One of the easier 4K hikes in the summer, Mt. Tecumseh is ideal for snowshoeing in winter. There aren’t any ledges or excruciatingly steep sections that require crampons (except during extreme icy periods), snow is typically plentiful (they ain’t called the White Mountains for nothing, folks), and because the trailhead is located at Waterville Valley Ski Area, you know the parking lot will be plowed!
The trailhead for the Mt. Tecumseh Trail is located at the far right side (facing Waterville Valley resort) of parking lot one. The hike begins by crossing Tecumseh Brook and gently winding through the forest before gradually starting to climb the mountain.
The early going on a winter snowshoe hike of the Mt. Tecumseh Trail.About a mile into the hike, the trail dips into a gorge to once again cross Tecumseh Brook.Climbing out of the gorge, the trail makes a turn near one of the ski trails, where a short spur offers a viewpoint. There aren’t a lot of views on this hike, so it’s best to take advantage of what you can get.A look up the ski slope from the viewpoint.The viewpoint offers a grand view of the Tripyramids. Spoiler alert: it’s basically the same vantage point as the summit.There’s also a partial view of Mt. Osceola from the lookout.For the next mile, the trail enters the deja vu portion of the hike, climbing steadily at a monotonous angle.Nothing to see here. Just keep going. You don’t leave the matrix until the Sosman Trail enters on the left.Shortly after the Sosman Trail joins the Mt. Tecumseh Trail, the two trails split, forming a summit loop. The best approach is to go right here and remain on the Tecumseh Trail to reach the summit, which is the steeper option, and then return to this location via the Sosman Trail. I’m confident in making this recommendation because I naturally did the opposite. If you plan on returning to the Waterville Valley resort trailhead, just be careful not to take the other half of the Tecumseh Trail from the summit that leads to the Tripoli Road (closed in winter).The view of Mt. Osceola from the Tecumseh summit.And the Tripyramids.Zooming in on Oceola to catch the Mt. Washington photobomb.
Great and thorough description, thank you