Boott Spur Trail, White Mountains

Clouds engulf Tuckerman Ravine from Boott Spur Trail during the summer months in the scenic landscape of the White Mountains, New Hampshire USA ..Notes: Boott Spur Trail is located on the eastern slopes of Mount Washington.
Tuckerman Ravine – Boott Spur Trail, New Hampshire
 

Boott Spur Trail, White Mountains – Boott Spur Trail begins off the Tuckerman Ravine Trail and ends at Davis Path, near the summit of Boott Spur Mountain. At 5500 feet, Boott Spur is named for Francis Boott, a botanist who took part in scientific expeditions to the Presidential Range during the early 1800s. The original route of the trail was opened by the Appalachian Mountain Club in 1900.

If I had to pick my top ten favorite trails in the White Mountains, this trail would be on the list. Much of trail is above treeline, and the views are breathtaking! First-timers hiking this trail could suffer from view overload and will be taking many more breaks than expected to enjoy the mountain landscape.

Scenic view of Tuckerman Ravine in the White Mountains, New Hampshire.
Tuckerman Ravine (autumn) – Boott Spur Trail, New Hampshire
 

I have explored this trail during all four seasons and think autumn and winter are the best times to create scenic imagery along the trail. The alpine flowers, when in bloom, are also excellent on Boott Spur Mountain. And for summer night hikers, the trail is well marked and for the most part easy to follow during the night.

Mount Washington - Tuckerman Ravine in extreme weather conditions in the White Mountains, New Hampshire USA during the winter months. Strong winds cause snow to blow across the mountain tops.
Tuckerman Ravine (winter) – Boott Spur Trail, New Hampshire
 

The view of Tuckerman Ravine from the trail is excellent any time of year, but during the winter months when the landscape is covered in snow is my favorite time. Watching the snow blow in and out of the ravine is a sight to see! Tuckerman Ravine is named for Professor Edward Tuckerman, an 1800s botanist and early explorer of the White Mountains.

Split Rock located along Boott Spur Trail in the White Mountains, New Hampshire. Split Rock is an glacier erratic.
Split Rock – Boott Spur Trail, New Hampshire
 

An interesting feature along Boott Spur Trail is a glacial erratic known as Split Rock (above). Glacial erratics can be found all over the White Mountains, but this one is cool. And some impressive scree walls (rock walls) line this trail.

Hiker descending a hiking rail in the White Mountains, New Hampshire. Afternoon sun reflects off the Wildcat Ski Mountain. A scree wall is in view. Scree walls are built on the edge of trails to discourage hikers from going off trail. Building these small walls helps protect the fragile alpine habitat.
Scree Wall – Boott Spur Trail, New Hampshire
 

Scree walls (above) are built on the edge of trails in alpine areas to discourage hikers from going off trail and stepping on fragile alpine habitat. These rocks walls are very effective and help protect the alpine vegetation. But building them is backbreaking work, and trail crews spend many hours building them.

A hiker enjoys the view of Mount Washington from the summit of a mountain during the summer months. Located in the White Mountains, New Hampshire
Boott Spur Summit – Boott Spur Trail, New Hampshire
 

Eventually, Boott Spur Trail connects with Davis Path near the summit of Boott Spur Mountain where there are 360-degree views. From here hikers can continue on to Mt Washington or head back down the Boott Spur Trail. If you want to hike an enjoyable trail, consider hiking the Boott Spur Trail. And photographers will have a field day on this trail. Just remember this trail is not an easy walk in the park and much of it is above tree-line.

To license any of the above images for usage in publications, click on the image. And you can view more scenes from along this wonderful trail here.

Happy image making..


 

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