Loop" Dolly Copp Road, Route 16, Up North Branch of Imp Trail, across Carter-Moriah and Wildcat Ridge, down Polecat Ski Trail, up-over-down Lila's Ledge to Old Jackson Road, Up Tuckerman Ravine and Lion Head to Washington, across Clay, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison via Gulfside, Clay Loop, Jefferson Loop, Isreal Ridge/Lowe's Path, and Osgood Trail, down Daniel Webster-Scout Trail, road walk back to Barnes Field
June 27th, 2011: Double Presidential Traverse
February 16th, 2011: Up and down Valley Way, Osgood Trail, Airline, Gulfside Trail, Mount Jefferson Loop Trail
November 13th, 2010: Up Watson Path, across Gulfside Trail, down Castle Trail
September 11th, 2010: "Ridge of the Caps"
July 30th, 2010: Up Ariline, Short Line, King Ravine, and Great Gully to Thunderstorm Junction, across Gulfside Trail, up and down Jefferson Loop, back across Gulfside Trail, Lowe's Path to Adams Summit, down Airline and out Valley Way
June 19th, 2010: Full Presidential Traverse (North to South)
June 12th, 2010: Up Caps Ridge Trail to Jefferson, Gulfside Trail and Mount Clay Loop to Mount Clay and Washington, Crawford Path and Mount Monroe Loop to Monroe, down Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail
May 30th, 2010: Up Great Gulf and Six Husbands Trail to Jefferson, across Gulfside Trail to Adams, down Star Lake Trail, Osgood Trail over summit of Madison and back down and out via Great Gulf Trail
March 27th, 2010: Up Valley Way, up and down Madison via Osgood Trail, up and down Adams via Airline & Lowe's Path, across Gulfside Trail, up Jefferson Loop Trail and back
November 7th, 2009: Up Valley Way, across Gulfside Trail, up Jefferson Loop Trail, down Randolph Path
September 19th, 2009: Up Castle Trail, across Gulfside Trail, up Lowe's Path, down Howker Ridge Trail
August 8th, 2009: Presidential Traverse (South to North)
June 28th, 2008: Presidential Traverse (North to South)
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