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The 52-With-a-View: An Introductory Guide

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For you hikers who aren't allured by the famous 4000-footer list's required 18-mile+ treks to Owl's Head and the Bonds or who just don't see the point in hiking to viewless Mt. Hale and the other few peaks with only minor viewpoints, the 52-With-a-View list is suited just for you. Well-known but far less popular than the 4000-footers, 52WAV claims many of the essential New Hampshire mountains outside of the 4Ks. Originally created in 1991 by a club of seniors enjoying spending all their time on the mountains and calling themselves the "Over the Hill Hikers", 52-With-a-View was first conceived as extension to the 48 4000-footers. The leader of the Over the Hill Hikers, "Lib" MacGregor, set out to design a version of the NH 100 Highest specifically tailored for her club, as opposed to the 100 Highest list already in existance. The Over the Hill Hikers clearly did not want to climb a 100 highest list that required wilderness navigation skills to reach fierce bushwhack peaks with no reward. Thus, they selected the next 52 highest mountains under 4000 feet that had both a maintained hiking trail and a good view. The first completers of the list received a "100" patch for completing both the 4000-footers and the Over the Hill Hikers' 52, but now, those folks who appreciate the solitude and vistas of the bottom 52 only will be awarded a patch. Of course, the basis for the list is entirely subjective and it does not quite achieve its goal of being the 52 highest peaks under 4000 feet that have a trail and view. There are plenty of quirks in the design of the list, first being that there is no prominence requirement. This means that what is chosen as being a "mountain" is completely arbitrary - the list includes Blueberry Mountain, a flat spot on a ridge which is by no definition a mountain and excludes the magnificent Zeacliff, which has spectacular views and is just as little a mountain as Blueberry. A second oddity is that some nearby mountains are included in the list in pairs and some are separated. For example, Mt. Meader and Eagle Crag, 2 miles apart, are one entry in the list while Mt. Chocorua and Middle Sister, well under 2 miles apart, make up two separate entries. This makes for some funny counting to get to 52.

Originally, to honor the recent death of MacGregor, the 52WAV list was to never be updated in the future (two peaks had previously been swapped out for ones with better views). This meant that several summits with views that were starting to diminish or had already been overgrown were included on the list. However, in 2020 this decision was reversed and five entries on the list were exchanged for new choices. In keeping with the weird charm of the list, the club decided to make two of the new additions Mt. Morgan and Mt. Percival, which are summits with almost no prominence, which are only a mile apart and commonly hiked as a loop (we wonder why they were not combined into one entry like Welch and Dickey), and which both fall 300 feet short of the stated minimum elevation (2500 feet). Despite its shortcomings and the fact that many mountains of lower elevation have better views than the 52, the Over the Hill Hikers' enduring list will continue to be a respected reference for less-known mountains with good views. Climbing the entire list is a joy for newcomers and 4000-footer achievers both, and we would highly recommend it to any hiker who wants to get to know the White Mountains better.

You can find all of the lookouts on 52-With-a-View here on NH Family Hikes, but you will find them grouped in a neater arrangement on this page. In addition to our suggestions on how to get started with your quest, you will find three tables with varying information on each mountain. The first table lists statistics for each hike required to collect all 52 and has clickable rows to bring you to each one's separate guide. This is by no means a complete reference, but we think it's a suitable reference for beginners. Please note that you may fashion nearly unlimited different routes to each peak, but we present our one recommended route for each one.

Working on the list

The biggest thing to be aware of about the 52WAV list is that lower elevation does not mean lower difficulty. There are many peaks on the list, such as the Baldfaces or Mt. Chocorua, that are absolutely as difficult or more difficult than many 4000-footers. For those inexperienced hikers who want to start with this list, be sure of your ability by visiting one of the easier places on the list, such as Mt. Kearsarge, Mt. Willard, or Mt. Roberts. All three of these are excellent places to start. They offer excellent views for minimal effort, pulling your attention toward climbing the rest of the list, where more effort is required to get the best views. Once you are ready to see all that the 52-With-a-View has to offer, get to know the tables below and the locations and characters of each mountain on the list. Although mainly clustered in the White Mountains, some peaks on this list are quite spread out, ranging from far southern, civilized Mt. Monadnock to Magalloway Mountain in the logging wilderness of Pittsburg. Also, see the following tips, copied from our 4000-footer list page: Know the most difficult peaks, and determine what path you will use to prepare for them. Use the chart and our descriptions to decide which intermediate hikes will challenge you to step up your ability to reach closer to the hardest ones. To keep your quest varied and exciting, remember to select peaks from different ranges and areas in turn, rather than visiting nearby peaks consecutively. You will enjoy rotating through various regions and experiencing what each one has to offer. Be aware of the driving time for each general area and plan accordingly. Know which mountains are best for certain times of year. You will want to plan for peaks which require large water crossings for late summer when water is low, for example, or save a lower peak surrounded by river valleys for autumn foliage viewing. Don't use up all the most exciting peaks first; save some for later and remember to keep one special one for last.

Completion

The 52-With-a-View list itself does not have an actual website to visit for information; the most official resource is their Facebook Page. It includes a welcome at the top with a link to an official list with instructions for submission to recieve a patch.

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