West Royce | Maine Wanderlust

In the seemingly never-ending pursuit to hike the New Hampshire 200 Highest and to red-line the White Mountains National Forest trails, I headed to one of my favorite areas to hike: Evan’s Notch. I originally planned to hike on both sides of the notch, starting with the Royces, and then heading over to Speckled and Blueberry Mountains on the east side. But, black ice on the trail slowed my pace, and my feet hurt (endless battle with plantar fasciitis). So, I bailed after East Royce to get done before dark. Plenty of waterfalls to see on this hike, and the view on East Royce was surprisingly excellent.

ROUTE

Parked at Basin Pond on Basin Road in Chatham, NH
Hiked Basin Trail to intersection with Hermit Falls Loop
Left on Hermit Falls Loop to Hermit Falls and around to Basin Trail
Right on Basin Trail to red-line and then up to Rim Junction
Right on Basin Rim Trail to West Royce and continued to intersection with Royce Connector Trail
Left on Royce Connector Trail to intersection with East Royce Trail
Left on East Royce Trail to summit of East Royce and back to intersection
Right on Royce Connector Trail to intersection with Royce Trail
Left on Royce Trail to trail head on Route 113
Right on Route 113, then right on Basin Road, and back to parking lot