The Bonds look like a small
mountain range
when viewed from the Twinway
near Mt Guyot. You see Mt Bond and West Bond. The area is especially green
and beautiful in summer. They're a part of the Pemigewassett Wilderness area. In the
winter, it is a rugged and remote place and is was where I chose to finish my
winter 4K list.
♦THE TRAILHEADS
Most popular route is ♦The Wilderness Trail to ♦The Bondcliff Trail goes over the summits of Bondcliff and Mt Bond. ♦West Bond Spur climbs to West Bond. Doing all three in a day is 22 miles round trip. ♦Lincoln Woods Trailhead is located close to Lincoln on the Kancamangus Highway. Lincoln Woods is a popular place with a big parking lot offering several launching points for hikes.
♦Twinway Trail is another popular way to
reach the Bonds. It is usually reached by either the ♦Gale River Trail
located on Gale River Road (closed Nov-May) off RT3 near the Last Chance
Cabins south of the town of Twin Mountain, or near Zealand Hut.
♦THE TRAVERSE
Typically, the traverse is reached from Zealand Road, (closed Nov-May) on
the ♦Zealand Trail to Twinway Trail. This is probably
the most popular winter route and involves a 2+ hour road/trail walk to reach the hut.
The N-S
Traverse as it's known, is over 23 miles long with elevation gain of 4,340'. It
is a great hike over 4 official 4K peaks.
THE MOUNTAINS
Bondcliff 4,265'
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Bondcliff is one of the most
isolated and spectacular summits in the Whites. It's rocky ridge summit has several
sharp dropoffs. From the top you can see many of the other NH4K peaks. Many choose
to end their quest to climb the 48 here.
Mt Bond 4,698'
Mt Bond is the highest of the trio and it climbs moderately across Bondcliff's ridge and up the summit cone over some small boulders. My favorite view of Mt Bond is from Mt Guyot and also from the Twinway as you climb out of the trees beyond the Twins.
Mt West Bond 4,560'
West Bond spur trail is just after the Guyot campsite (if you're coming from the Twinway.) From the summit of Bond it's 1 mile to the summit. Down in the forest col there's a well marked spur trail that takes you the the bald rocky summit. From here you have an unbelievable view of Bondcliff.
