Mount Willey Trail is a 4.8 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Bartlett, New Hampshire that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and birding and is best used from March until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
dog friendly
birding
hiking
nature trips
walking
forest
views
wild flowers
wildlife
An easy afternoon hike up and down this 4,285 foot New Hampshire peak. This 4,285' peak near Crawford Notch is a fairly easy climb. It could also be climbed from Crawford Notch State Park along with Tom and Field if so desired in an easy loop but approaching it from the south gives another perspective as well. The ascent is pretty well maintained and even has a section of wooden steps to assist you in your climb. At the top you'll have great views across the notch to Webster Cliffs and the southern presidentials including Jackson and perhaps Eisenhower. There is a cairn at the top marking the true summit which is a little beyond the viewpoint over the notch.
Just hiked Mount Willey trail earlier today. This trail is easy to moderate to start (Kardon Flume trail), then it gets more difficult as the later half of the hike to mount Willey is done mostly through water run-off rock hiking. This is a steep incline trail and not for beginners on a day when the trail and rocks are wet. Great view from the top, not too busy and a few nice Mountain water run-off.
I would consider this a difficult rather than easy/moderate hike. The fact that it is noted as being easy in the description is surprising. We completed this hike August 2017 and it was a pretty steep climb up after the first mile and had my heart racing most of the time. In addition, if you're scared of heights, the ladders can be intimidating. The hike requires a high level of fitness given that it's likely you'll need to use your quads, hams, biceps, triceps, and generally full body to complete the hike in a reasonable time frame. On the way down, I had to often use my upper body strength to climb down or maintain balance. I did nearly slip/fall a handful of times but caught myself on my hands each time thankfully. In contrast, the last hike I did was White Dot Trail @ Mount Monadnock which is tagged as hard yet is significantly easier than this hike. All in all, I enjoyed the challenge and the view lookout near the top was good as well (there weren't many views otherwise).
The Ethan pond trail portion of the hike is a breeze. The willey range trail is tricky from the moment you cross it. It is very steep and very rocky. The ladders and stairs are super useful (if only there were more of them.) There is no signage indicating that the willey range trail continues onto field so you just have to go with it if you're planning on doing all three together.
starts off easy then u go straight up for about an hour. nothing technical but not for the out of shape folks. I bagged Field and Tom while I was up there then came down A-Z trail to AMC and hitchhiked back to Willey Station Rd. Would not do again since no views until top then just a small lookout. virtually no views at all on Tom and Field.
Day started out nice. Quickly started drizzling and turned somewhat foggy. Not fun while wet and slippery. Also, not the best views. Cool birds (Grey Jays), that fly right up to you.
My fiancee and I wouldn't hike this trail again; anytime soon.
Steep, rocky and wet. Stairs were cool and the view at the top is spectacular. No large open summit but there are 2 small overlook spots with gorgeous views of the valley.
Although it's a short hike, it takes longer to reach the summit. The first one half a mile is slightly incline and get flat for a mile. The last 3/4 of a mile is super inclined. If you are hiking this trail during this time of the year, make sure you carry microspikes. And I don't recommend this trail for newbies. Wonderful view from the summit. Cute birds atop.
Definitely an intense steep hike, more than you would think, however, the views are well worth it! Short trail but seems much longer and still took about 4-5 hours round trip to complete. Birds at the summit will land on your hand if you have food it was really cool! I definitely recommend this hike to anyone who has some experience! If you hike it this time of year then micro spikes will be needed as there was plenty of ice and snow in most parts! Also very wet about 80 percent of the trail
NOT for the inexperienced hiker. Took my fiancée and I about 3 hours just to reach the summit.. many steep spots as well as some old wooden ladders. Long walk back if you're super tired like we were. The whole day took 5 hours total for us. Start with a smaller trail if you're just starting out or aren't super physically fit :p
Decent hike and it only took us an hour to summit Willey. There are a couple views and only one of them is any good. Wooded peak but a good start if you want to get Tom and Field as well
I really enjoyed the hike to Mt. Willey. This was my wife's first "real" hike, however, and she (and honestly I) would not classify it as relatively easy. At the very start there is a decent grade, but it doesn't last super long and levels out for a long while. But about 0.25 miles or so before the wooden steps, the trail gets very steep. Not good for an inexperience hiker. The steps are well maintained and definitely helpful but I can see how it would be scary to climb. After that it is very steep the rest of the way up. Needless to say my wife was a bit perplexed why I chose this as her first hike. At the overlook point, there is a beautiful view but the summit is a bit underwhelming. Not much to see going up and only 2 real viewpoints at the top. For the amount of exertion used that last mile or so, I was hoping for something a bit more eye-catching. All in all a great hike for people who know what they're doing. Don't bring the noobs.
Great hike, the mountain has a way of making you feel close to the summit when you still have a ways to go. View at the top was well worth the trip.