"North Twin: Awesome, good view for not too much distance and flat trail for most part South Twin: Only a little further for AMAZING 360 views! Galehead: Awful summit, but hut is nice as well as viewpoint up" — Wafflepeakbagger • Oct 11, 2025

"A highly disappointing day for what was to be my 3rd consecutive Flags on the 48 hike. For some reason one of my boots was aggravating my inside ankle to the point that I was in pain. Remembering what happened a number of years ago on Moosilauke, when I toughed it out on a partial sprain, I made the decision, at 3100', to turn around so I wouldn't be dragging myself out in the dark." — SteveM_StickMan • Sep 13, 2025

"The day started off cloudier than expected, with completely overcast skies at 9:15am when I started the hike. The cool temperatures and mild breeze were anticipated, and this was the first hike since April where I wore a sweatshirt for the entirety of the hike. The trail starts off relatively flat, following the course of the Little River. The trail conditions were a little damp in the morning – it likely rained in the early hours of the day – but in general the White Mountains have been devoid of rain for weeks. According to another hiker, the water level of the Little River was quite low, although I found the water to be flowing quickly enough to make the crossing tricky. After the crossing, the trail turns westward and begins climbing North Twin. Some loose dirt and rock, along with some slick boulders, made a few sections of the ascent challenging, but for the most part it was a consistent climb. A little over 4 miles in, the trail begins to level out. Soon after, the trail briefly emerged from the trees and onto a small rocky outlook with views to the south and east. Luckily, the cloud cover had cleared significantly, and we could see the majority of the neighboring mountains...." — JCalautti • Aug 31, 2025

"A traverse for Galehead and the Twins with Molly and Denise. We headed up Gale River Tr to do Galehead first. Then slogged it out with the ascent of South Twin. Then headed over to North Twin and down the North Twin Tr. Beautiful day on the Twins. We skipped 2nd and 1st crossing. I picked up a Calendar Day. " — newenglandwarrior • Nov 20, 2021

"A Twins, Zealand, Hale loop hike to help out Molly and Denise with their grids. We went up North Twin first to get the more exposed stuff over in case of bad weather. Partially socked in on the Twins. Same with Guyot. We had some views on Zeacliff. Then there was scattered light rain from Hale down the Fire Wardens Tr. I picked up 19 4000 footers in the month of June, which might be a record for me. 16.8 miles. 5715 elev gain" — newenglandwarrior • Jun 26, 2021

"A Hale, Zealand, Twins loop today for my Grid. Parked at Haystack Rd and went up the Fire Wardens Tr to Hale. Continued on to Zealand from there. Socked in, so I didn't bother with Zeacliff. Crossed over Guyot in the clouds. Met up with Molly, Denise, and Sarah off of South Twin on their backpack trip. We had lunch together before continuing on. At that point, I had views on both of the Twins. On North Twin, I saw a pine marten. That probably made the hike. Came off of North Twin, crossed the river, then bypassed 2nd and 1st crossing because of the high river." — newenglandwarrior • May 29, 2021

"Molly needed the Twins for winter. So we hiked up Gale River Tr and reached South Twin. We then went over and hit the summit of North Twin. We came back over South Twin and we tagged Galehead as a bonus peak for her Grid. " — newenglandwarrior • Mar 7, 2021

"Had a great time on this hike. Started out going through Franconia Notch where it was almost fog like. Very cloudy to begin. Parked at Seven Dwarfs for winter trailhead access. Adds an extra 1.5 miles each way. Little River was semi-raging and we had to go about a tenth of a mile beyond the third water crossing to find a safe ice bridge. North Twin trail is steep at the top, some unconsolidated snow made climbing difficult in spikes. Switched to snowshoes and it was much better. Once we emerged onto the rocks though, we were treated to a fantastic undercast with bright blue skies. It is one of the most astonishingly beautiful things to see. An ocean of clouds at your feet. There was Mt Wash, only its upper seen above the clouds. Not cold really, about 30 deg. As we made it to South Twin, the clouds were starting to dissipate. And a strong cold wind arrived too. South Twin has the best views in the Whites!" — Alohabuffy • Jan 10, 2021

"Took advantage of the Zealand Rd gate being open before a Nor'easter. Doug and I did a car spot hike, a Hale, Zealand, Twins hike. We both picked up SW Twin as well on this hike and Doug grabbed Galehead. " — newenglandwarrior • Dec 4, 2020

"North Twin Tr and North Twin Spur over North Twin and South Twin summits, and back. The weather report looked great--partly cloudy, temperatures in the 50's-70's, with a SLIGHT chance of precipitation. (Pretty normal for the White Mountains) The parking lot at the North Twin trailhead is small and fills early, but parking is allowed on one side of Haystack Rd. That's where we easily found a spot, bathed in sunscreen and bug repellant, and started our ascent at 8:15am. The trail is clearly marked and well maintained, with some steep, rocky sections, no scrambles, and only a few downed trees. The three water crossings were the tricky part, and from what I understand, we were hiking after somewhat of a summer drought, so... There is an alternative "well-beaten path" the AMC guide mentions, which follows along the left side of the stream and avoids the first two crossings altogether. We opted to take the three crossings on the way up, get a feel for how everything connected, and take the alternative trail on the way back down. Most of the way up, it became clear we would be taking in our first summit enveloped in a cloud. "Not to worry. It'll pass or burn off. Mountain weather, you kno..." — gooner • Aug 22, 2020