Hike New England - Zeacliff, Zealand Pond, Zealand Falls

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Pink ladyslippers (photo by Dennis Marchand)

Zeacliff, Zealand Pond, Zealand Falls

Destinations:		Zeacliff Outlook, Zealand Pond, Zealand Falls
Trails:		Zealand Trail, Twinway
Region:		NH - Central East White Mountain National Forest, Little River Mountains
Location:		Bethlehem, NH
Rating:		Moderate
Features:		Ponds, views, hut, wetlands, river, brook, cascades
Distance:		7.8 miles
Elevation Gain:		1700 feet (cumulative)
Hiking Time:		Typical: 4:45
Outing Duration:		Typical: 7:00
Hike Date:		06/14/2008 (Saturday)
Author:		Mark Malnati
Companions:		Twelve SDHers, 2 dogs

Route Summary

This hike follows Zealand Trail to Zealand Pond and then continues up via Twinway past Zealand Falls, Zealand Falls Hut, and finally to the Zeacliff outlook. Zeacliff offers magnificent views of Zealand Notch and the eastern part of the Pemigewasset Wilderness.

Start at the end of Zealand Road and head up Zealand Trail for 2.5 miles to reach Zealand Pond on the right. At this point is also a junction with Twinway and Ethan Pond Trail.
Then keep going straight to follow Twinway (Zealand Trail ends here) for 0.1 mile to Zealand Falls. There is a short spur on the left giving access to the falls.
Climb up Twinway for another 0.1 mile to reach Zealand Falls Hut. Shortly before the hut, is another short spur to the left giving access to the falls.
After another 0.1 mile you will pass by a junction with Lend-A-Hand Trail on the right; remain on Twinway.
Follow Twinway for an additional 1.1 miles then keep going straight, leaving the official Twinway route which turns right. After about 50 yards you will reach the Zeacliff outlook.
After enjoying the views, retrace your steps to return to the parking lot.

View (photo by Mark Malnati)

Place	Split Miles	Total Miles
Zealand Trail parking area (2000')	0.0	0.0
Zealand River	0.8	0.8
Beaver Swamp	1.0	1.8
Jct. Zealand Trail/A-Z Trail (2450')	0.5	2.3
Zealand Pond (Jct. Twinway/Ethan Pond Trail) (2457')	0.2	2.5
Zealand Falls	0.1	2.6
Zealand Falls Hut (2630')	0.1	2.7
Zeacliff outlook (3700')	1.2	3.9
Zealand Falls Hut (2630')	1.2	5.1
Zealand Pond (Jct. Twinway/Ethan Pond Trail) (2457')	0.2	5.3
Jct. Zealand Trail/A-Z Trail (2450')	0.2	5.5
Zealand Trail parking area (2000')	2.3	7.8

Map of hike route to Zealand Pond, Zealand Falls, and Zeacliff outlook (map by Webmaster)

Trail Guide

On a nice warm Saturday, twelve hikers and two dogs hiked up the Zealand Trail. We took a break at the hut.

While two hikers stayed at Zealand Falls to play in the water the rest of us continued to the top of Zeacliff to enjoy the views. The views from Zeacliff were fantastic, the cliffs of Whitewall Mountain were beautiful and we could see the Ethan Pond Trail cut across the slides. We had lunch at the top and then descended back down to the falls.

Moss-covered boulder (photo by Dennis Marchand) Trail of roots (photo by Mark Malnati)

Once we were back at the falls, shoes and socks came off and we cooled our feet in the water. It is not clear who instigated it, but Dennis and Soleil got into a water fight that somehow managed to get a couple of others wet. Nobody was complaining, the water felt great.

No one wanted to move after our break at the falls, but eventually we headed down the rest of the trail to the parking lot. Part of the group wanted the traditional post-hike ice cream, but there was some heavy lobbying for nachos and buffalo wings. In the spirit of trying to keep everyone happy we did both!

Special thanks to Deb for being so helpful.

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Whitewall Mountain (photo by Mark Malnati) SDH on Zeacliff (photo by Dennis Marchand)

NH - Central East

Driving Directions

The trailhead is located at the end of Zealand Road which can be found on the south side of Rt. 302.

Start at the intersection of Rt. 302 and Rt. 3 in Twin Mountain (Carroll).
Head east on Rt. 302 for 2.1 miles.
Turn right onto Zealand Road.
3.5 miles from Rt. 302, Zealand Road ends and there is a large parking area on the left.
The trailhead is straight-ahead from the road.

Facilities

Bathrooms in parking area. Bathrooms at Zealand Falls Hut.

Cooling feet at the cascades (photo by Dennis Marchand) Twinway trail (photo by Dennis Marchand)

Other Notes

A parking permit is required to park at White Mountain National Forest trailheads and parking areas. You can purchase a WMNF permit from the forest service and other vendors and can also pay-by-the-day using self-service kiosks located in many parking areas.

Rates:

$3 per day
$5 for a week-long pass
$20 for a year-long pass
$25 for two year-long passes (one household/two cars)

Zealand Road is closed to vehicular travel from mid-November through mid-May.

More Zealand Pond, Zealand Falls, Zeacliff Trail Reports

Pond (photo by Dennis Marchand) Zealand Falls (photo by Dennis Marchand)

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