Hiking the Bonds in Winter
We did this 22 mile out and back hike from Lincoln Woods to Bondcliff, Bond, and West Bond in winter for 45, 46, and 47 of our winter New Hampshire 4,000 footers!
Hike Date: March 14, 2022
Stats
Route
Segment Distance | Total Distance | Route Description |
| 0 mi | 0 mi | Start at Lincoln Woods Trailhead |
| 3 mi | 3 mi | Lincoln Woods Trail to Bondcliff Trail |
| 6.2 mi | 9.2 mi | Bondcliff Trail to summit of Bondcliff |
| 1.2 mi | 10.4 mi | Bondcliff Trail to summit of Mt. Bond |
| 0.5 mi | 10.9 mi | Bondcliff Trail to West Bond Spur |
| 0.5 mi | 11.4 mi | West Bond Spur to summit of West Bond |
| 0.5 mi | 11.9 mi | West Bond Spur back to Bondcliff Trail |
| 0.5 mi | 12.4 mi | Bondcliff Trail back to summit of Mt. Bond |
| 1.2 mi | 13.6 mi | Bondcliff Trail back to summit of Bondcliff |
| 6.2 mi | 19.6 mi | Bondcliff Trail back to Lincoln Woods Trail |
| 3 mi | 22.6 mi | Lincoln Woods Trail back to the parking lot |
Map
Note: Map mileage does not match stats because Gaia GPS tends to undercount it. Mileage stats were calculated using the White Mountain Guide and Trail Maps.
Parking at Lincoln Woods
On a late winter day in March, we set out to hike the Bonds (Bondcliff, Bond, and West Bond), three peaks in the heart of the Pemigewasset Wilderness as a 22 mile out and back hike. We parked at Lincoln Woods Trailhead at 6:30am – the only car in the lot this early on a weekday. The Forest Service charges a small fee, $5 per day, for parking at Lincoln Woods. You could also buy an annual White Mountain National Forest recreation pass or an America the Beautiful pass (covers all federal lands including National Parks) if you regularly visit locations that charge fees. We buy the America the Beautiful pass each year to cover our parking fees in the White Mountains and to visit National Parks around the country. Here are the other White Mountain National Forest fee areas.
Lincoln Woods to Bondcliff
We began our hike by crossing the bridge, turned right, and started the 3 mile flat walk along Lincoln Woods Trail to reach Bondcliff Trail. This section is easy and flat, but can be really long and boring.
We continued across another bridge onto Bondcliff Trail and began the roughly 6 miles to the first peak of the day: Bondcliff. The trail remained pretty flat and straight for the next 2 miles and then turned left at a Bondcliff Trail sign that marks the beginning of the climb toward the summit. The ascent on the first part was very pleasant and pretty mild. We followed the stream and crossed over it a couple times. About a mile from Bondcliff, the slope started getting a bit steeper so we knew we were almost there.
Just before getting above treeline, we put on balaclavas and windbreakers and then climbed the last short steep section to emerge on the ridge. It was a cloudy and windy morning, so we made our way across the exposed ridgeline from Bondcliff to Bond as quickly as we could.
Bondcliff to Mount Bond
We wore microspikes across this exposed section, carefully stepping on frozen ice sheets between rocks. There is a pretty sizable climb to Mt. Bond, which is the highest of the three peaks. We actually climbed into a thick stand of trees and put on our snowshoes because the fresh powder was about knee deep in there. The summit of Bond is one of our favorites in the Whites: you stare down the ridge between Bond and Bondcliff and when you look to the right, you catch glimpses of West Bond (our next destination), Franconia Ridge, and Mt. Garfield.
Bond to West Bond
From the summit of Bond, we headed down the trail, went over a small rise, and then stopped at the trail juncture for the West Bond spur. We dropped our packs and continued towards West Bond on the little out and back. This section dips down considerably and then climbs to a more pointed peak at the end. West Bond was probably the star of the day for us, much because the sun came out just when we got to the summit. Since West Bond juts out into the center of the Pemigewasset Wilderness, we got gorgeous 360 degree views and could trace exactly where we had already walked for the day – one of our favorite things to do in the mountains.
West Bond marked the halfway point. At 11 miles in, we knew that we only had 2 more miles of above treeline time and then 9 miles of under treeline time to get back.
West Bond Over Bond to Bondcliff
We hiked back over Bond, now with even better views in the sun, took off our snowshoes and put on microspikes for the wind-scoured ridgeline, and continued towards Bondcliff. Our legs were pretty tired at this point, but we were filled up by the sun shining and the knowledge that we had done most of the difficult part of the hike already. This time, when we got back to Bondcliff, we basked in the sun, took pictures at the iconic Bondcliff rock profile, and enjoyed our feelings of accomplishment for the day.
Bondcliff to Lincoln Woods
The 9 mile hike from Bondcliff to the Lincoln Woods parking lot felt quite long as usual – it just goes on and on seemingly forever. It was not difficult at all, but honestly, it was a bit boring. Luckily, the snow covering the trees was beautiful and we were still basking in the glow of accomplishing a big winter hike. When we got to the Bondcliff sign, we knew we had about 5 flat miles left. Ready to celebrate, we walked as fast as we could and geared ourselves up for one more winter hike to finish our winter 48!
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