Hike New England - Mt. Hale, Zealand Falls, Zealand Pond

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Mt. Hale, Zealand Falls, Zealand Pond

Destinations:		Mt. Hale (4054'), Zealand Falls Hut (2630'), Zealand Falls, Zealand Pond (2457')
Trails:		Hale Brook Trail, Lend-A-Hand Trail, Twinway, Zealand Trail, Zealand Road
Region:		NH - Central East White Mountain National Forest, Little River Mountains
Location:		Bethlehem, NH
Rating:		Moderate/Difficult
Features:		Ponds, summit, views, hut, wetlands, river, cascades, brook, loop hike, 4000-footer
Distance:		8.7 miles
Elevation Gain:		2300 feet (cumulative)
Hiking Time:		Typical: 5:30
Outing Duration:		Actual: 7:00 Typical: 8:30
Hike Date:		05/10/2008 (Saturday)
Author:		Deb Hann
Companions:		Twelve SDHers, 2 dogs

Route Summary

This is a loop hike ascending Mt. Hale via Hale Brook Trail and descending via a different route to pass by Zealand Falls Hut, Zealand Falls, and Zealand Pond.

Start at the Hale Brook Trail parking area.
Hike up Hale Brook Trail, crossing a few streams en route, and arriving at the summit of Mt. Hale after 2.2 miles.
Descend Mt. Hale via Lend-A-Hand Trail for 2.7 miles where it ends upon meeting up with Twinway.
Follow Twinway for 0.1 mile to the Zealand Falls AMC Hut.
Descend on Twinway for 0.1 mile to reach Zealand Falls on the right (the falls are reached via a short spur).
Continue another 0.1 mile on Twinway to reach Zealand Pond on the left and the junction with Ethan Pond Trail on the right.
Then keep going straight on what is now called Zealand Trail, descending gently for 2.5 miles to arrive at the Zealand Pond Trail parking lot which is at the end of Zealand Road.
Finally to complete the loop, walk 1.0 mile along Zealand Road to return to the Hale Brook Trail parking area which will be on your left.

Lunch on Mount Hale's summit (photo by Mark Malnati)

Place	Split Miles	Total Miles
Hale Brook Trail parking area (1770')	0.0	0.0
Mt. Hale (4054')	2.2	2.2
Jct. Twinway/Lend-A-Hand Trail (2730')	2.7	4.9
Zealand Falls Hut (2630')	0.1	5.0
Zealand Falls	0.1	5.1
Zealand Pond (Jct. Twinway/Ethan Pond Trail) (2457')	0.1	5.2
Jct. Zealand Trail/A-Z Trail (2450')	0.2	5.4
Zealand Trail parking area (2000')	2.3	7.7
Hale Brook Trail parking area (1770')	1.0	8.7

Lend-A-Hand Trail sign (photo by Mark Malnati)

Map of Mt. Hale / Zealand Pond Loop (map by Webmaster)

Trail Guide

Dave water crossing (photo by Mark Malnati)

Comments from Diane:

A couple days before the hike, upon talking to a forest ranger, we learned that Zealand Road would most likely be open for the season allowing us to do this long loop trail.

We also learned from an internet posting that the trail was alllegedly covered by only three inches of hardpacked snow. Well, that didn't quite turn out to be true.... it appears Jack and Deb are running a postholing competition. We learned during Saturday's hike that three inches of hardpacked snow can mysteriously "expand" to more than twelve inches� now I think I'm seeing why Deb so graciously pulls out a couple of pounds of chocolate during so many of her fabulous hikes - a little bribery goes a long way with this crowd!

And here is Deb's report:

On Saturday, May 10 twelve hikers and two dogs ascended Mount Hale via the Hale Brook Trail. Weather was mild and the sun peeked through the clouds. Black flies were calm/submissive.

Hale Brook Trail is a gradual yet constant grade. Okay, I may have miscalculated the depth of snow in shaded areas... to coin Jack's term, we were "postholing"!

Dave on the trail (photo by Mark Malnati)

Dave on the trail (photo by Mark Malnati)

The group converged on the summit for lunch. We then made our loop on the Lend-A-Hand Trail. It was only 2.7 miles to Zealand Hut, but the snow made it seem much longer! This is where we lost one hiker who had a time constraint and opted to descend Hale Brook Trail to be on the safe side.

We all met up at Zealand Falls Hut for snacks and a change of socks. There were a few spills, so it was a good opportunity to break out the first aid kit!

We descended via the Zealand Trail, a 2.5 mile walk in the woods. This is a flat, smooth trail with pretty views.

Okay, I may have miscalculated the mileage... I forgot to add the 1.0 mile on the road from Zealand Trailhead to the Hale Brook Trailhead. Oops! Total distance for most was 8.7 miles. (Charlie headed back in the car to pick up the last of us "snails". We opted not to rest on the bench and wait for a ride, so he found us half way down the road.)

Total time: 7 hours. We skipped ice cream as the hour was getting late and most places are still closed for the season. All-in-all, another great day in the woods with SDH!

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Driving Directions

Following Rt. 302, turn south onto Zealand Road. Coming from Twin River, Zealand Road is a right-hand turn found 2.1 miles east of the intersection of Rt. 302 and Rt. 3.
After 2.5 miles, there will be parking for the trail on the right. The parking lot is just before a bridge.
The trail takes off from the right hand corner of the parking area (when looking at the parking area from the road).

Facilities

Bathrooms at Zealand Falls Hut. 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, Mt. Hale Trail Reports

Zealand Falls (photo by Mark Malnati)

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