North & South Twin, Zealand, Hale Loop

Date of Hike:8/7/10

North Twin/North Twin Spur Trail: 5.6 miles
Twinway: 6.2 miles
Lend-A-Hand Trail: 2.7 miles
Mount Hale Trail (Fire Warden's Trail): 2.5 miles
North Twin Trail: 1.0 miles
Total Miles: 18.0 miles (5,300 elevation gain)

Trip Report:
- Left RI at 4:45am, on trail at 8:15am, finished at 4pm. Temps in 50's and 60's, high cloud cover with terrific views.
- From studying old AMC maps, guide books, and reading some of the hiking forums I discovered a pretty awesome loop hike hikers do of the Twins, Zealand, and Hale using the old defunct Mount Hale Trail (AKA Fire Warden's Trail) from the summit of Mount Hale back to North Twin Trail to create the loop.
- The hike up North Twin went pretty fast, I only ran into two other people at the water crossings, helping them find an easier way across the third, they were on there way to North Twin for the day.
- The views from North and South Twin were incredible and once on the Twinway I started running into lots of hikers for the remainder of the day heading in all different directions, some over to Galehead, some to Guyot and the Bonds, others to Zealand Falls Hut, and one to Springer Mountain in Georgia!
- At Zealand Mountain summit I saw a Golden Retriever who was carrying his leash in his mouth, I think I heard his owner call him Bud, which fit him well because he looked like "Air Bud". Bud looked like a dog who loved to be out climbing in the mountains unlike my Golden Retriever "Air" Mr. Smackers who just climbs on couches!
- At Mount Hale Summit it was pretty easy to find the old Mount Hale Fire Warden's Trail. I was amazed as to how great a shape this discontinued trail was in and how gentle the footing and grades were. The trail passes through Birch glades which were pretty incredible and must be quite the site in the fall.
- On the way down the Fire Warden's Trail I even stumbled into another hiker on his first time on the trail, he had hiked in the day before and stayed at the Guyot campsite while doing a Twins//Bonds/Zealand/Hale Traverse.
- The Fire Warden's Trail came out about a mile from the North Twin Trailhead on the bushwhack between the first and second water crossings. I probably would have never found it from the bottom as it's not noticable from the trail.
- This loop hike was very fun, I hope to get up the Fire Warden's Trail when the leaf's are changing color!

Pictures: Click here for all Pictures

South Twin Summit

Owl's Head, Liberty, and Flume Mountain

Pemigewasset Wilderness

Carrigain Notch

Defunct Mount Hale Trail (Fire Warden's Trail)

North Twin (4,761 feet)

North Twin as seen from South Twin Summit

North Twin Mountain located just outside the Pemigewasset Wilderness is a wooded summit but has a ledge just below the official summit with excellent views looking down to Galehead Hut, Galehead Mountain, Owl's Head, across the Garfield Ridge up to Mount Garfield all the way to the Franconia Ridge. There are also outlooks on the North Twin Trail as one gains the ridge which affords great views over to Mount Hale, Zealand Mountain, South Twin in the immediate area all the way north to the Presidential Range.  The North Twin Trail is the only direct route to the summit from a trailhead located on Haystack Road.  In the late fall, winter, and early spring Haystack Road is closed so access to the trailhead is located by parking at the end of Little River Road and walking snowmobile and ski trails to Haystack Road.

Trails I've Hiked

-North Twin Trail: 4.3 miles, elevation gain of 2,950 feet. The North Twin Trail follows the Little River for the first 1.9 miles crossing it three times (can be difficult to dangerous when running high but the first two crossings can be bypassed via a well defined herd path) The trail has easy grades with good footing up until the last crossing then becomes steep as the footing becomes worse. The trail ends at the summit of North Twin Mountain.

Trip Reports:

June 25th, 2016: Up old Bridle Path, across Franconia Ridge Trail, down Lincoln Slide, down Lincoln Brook Trail, up and down Owl's Head Path. up Lincoln Brook, Twin Brook, Frost, and Twinway, across North Twin Spur, down North Twin Trail

March 20th, 2016: Across Lil' River Herd Path, North Twin Trail, lil' River Bypass, up Mount Hale Trail (AKA Fire Warden's), Down Lend-A-Hand, Up Twinway, North Twin Spur, down North Twin Trail and Lil' River Herd Path

February 6th, 2016: Up Zealand Road, Hale Brook Trail, down Lend-a-Hand Trail, up and down Twinway, down Zealand Trail and Zealand Road

November 3rd, 2015: Up Garfield Trail, across Garfield Ridge Trail, up and down Frost Trail, up and down Twinway and North Twin Spur Trail, down Garfield Ridge and Gale River Trail, Gale River Road back to car

September 12th, 2015:  Up North Twin Trail and North Twin Spur, across the Twinway, up and down Bondcliff and West Bond Spur, across Lincoln Woods Trail (NO REPORT)

March 8th, 2015:  Up Little River logging road, up North Twin Trail and North Twin Spur, down Twinway, up and down Frost Trail, down Garfield Ridge and Gale River Trail, out via Gale River Loop Road, Corridor 11, Corridor 11 bypass

October 8th, 2013: Up North Twin Trail, North Twin Spur, down Twinway, Up Frost Trail, down Garfield Ridge Trail, Gale River Trail

May 27th, 2013: Up North Twin Trail and North Twin Spur trail to North and South Twin Summit, through the Twinway to Zealand Summit, up Lend-A-Hand Trail to Mount Hale Summit, down defunct Mount Hale Fire Warden's Trail

December 7th, 2012: Up Zealand Trail, The Twinway, North Twin Spur, down North Twin Trail

July 15th, 2012: Up North Twin Trail, North Twin Spur, across the Twinway, Up and down Bondcliff Trail, Lincoln Woods / Wilderness Trail

April 29th, 2012: Up Garfield Trail, across Garfield Ridge Trail, up and down Frost Trail, up and down Twinway and North Twin Spur Trail, down Garfield Ridge and Gale River Trail, Gale River Road back to car

February 4th, 2012: Across Herd Path, up North Twin Trail, North Twin Spur, down Twinway, up Frost Trail, down Garfield Ridge Trail, Gale River Trail, and Gale River Gale River Road to "Five Corners"

January 30th, 2011: Gale River Road, up Garfield Trail, across Garfield Ridge Trail, up and down Frost Trail, Up and down Twinway and North Twin Spur, down Gale River Road, Gale River Road to "Five Corners"

September 4th, 2010: Up Mount Hale Fire Warden's Trail, down Lend-A-Hand Trail, Up Twinway, over North Twin Spur Trail, down North Twin Trail

August 7th, 2010: Up North Twin Trail and North Twin Spur trail to North and South Twin Summit, through the Twinway to Zealand Summit, up Lend-A-Hand Trail to Mount Hale Summit, down defunct Mount Hale Fire Warden's Trail

May 17th, 2010: Up Gale River, Garfield Ridge, and Frost Trail to Galehead summit, up and down Twinway and North Twin Spur to South and North Twin summit

October 26th, 2009: Up Garfield Trail, across Garfield Ridge Trail, up Twinway, down and up North Twin Trail, down Twinway and Gale River Trail

June 13th, 2009: Two Day Pemigeweasset Traverse (Counter Clockwise)