Galehead Mountain, New Hampshire hiking , New Hampshire, United States

Why choose a trail at Galehead Mountain, New Hampshire?

South Twin Mountain is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Twin Range of the White Mountains. South Twin forms the high point of a north-south ridge, with North Twin Mountain lying approximately one mile to the north and Mount Guyot two miles (3 km) to the southeast. Galehead Mountain, a lower spur of South Twin, is to the west. The east face of South Twin drains into the Little River, thence into the Ammonoosuc and Connecticut Rivers, and into Long Island Sound in Connecticut. The northwest slopes of South Twin drain to the North Branch of the Gale River, another tributary of the Ammonoosuc River. Southwest of South Twin Mountain is the valley of Twin Brook, which flows into the Franconia Branch of the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River, through the Pemigewasset Wilderness, thence into the Pemigewasset and Merrimack Rivers, and into the Gulf of Maine in Massachusetts. The summit of South Twin is open and rocky, but stands of spruce and fir trees grow in close proximity. The Appalachian Trail, a 2,170-mile (3,500-km) National Scenic Trail from Georgia to Maine, crosses the summit of South Twin, passing from Galehead Mountain (and Galehead Hut) to the west towards Mount Guyot to the southeast. The North Twin Trail proceeds north along the ridge crest to the summit of North Twin. Galehead Mountain is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Twin Range of the White Mountains. Galehead is flanked to the east by South Twin Mountain, and to the west by Mount Garfield. The summit is reached by the Frost Trail which departs from Galehead Hut (operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club). There are several ways to reach the hut from one's car, the Gale River Trail from the northwest being the most direct. Galehead is so named because it is located above the headwaters of the North Branch of the Gale River. The north face of Galehead drains into the North Branch, thence via the Gale River into the Ammonoosuc and Connecticut rivers, and into Long Island Sound in Connecticut. The southeast face of Galehead drains into Twin Brook, thence into the Franconia Branch of the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River, through the Pemigewasset Wilderness, thence into the Pemigewasset and Merrimack rivers, and into the Gulf of Maine in Massachusetts. The west face of Galehead also drains into the Franconia Branch. The Appalachian Trail, a 2,170-mile (3,490 km) National Scenic Trail from Georgia to Maine, crosses the northern face of Galehead, 0.2 mi (0.3 km) north — and 400 feet (120 m) below — the summit. The Appalachian Mountain Club's Galehead Hut is located in the col between Galehead and South Twin.

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