"Day one of the Presidential Range Traverse. The climb up Madison is a real bear, but it is worth it for the stunning views. All of the cols are above treeline, and the climb up Adams and Jefferson was just as beautiful. Excellent views into the Great Gulf also. The trail is very rocky, and there are many scree fields on Adams, Jefferson, and Madison. The trail up and over Clay was well worth it for the awesome views of Mount Washington. Washington was very tough at the end of the day on the way down but the trail up is less rocky and is very nice. We spent the night at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut." — elimihuta • Jun 27, 2025

"Presidential Traverse, NH - Day 2 - Lake of the Clouds Hut to Madison Spring Hut. Woke up early. Caught breakfast at LotC Hut and then gunned it up to Washington. Bought some stickers, snickers and a Red Bull then continued the traverse around to Clay, Jefferson, Adams and then dropped into Madison Hut for the night." — wiweasel • Jul 5, 2024

"Sunny forecast turned into a very hazy sky, smoke from the Canadian wild fires was quite prevalent. Still though, some warm sunshine and very light winds made it a nice hike above tree level. An AMC crew was closing up the Madison Spring Hut for the year. Went up Airline and down Valley Way." — Alohabuffy • Sep 27, 2023

"Started the ascent at 9:42 am anticipating a 4.8-mile round trip. We crossed the Hudson River on a metal suspension bridge that needs some work (listing quite a bit to one side) and took the newer path around Lake Jimmy (since the log bridge was mostly destroyed years ago). The recent rains made for a muddy trek, but we reached the intersection with the red-marked trail just past the former observer’s cabin after 37 minutes. Although there was supposed to be a cairn marking the intersection, the only prominent marking was a vertical 2x4 with no signage. Started up the trail and the first couple of tenths were easy to moderate…. then the trail went vertical on us gaining approximately 1800 feet in a little over 1 ¼ miles! Quite a lung and leg burner which took us almost 1 ½ hours to complete. The summit is wooded with no view, but there was a nice wooden bench adjacent to the tower where we could enjoy lunch. We climbed to the top of the 47-foot tower and were treated to an incredible 360-degree view. There was a round table in the tower cab that identified all of the viewable mountains. Many of the high peaks were prominently observed. The hike down took nearly as long as the hike ..." — TJandMS • Jul 19, 2023

"Valley way Trail at Appalachia in Randolph is a good trail. the last 1.4 is definitely a bit touch because of the boulder hopping. Madison Spring Hut was an amazing stay. Too much wind at the top to get the video or pictures. " — Bucky • Jul 20, 2022

"A Madison and Adams kind of day. I went up Airline Tr then took Airline Cutoff over to Madison Hut. I managed to work around the ice on sections of the Airline Tr. There was quite a bit of snow and running water on Airline Cutoff. I reached the summit of Madison. Saw Nate Weeks, Jason Beauprie, and a bunch of others. They were starting a Presi Traverse. I headed over to Adams and tagged the summit. After soaking in the views. I headed down Airline Tr. I heard the upper part of Valley Way was an ice rink. To mix up my route down, I took Upper Bruin to Valley Way and out. There was some ice I had to work around on Upper Bruin and Valley Way. I gained 2 peaks for my May Grid. " — newenglandwarrior • May 14, 2022

"I wouldn't say that I'd recommend hiking both peaks in one day with a 3.5 hour drive on either side, but... we did! Hot and muggy down below, moderate and very windy over the tree line. We opted to take Valley Way--straightforward and not very challenging on a White Mountains scale--to ensure we made decent time and were shielded from the sun as long as possible. After a quick restroom break and First Lunch at Madison Spring Hut, we took Gulfside to Airline to the Mt. Adams summit. Definitely a longer climb than it first appears, and full of confusion since the rocks that are a part of the trail look exactly like the rocks that aren't, but... as long as you have plenty of water and sunscreen, it's worth the effort. Beautiful views, even before we hit the summit. But I might have enjoyed the views from Madison even more. After picking our way back down to the hut to retie our boots and grab Second Lunch, we followed Osgood up to Mt. Madison (where we dabbled in Third Lunch). I loved the trail. There were some fun little scrambley moments and intriguing lines and formations that made me feel adventurous and produced some nice pictures. Gorgeous 360 views on both peaks. Took about 10...." — gooner • Jun 29, 2021

"An Adams and Jefferson hike today. Went up King Ravine from Appalachia. Had Nate Weeks pass by me as he was doing a Vert day. Went through the Subway and Ice Caves on my ascent. Reached Adams, then headed over to Jefferson. Crossed paths with an AMC MLS group in Edmund's Col. Saw Hiker Ed on Jeff summit. Took Randolph Path to Amphibrach back down. Beautiful day to be above treeline." — newenglandwarrior • Jun 12, 2021

"After dropping 100' from the summit of Abigail Adams peak, I continued on to Mt. Adams summit. I was hoping to also do Sam and John Quincy peaks but was running out of time to get down before dark. It was a beautiful bluebird day with about a 5mph breeze. Only half a dozen of us at the top. Made a quick stop at Madison Spring Hut on the way down. My first NH 4Ker in 6 years. #25/NH4K" — SteveM_StickMan • Sep 21, 2020

"Beginning of another Presidential Traverse attempt. The hike began 2 hours later than scheduled and Watson Path was far steeper than anticipated which greatly slowed our pace. Slow pace, low ambient temperature, and increasing winds stopped our traverse attempt at Mt. Adams. We descended via Lowe's Path and climbed over Mt. Abigail Adams (Adams IV). The subpeak rises suddenly above the alpine garden." — JCalautti • Aug 28, 2020