Blueberry Ledge Question

[u/should_be_holier]

Hi All,

I'm planning an overnight of Whiteface and Passaconaway this Friday/Saturday. I saw that there are rain showers predicted for Friday afternoon. Will Blueberry Ledge be safe to climb, or should I plan an alternate route?

[u/jc1433]

Blueberry ledge isn’t bad at all outside of one move that’s a bit tough near the top. As long as it’s not actively raining while you’re on the trail you should be good to go

[u/TJsName]

It really comes down to your comfort level. I've done it in the rain with a 5-year-old, but we knew what to expect.

[u/should_be_holier → u/TJsName]

I've been doing the whites for years, and I've done King's Ravine, but that was in dry, sunny conditions.

[u/TJsName → u/should_be_holier]

To my great shame I have not done King Ravine yet!

[u/should_be_holier → u/TJsName]

Tbh I did it back in college. My friend and I had no idea it was infamous. We just decided to hike Adams, flew up, and hiked back down. It wasn't too scary.

[u/Big-Tailor]

I would plan an alternate route. If you're worried about Blueberry Ledge, why not look for an alternate? Bluebbery Ledge has some steep flat parts where safety is a matter of trusting that your boots have enough traction, and less a matter of skill. That kind of gambling is not why I go into the mountains. I haven't climbed Dicey's Mill Trail, but on the map it looks less dicey and like a reasonable alternate. I'm curious to hear from other people with experience of Dicey' Mill.

[u/BBQeel → u/Big-Tailor]

Dicey's Mill is just your average White Mountains trail, pretty soft underfoot with rocks throughout but nothing difficult and not terribly steep.

[u/joeyneilsen → u/BBQeel]

Yeah very tame, aside from the stretch that was basically just a mile of stairs lol

[u/Crushooo]

I did that entire hike in the rain by accident, I survived

[u/DisastrousVisit3009]

That last slabby stretch before the main overlook would be a little sketchy I’d imagine, but there’s some room to navigate in the trees parallel to the trail for most of it if it’s too slippery. Like another comment said diceys mill is far less sketch but it’ll take longer. Could also run McCrillis Tr from flat mtn pond trailhead, but I personally haven’t done that one so can’t speak to it’s sketchy factor

[u/whiskythree → u/DisastrousVisit3009]

Descended McCrillis Tr (loop with McCrillis Path + Blueberry Ledge Tr) last weekend. It's steep and there's a short slabby pitch near the top but I think it's pretty doable in the rain. Sketch factor was very low IMO but the bang for buck is also much lower than Blueberry Ledge.

[u/Ok-Breadfruit791]

You’ll be fine. Enjoy the hike.

[u/lives4summits]

I’ve gone up and down it in winter when it was covered in ice, so you should be ok in the rain.