A Sunset Hike Along the Welch-Dickey Trail in New Hampshire
Take a sunset hike with me and a few mosquitoes here in my little corner of the world, the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire.
Join me in this video as I hike to the summit of Welch Mountain to enjoy the summer sunset in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. WATCH ON YOUTUBE
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I started at the trailhead for the Welch-Dickey Loop in Thornton, New Hampshire. From the parking lot, you soon get to a part of the trail that crosses a small brook. So at times of high water, it may be a tricky crossing, but most times of the year, it's a fairly simple walk up.
The trail is very popular, so lots of areas have been worn down and washed out over time. But the muddy areas and other brook crossings have logs for easy bridges for crossing. There are also lots of mosquitoes that join me on this hike in the lower forest. It was hard for the sunlight to penetrate, but as I gained elevation gradually, the sun started to peek through the trees.
The trail follows the brook up along the valley, gaining elevation gradually. So this is a great beginner hike to the first viewpoint of the ledges. In the forest area along the hike, there are lots of large boulders called glacial erratics, showing evidence of the glacial activity here during the ice age.
You'll find that the trail blazes have been updated recently, so it's easy to find your way along the route. Also, portions of the trail have been maintained by building actual steps, a staircase made out of the granite rocks.
Once I reach the first set of ledges, you'll start to see the path turns from roots and dirt and grass and stone to solid granite, making a walking path that looks like something out of a country garden. And when I exit the forest, I am out onto bare ledge with small areas of alpine gardens or plants that are being protected. So please try to avoid walking on any of the vegetation in these subalpine zones.
Take a sunset hike with me (and a few mosquitos) here is my little corner of the world... the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. pic.twitter.com/MAd2TsqD7g
— cate bligh (@catebligh) July 21, 2024
The first viewpoint ledge gives a beautiful view of Waterville Valley, looking down at the road as it winds along the Mad River. You can also turn back and look and see the summit of Welch Mountain, which will be the destination for my sunset hike.
From the ledge starting towards the summit, we see that it is a solid dome of granite, and the pitch of the climb starts to rise significantly. It does have a texture to it caused by the glacial activity during the Ice Age, so there is grip, but it is still something to be careful with as far as footing and making sure you're wearing proper footwear to ensure grip as the elevation gets steeper.
There are parts where we encounter more viewpoints as well as a squeeze through a split boulder that most people will be able to fit through, though it can be tricky due to the angle.
On this day in the summer of July, there was more than enough blueberries to feed an army of tourists that climb this hike. Unfortunately, I didn't notice anyone else eating the blueberries. So be on the lookout for those if you hike this trail in summer. It's a nice added bonus for all that hard work.
My hike yesterday… the granite ledges were absolutely covered in blueberries. 🫐 They were everywhere I looked. 🫐
— cate bligh (@catebligh) July 20, 2024
I saw them instantly yet none of the other hikers I talked to even noticed.
I ate my fill and then some, nature’s powerbar 😋 pic.twitter.com/JHvbsfhraZ
At the summit of Welch Mountain, I set up a viewpoint looking towards the sunset west with the mountains in the distance, as well as taking Mountain in view. I set up my GoPro to take a time-lapse of the scene, as well as my cell phone to live stream it to X, which I did have issues with, but it ended up working out okay.
Sunset timelapse atop Welch Mountain in New Hampshire.
— cate bligh (@catebligh) July 23, 2024
Captured using the TimeWarp feature on my @GoPro Hero 10 Black: https://t.co/Kiyj64hIct (affiliate link)
Full video of the hike QP'd below. https://t.co/nx9gWwkHK5 pic.twitter.com/Z9X95fBzoR
And then I had brought my camera, my Nikon D810 with the Lensbaby attached as my walking around lens to keep my bag light as well, and a tripod for the camera of my cell phone camera, which I use to capture the sunset. Soon after the sunset went down, I packed up and began my descent because I did not want to hang around too much because I knew that once it got dark, it would be hard to follow the trail.
I had a flashlight with me and a headlamp if needed, and once I, by the time I reached the lower forest of the trail, it had already gotten dark and the moon had risen. Another point from earlier when the sun was setting behind me, the moon was rising and it was quite beautiful. I got some shots of that as well.
The moon was not quite full. It was before the following evening, but so it was quite beautiful. And when I reached the parking lot and headed home, the moon was almost due south on the road, and it was quite beautiful, shining through the trees.
Just me out reenacting one of @cfryant’s found footage films https://t.co/6UwfC2OeRv pic.twitter.com/yxzwjtygfJ
— cate bligh (@catebligh) July 20, 2024
Prints & Wall Art
Live Editing Video
LIVE photo editing of my sunset hiking photos.
For those interested in my photography process, I have a Live Editing video where I go through my complete process for editing my photographs.
In this live broadcast, you’ll see the import of all my captures, culling, selecting, and editing in Capture One. It’s an in-depth look at how I transform the raw images into the final prints available for sale. You can watch the entire process and learn some tips and tricks for editing your own photos.
Contact sheet of my favorite images captured on the sunset hike along the Welch-Dickey Trail in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. BUY PRINTS ➜
Thanks for following along on this adventure.
Hope you enjoyed this sunset hike in the White Mountains. The view was incredible, and it was an evening well spent capturing the beauty of New Hampshire.
Prints are available to purchase.
Thank you for your support! -Cate
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