Zealand Notch

Length: 8.1 miles out-and-back

Difficulty (click for info): Moderate

Elevation Gain: 620 feet (+110 feet on return)

Rating (click for info): 7/10

Elevation: 2465'

Driving Directions:
Trailhead and parking area are at the end of Zealand Road in Bethlehem, NH (Zealand Notch is in Lincoln). (Seasonal road - check status on TrailsNH to verify gate status). Turn west onto Zealand Road from Rt. 302, 2.2 miles east of Rt. 3, at the signs for the Zealand Campground. Drive 3.5 miles, all the way to the end of the road, passing several campgrounds and other trailheads on the way. The road ends at the parking area on the left one mile beyond the Hale Brook Trailhead. Approaching the parking area, there is a long row of overflow parking on the right side of the road just before the bridge. Be aware that the parking area fills up very quickly on weekends and busy times, and roadside parking is banned near the end of the road outside of the main lot and overflow lot. Click here for a Google map.

About the Hike:
The walk through the Zealand Valley on the Zealand Trail is one of the most rewarding and scenery-rich strolls in the White Mountains, with stops along the pristine Zealand River and vistas of wild mountain slopes across the open expanses of pretty marshes and ponds, and beautiful cascades. Once ravaged by fire during the logging operations of the early 1900s, now no evidence remains of this devastation in one of the White Mountains' most scenic valleys. Most hikers use the Zealand Trailhead as a launching point for multi-day backpacking adventures, as it has access to the AMC Zealand Falls Hut and multiple popular campsites including Ethand Pond and the Guyot Shelter up in the middle of the Mt. Bond ridge. But the Zealand Trail itself is abundantly worthwhile to visit by itself and can be used for several nice day or even half-day hikes, including to Zealand Falls and Zeacliff. Continuing a bit beyond the Zealand Hut area on the Ethan Pond Trail takes you outside the region where most of the crowds congregate and into the magnificent scenery of Zealand Notch. Most hikers headed this way are not stopping in the notch, and it's not typically advertised as a destination to hike to, but the marvellous sights in the notch are well worth the moderately long trek into this somewhat remote area. The hike involves some rough sections heading into the notch, but overall the climbing is minimal, and the reward is the amazing valley views from the midst of a massive boulder field on the slopes of Whitewall Mountain.

From the end of Zealand Road, head out on the gravel path at the start of the Zealand Trail, passing the signs directing to the AMC hut. It leads along the flat and smooth grade for 0.2 miles before peeling off to the right on a relocated portion of the trail. For the next 0.4 miles, it goes over rough roots and rocks, crossing several tiny brooks. It heads uphill briefly, levels off, then drops back down to the orginal trail, where it becomes much smoother again. It leads under a high canopy of conifer trees, crossing a wide wooden bridge, and leads up to the bank of the Zealand River in 0.2 miles. Here on the left side of the trail there is an opening to look over a small cascade in the ledgy riverbed. The trail swings to the right here and continues to parallel the river at a distance as the smooth, wide pathway ascends into the valley at very gentle grades. In 0.7 miles, it crosses a bridge over the Zealand River, then crosses a smaller stony brook. In quick succession, it crosses the main river again on a bridge and another smaller brook on large stepping stones.

The gravelly path soon comes out into an open area, 0.2 miles from the first bridge, as the river finds its beginning in a long chain of wetlands leading up to the height of Zealand Notch. It follows a narrow elevated path through the bushes, where wildflowers abound, before crossing the open water on a long boardwalk. Take your time as you cross this bridge, as you'll enjoy views over the marsh of the steep wall of Zeacliff not too far away. On the other side, the trail turns toward the water and follows it closely, with a few more mountain views. The trail then heads on a long straightaway just off the side of the marsh, with one minor crossing of a gravelly brook in the middle. At the far end of the marshes, step just off the trail at break in the trees for a view of Mt. Tom over the grassy open water. 0.6 miles from the first bridge, head straight through the junction with A-Z Trail. Just beyond, the trail crosses the Zealand River one last time at its very headwaters in the marsh, with views of Zeacliff Pond Peak to the right. It crosses the unnoticeable highest point in Zealand Notch, where it comes up to the side of Zealand Pond. Now on the other side of the notch, the water from this pond drains into a different watershed, following Whitewall Brook and not the Zealand River. About halfway through, a spur path leads to the edge of the pond, where you can look over the clean open water toward the hillside on the lower part of the Zealand-Hale ridge. Look closely in the trees and you can see the cascades above Zealand Falls. The trail leaves the pond, and in 0.2 miles from the bridge, arrives at the trail junction with Twinway.

For a brief detour to Zealand Falls, turn right onto Twinway. The trail leads through a small wet area, then passes a set of cascades on Whitewall Brook. Walk out onto an island in the middle of the brook for the best perspective. The trail now becomes rocky and begins to climb more steeply. At a sign on the left, a spur leads to Zealand Falls, an unusual and impressive waterfall, distinguished by its rectangular central chamber, which two cascades pour into from opposite sides. This 0.3 mile side trip is included in the mileage for this hike (the AMC hut is just beyond this at the top of the hill). Returning to the junction, take the other fork onto Ethan Pond Trail. The trail quickly becomes narrower and much less used, although it is a segment of the Appalachian Trail in this section and follows the former route of a logging railroad. It runs at a nearly level grade across the steepening hillside, staying on the Whitewall Mountain side of the notch, as Whitewall Brook and the floor of the notch fall away below. Look through breaks in the trees to glimpse views of Zeacliff as you pass it by on this long straightaway. As you begin to approach the talus slopes in the notch, the terrain gets a little rougher, with some scattered rocks you climb over.

Finally, 1.2 miles from the trail junction, the trail passes some piled stones and breaks out of the forest into the majestic sub-alpine slopes of Whitewall Mountain. The gravel trail, still on the old railroad bed, cuts through a row of trees midslope. Above you to the left, the boulders cascade down from the towering cliffs of Whitewall, and below to the right, the enormous pile rolls down toward the bottom of the valley. Hardy trees scatter themselves amongst the rocks. As you walk, views open up and improve on both sides. Across the valley you look out to the ridge leading up to Zeacliff, the summit of which is now behind you to the right. As you get further along the trail, you can also see past it back to Zeale Ridge and Mt. Hale. After 0.1 miles in the open, the trail reaches the junction with Zeacliff Trail. By this point you can also see down the valley to the south toward Shoal Pond Ridge and Mt. Hancock in the distance. Continue straight on Ethan Pond Trail and in another 0.1 miles or so you'll come to a wide open gravel bank where you can enjoy the best unobstructed views of the notch. At this point you can see Mt. Carrigain rising above the trail straight ahead. Here you are directly below some of the highest cliffs near the summit of Whitewall, and you can also see clearly down to the bottom of the valley, getting the full sweep of the view. This is a good place to end your journey and head back after admiring the scenery. The trail returns into the forest another 0.1 miles beyond. If you have plenty of time and are still feeling adventurous, you can also extend your hike to visit Thoreau Falls. Take the Ethan Pond Trail 0.7 miles further to the junction with Thoreau Falls Trail, turn right, and continue 0.1 miles to the top of the falls. The falls are described in detail on the separate page, which details a route starting from Crawford Notch, but Zealand Notch is an excellent route to take to access them as well. This extra section would add 1.6 miles and 130 feet of climbing round trip.

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