Zealand Mountain via Zealand Trail & Twinway Trail

Though the summit may not offer any views, Zeacliff is one of the most outstanding views in New Hampshire. The hike up is well worth it, and you even get the bonus waterfall and ponds on the way up. Total trip from Zealand road to summit and back: 11.2

Height: 4,260 feet

Distance: 11.2 miles round trip

Rating: Difficult

Elevation Gain: 2,467 feet

Hike Time: 5-8 Hours

Zealand Trail

This trail is relatively flat for 2.3 miles heading towards Beaver Ponds and Zealand Falls. Well traveled by many who are doing a short hike to the falls, to stay at the Zealand Falls Hut, or those who are peaking or continuing on elsewhere. It follows along the river for quite some time offering great river views. It would be classified as an easy trail. For .2 miles it gets a bit steep heading upwards past the falls, and the hut with some small river crossings.

Trail Map

http://4000footers.com/zealand.shtml

Zealand Falls

The falls are absolutely gorgeous, both from the bottom and the top. In the fall they also have great foliage. Come after some heavy rain, and it is awesome to see a heavy flow of water.

Zealand Falls Hut

All of the AMC huts are awesome, but this one not only has a waterfall 50 feet away, but is also relatively easy to access. Only around 2.5 miles from the parking lot with minimal elevation gain makes it one of the easiest to access in the Whites.

Twinway Trail

This connects Zeacliff to the summit, and continuous on to Mount Guyot and beyond. It gives easy access to the Twins or the Bonds from their. This is a pretty easy and flat trail with some bumps mixed in throughout. (1.3 miles from the hut to Zeacliff and another 1.6 miles from Zeacliff to the summit.)

Zealand Cliff

The views say enough. Good lunch spot too.

Summit

Pretty much no views here. Completely surrounded by trees. It is a little .1 mile cutoff from the Twinway trail. If you don’t care about the summit, there is at least a cool summit sign.

Directions

Nearby Hikes

Some may enjoy adding in Mount Hale to the mix, especially if you are trying to efficiently bag some peaks. The most efficient way to do so would be to take the Lend-A-Hand Trail either from the parking lot about a mile before the Zealand parking lot. This will add only a little over a mile of walking on the road on top of the 4.9 miles of trail to hit Mount Hale.

Weather Forecast

Bethlehem, NH

Overnight
Clear, with a low around 6. Wind chill values as low as -20. Northwest wind 40 to 45 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph.

Friday
Snow likely after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 27. Wind chill values as low as -19. West wind 20 to 40 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Friday Night
Snow before 4am, then rain and snow likely. Cloudy. Low around 24, with temperatures rising to around 34 overnight. Southwest wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Saturday
Rain before 2pm, then showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 46. Southwest wind 25 to 40 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Saturday Night
Showers and thunderstorms likely before 9pm, then rain and snow showers likely between 9pm and 10pm, then rain and snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13. Northwest wind 30 to 55 mph, with gusts as high as 70 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Sunday
A chance of snow showers before 8am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 18. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible.

Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 9.

Additional Pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out a nearby hike: Arethusa and Ripley Falls