Though the summit may not offer any views, Zeacliff is one of the most outstanding views in New Hampshire. The hike up is well worth it, and you even get the bonus waterfall and ponds on the way up. Total trip from Zealand road to summit and back: 11.2
Height: 4,260 feet
Distance: 11.2 miles round trip
Rating: Difficult
Elevation Gain: 2,467 feet
Hike Time: 5-8 Hours
Zealand Trail
This trail is relatively flat for 2.3 miles heading towards Beaver Ponds and Zealand Falls. Well traveled by many who are doing a short hike to the falls, to stay at the Zealand Falls Hut, or those who are peaking or continuing on elsewhere. It follows along the river for quite some time offering great river views. It would be classified as an easy trail. For .2 miles it gets a bit steep heading upwards past the falls, and the hut with some small river crossings.
Zeacliff looking at Carrigain
Trail Map
Trail Map Zealand Mountain Courtesy of 4000footers.com (always one of the best pre-hike reads)
http://4000footers.com/zealand.shtml
Zealand Falls
The falls are absolutely gorgeous, both from the bottom and the top. In the fall they also have great foliage. Come after some heavy rain, and it is awesome to see a heavy flow of water.
Zealand Falls Hut
All of the AMC huts are awesome, but this one not only has a waterfall 50 feet away, but is also relatively easy to access. Only around 2.5 miles from the parking lot with minimal elevation gain makes it one of the easiest to access in the Whites.
Twinway Trail
This connects Zeacliff to the summit, and continuous on to Mount Guyot and beyond. It gives easy access to the Twins or the Bonds from their. This is a pretty easy and flat trail with some bumps mixed in throughout. (1.3 miles from the hut to Zeacliff and another 1.6 miles from Zeacliff to the summit.)
Zealand Cliff
The views say enough. Good lunch spot too.
Panoramic photo from Zeacliff
Summit
Pretty much no views here. Completely surrounded by trees. It is a little .1 mile cutoff from the Twinway trail. If you don’t care about the summit, there is at least a cool summit sign.
Directions
Nearby Hikes
Some may enjoy adding in Mount Hale to the mix, especially if you are trying to efficiently bag some peaks. The most efficient way to do so would be to take the Lend-A-Hand Trail either from the parking lot about a mile before the Zealand parking lot. This will add only a little over a mile of walking on the road on top of the 4.9 miles of trail to hit Mount Hale.
Weather Forecast
Bethlehem, NH
Overnight
Isolated snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12. Wind chill values as low as -5. West wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Sunday
Isolated snow showers before 8am. Partly sunny. High near 20, with temperatures falling to around 14 in the afternoon. Wind chill values as low as -4. West wind 15 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 8. Wind chill values as low as -8. West wind 15 to 20 mph.
Monday
Partly sunny, with a high near 18. Wind chill values as low as -5. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
Monday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Tuesday
A slight chance of snow showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 17. New snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible.
Tuesday Night
A slight chance of snow showers before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 9. New snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible.
Additional Pictures
Mount Washington from Zeacliff
Views from Zeacliff
Zealand Notch
View from Zeacliff
View Southeast from Zeacliff
Views from the path through Beaver Pond
Beaver Pond Wooden Path
Check out a nearby hike: Arethusa and Ripley Falls
Max DesMarais is the founder of hikingandfishing.com. He has a passion for the outdoors and making outdoor education and adventure more accessible. Max is a published author for various outdoor adventure, travel, and marketing websites. He is an experienced hiker, backpacker, fly fisherman, backcountry skier, trail runner, and spends his free time in the outdoors. These adventures allow him to test gear, learn new skills, and experience new places so that he can educate others. Max grew up hiking all around New Hampshire and New England. He became obsessed with the New Hampshire mountains, and the NH 48, where he guided hikes and trail runs in the White Mountains. Since moving out west, Max has continued climbed all of the Colorado 14ers, is always testing gear, learning skills, gaining experience, and building his endurance for outdoor sports. You can read more about his experience here: hikingandfishing/about
