Baldface Circle Trail New Hampshire Hike Guide
Baldface Circle trail is a route up South Baldface Mountain and adds on North Baldface Mountain in Eastern New Hampshire. This hike is not extremely popular but does see a lot of hikers during the summer due to its position on the “Terrifying 25” New Hampshire hikes list. For those looking to cool off in a beautiful swimming hole, Emerald Pool is a fantastic way to end the hike on a hot summer day. The route up South Baldface Mountain is a little challenging but a good option for hikers looking to increase the difficulty on a hike. Best of all, both of these summits have no tree cover so views on a clear day are fantastic.
Baldface Circle Hike Guide
Virtual Trail Guide: Baldface Circle
Baldface Circle Hike Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Distance: 9.3 miles
Elevation Start: 524ft
High Point: South Baldface: 3,572ft North Baldface: 3,589ft
Total Elevation Gain: 3,600ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 4-6 Hours RT
Difficulty: Moderate What does this mean?
Class: Class 3 (Only on South Baldface ledges) What does this mean?
Season: Year round – expect snow from December – April
Directions to Baldface Circle
Trailhead: Emerald Pool
Getting Here: This trailhead is fairly remote, even for New Hampshire standards so directions will vary drastically depending on your starting point. Once you are at the trailhead that is linked below, walk up the road to the right about 50 yards and the trail starts on the right hand side of the street.
Parking: This large lot can fit about 20-25 cars with additional parking along the road if necessary. There is a non-plumbing bathroom at the trailhead as well.
Fee: None
Summary
Dogs: I would only recommend bringing a dog on this loop (assuming you are hitting the ledges on South Baldface) if your dog has a lot of experience scrambling and making larger jumps. Aria did fine with the terrain but struggled because the rocks were wet. A small dog would not do well (on its own) during this hike as there are several areas that require a larger step up/down. Since this hike is in a Wilderness Area dogs should be kept on a leash.
Camping: The most popular spot to camp on this loop would be at the Baldface Shelter located along the way up to the summit of South Baldface. Read more about camping at the shelter here.
Hike Xfactor(s): If there is rain in the forecast or it has recently rained, I would strongly advise against going up or down the ledges of South Baldface. There is a detour to work around this section; it just adds a little bit of extra mileage. Aria and I hiked this during a small rain/drizzle and the rocks turned into slick ice and made for extremely dangerous travel. Once we got up through the ledges section, it felt safe again and the rest of the Baldface Circle trail was not an issue.
Hike Tip(s): While hiking the Baldface Circle trail, I would recommend hiking up South Baldface first and then heading down North Baldface. In my opinion, these ledges are much more fun to scramble up vs down. Additionally, be sure to have a map or photo of one when hiking since there are a number of trails and additional detours to take. Finally, having waterproof shoes or just some sandals to pop into might be helpful when making the large stream crossing I show in the virtual guide.
Best Views: I am not able to speak about the views on this hike since the entire time we were hiking the Baldface Circle trail, we were in the clouds. However, I could tell that the summit of both peaks had amazing views if there were no clouds.
Make it a Loop: The Baldface circle trail is a loop but as mentioned above, it’s helpful to have a map to understand all of the different options available to you. Finally, be sure to check out the small detour to Emerald Pool after you have finished your hike. It’s a short detour off the trail but a very cool spot.
Baldface Circle Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Men’s Trail Runners (waterproof helpful)
- Women’s Trail Runners (waterproof helpful)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s) (waterproof helpful)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Women’s) (waterproof helpful)
- Backpack (Winter)
- Backpack (Summer)
- Food & Water
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles – 120CM
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod, Selfie Stick, GoPro 360, Drone
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
