After hiking Carter Dome on Saturday I decided to hike Waumbek. This hike is considered one of the easiest 4000-footers. It is one of the furthest NH 4000-footers from me so it was good to do while I was in the area.
I took the Starr King trail: the shortest trail for an easy hike. I am not ashamed! The trail is 7.2 miles RT and the total elevation gain is 2700 feet.
The trail is very moderate almost the entire way up. There is only one steep section that lasts seconds.
The hike to Mt. Starr King isn’t very notable unless you run into something odd. It is a nice walk in the woods, but no views for the first stretch.
You also find a fireplace which is the last remnant of an old cabin. I tried to do some research on the cabin and all I could find was the following “1940s: shelter built near summit of Starr King. Rebuilt 1968, removed ca. 1980. Remnants of fireplace still visible today” (Smith, Steven D., and Mike Dickerman. “Mount Waumbek.” The 4000 Footers of the White Mountains. Littleton, NH: Bondcliff, 2008.) That must have been a pretty fancy shelter. I thought that deserved a fancy citation as well.
The climb from Starr king to Waumbek lasts only .2 miles after a quick dip down to 3750 feet. The geological summit marker I assume is older than those on other 4000-foot peaks as it is different. I haven’t seen the fine amount before.
The views of the Presidentials are seen from a blowdown via a side path from the summit. After I took in some views I retraced my steps back to my car.
Last modified: July 13, 2017
Where is the summit marker? I couldn’t find it yesterday.