Mount Willey via Willey Range Trail
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Mount Willey Hike Overview
Mount Willey (4,285’) sits near Crawford Notch and is one of the shorter 4,000 footers. Although the summit of Mount Willey is wooded, there is an overlook area that offers beautiful views of the Presidential Range.
Trail Details
Trail: Ethan Pond Trail > Willey Range Trail
Length: 5.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,800 feet
My Trail Time: 4:00 hours hiking, 4:30 hours total
Hike Overview
Mount Willey is usually hike along as an out-and-back or as a longer trail with Mount Tom and Mount Field. This guide goes over only hiking to Mount Willey via the Willey Range Trail.
The Willey Range Trail is a unique trail because it contains a few sets of ladders in one section. The ladders are fun, in my opinion, but are on the steeper side. This trail gains 2,800 feet of elevation with most of it gained in the second half of the trail after the ladders.
Mount Willey Hike via Ethan Pond Trail Guide
August 17, 2019
**Always remember to leave no trace. It is crucial to pack out what you pack in and throw away your trash properly.
We decided to hike Mount Willey on an overcast and humid day which was perfect since the summit is wooded. We began the hike on Ethan Pond Trail at 9:00 AM and immediately crossed paths with 5 people on the Appalachian Trail. I always LOVE meeting thru-hikers because they are super friendly and have awesome stories. After chatting for a few minutes with them, we continued our ascent.
The first half of this hike on Ethan Pond Trail alternated from steep to flat sections. It was great to wake up the legs! However, Ethan Pond Trail was very wet. It rained the night before, so we had to be more cautious of our footing. We flew up the first half of Ethan Pond Trail and soon came to the first intersection. We continue straight towards Willey Range Trail and before we knew it we were at the second intersection!
The real ascent began as soon as we turned onto Willey Range Trail. The trail immediately began to become steep with a lot of roots and rocks in the path. Nothing too crazy though! Our legs were warmed up and ready to go, so we felt great. This portion of the Willey Range Trail was wet but didn’t cause any trouble for us. I never felt unsafe as long as I was paying attention to my footing.
Willey Range Trail was pretty uneventful until we reached the ladders. I understand why they are called “ladders”, but they seemed more like staircases. They were never too steep, and we had no problem going up or down them. I also am not afraid of heights, so that may have played a role in it, but they were not bad. People talk them up too much lol!
After we completed the ladders, we were rewarded with more steep inclines! The rest of Willey Range Trail was very steep. This section became tricky because the rock slabs were wet, but we were safe and took our time. Most of the elevation is gained from the ladders to the summit, so our legs were burning! I loved it though because it was fun!
Sooo here’s the funny party. We passed Mount Willey’s overlook area because I wanted to get a picture with the summit before stopping to relax, but we completely MISSED the summit lol. Usually, you can tell where a summit is, but the rock cairn was next to a tree, so we walked right by it. We passed a group of hikers who told us we had already passed Mount Willey’s summit. Luckily, we only hiked an extra 10 minutes. The other group of hikers almost missed Mount Willey’s summit, too, so I didn’t feel as bad about it. For those of you who are hiking this trail, the rock cairn is a few feet past the overlook sign to the right!
After grabbing a picture on Mount Willey’s summit at 11:30 AM, we headed to the overlook and were rewarded with NOTHING lol! It was overcast, so we were not expecting to have a view. I have heard that the views although small are spectacular, so I would highly recommend taking a few minutes to stop at the overlook.
If we were going to hike to Mount Field and Mount Tom, we would have continued past Mount Willey’s summit to continue hiking, but I already hiked to those two mountains, so we continued back the way we came at noon after enjoying a snack break. Our descent on Willey Range Trail was a bit slower than our ascent because the trail was very wet from the mist. We soon approached the ladders which seemed steeper looking down lol. But we walked down them sideways always having one hand on the ladders and didn’t have any issues. I heard a lot of people had struggled with this section during their descent, but I didn’t think it was that bad!
After we completed the ladders, we began to pick up our pace. Surprisingly, our descent didn’t seem to be as long as our ascent. Once we turned onto Ethan Pond Trail, we felt like we were back at our car in no time! We arrived at our car at 2:00 PM just as it started to drizzle. I don’t think I would have felt safe if the trail was wetter than it was, but luckily, we made it back before the rain moved in.
If I were to hike to Mount Willey again, I think I would have added it to the hike with Mount Field, Mount Tom, and Mount Avalon. But this hike was very fun and the ladders were a bonus!
If you hiked to Mount Willey, did you hike it alone or with Mount Field, Mount Tom, and Mount Avalon?
Hey, I’m Nichole!
I am the creator behind Nichole the Nomad, the home of my explorations around the world, mountain hikes, and beautiful pictures taken along the way. I have a deep passion for capturing the world in a beautiful light and sharing my experiences.
I created this blog to share my travels, show how beautiful the world is, provide tips and tricks for traveling, and encourage you to explore. Whether you want to travel across the world or explore what’s in your backyard, I hope this blog inspires you to get outside and find your adventure!