Birthday Hike on the Baldfaces

Getting above tree line, looking out at South Baldface.

Autumn in New England is one of the finest displays of nature. As the leaves change, the mountainsides become covered in a bold patchwork of color. 

The beginning of the ledges coming down from South Baldface. 

The last weekend of September, I had the pleasure of sharing one of my favorite hikes with my parents. My mom’s birthday is this week, and I surprised her by heading up to the family’s cabin in Maine late on Friday night.

Saturday couldn’t have been a more perfect day. The sun was shining and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. We had unseasonably warm temperatures in the 70s, and upon gaining elevation, there was a steady breeze to cool you off. 

The plan was to hike both North and South Baldface out of Evan’s notch, via the Baldface Circle Trail. We did the loop counterclockwise, which allowed us to avoid the crowds until later in the day. 

The Baldfaces straddle the Maine-New Hampshire state line and sit in the far east of the White Mountain National Forest. They get their name from the fact that they are sparsely vegetated as a result of a fire in the early 1900s. This means that despite the fact that they sit under 4,000ft, they are mainly above tree line, quite exposed to the elements, and have sweeping views along the several mile long ridgeline that connects both summits. Though the elevation may not be great, the hike itself is not a walk in the woods. It’s a little under 10 miles long and has over 3,500ft elevation gain. To add to the adventure, the southern peak in flanked by massive rocky ledges that proved to be very challenging and somewhat daunting, but we made it down safely (on our butts for most of the way). 

Look at Mt. Washington and the Wildcat-Carter Range from the summit of South Baldface.