Doublehead Ski Trail

Doublehead Ski Trail is a backcountry ski route in the Saco Ranger District of White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, on Forest Service land. It runs about 1.5 miles one way, or about 3.1 miles as an out-and-back. The route starts near its high point, at about 3,030 feet, and drops to a low of about 1,530 feet. The descent comes first, and the climb back out comes on the return. That works out to roughly 1,500 feet of gain one way and about 3,000 feet of climbing and descending over the full round trip. The steepest pitch, around a 32 percent grade, comes about a third of a mile from the start. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Pinkham Notch put January highs around 26°F and lows near 6°F, with snow or rain on about 14 days that month. That station sits about 1,000 feet below the trail, so temperatures on the route run cooler. Doublehead Cabin is about a tenth of a mile away, and the Old Path hike lies about 0.6 miles off. A little farther are Black Mountain Cabin and the Eagle Mtn Cliff climbing area near Jackson, each about 3 miles away.