Zealand Mountain, West Bond, Mount Bond, and Bond Cliff via Zealand Bonds Traverse
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Zealand Bonds Traverse Details
Trail: Zealand Trail > Twinway > Bondcliff Trail > West Bond Spur > Bondcliff Trail > Lincoln Woods Trail
Miles: 18.5
Hours: 9 hiking; 10 total
Level: Difficult
Zealand Bonds Traverse Overview
The epic, one and only, Zealand Bonds Traverse! The Zealand Bonds Traverse is an epic day or overnight hike that travels over four of New Hampshire’s 4,000 footers, Zealand Mountain (4,260’), West Bond (4,540’), Mount Bond (4,698’), and Bond Cliff (4,265’). Typically, the Zealand Bonds Traverse is hiked starting at the Zealand trailhead and finished at the Lincoln Woods Trailhead, but it can be hiked the other way as well. These four mountains can also be separated into two hikes with the Bonds in one and Zealand Mountain in the other, but because of the mileage and epic adventure, a lot of hikers choose to combine them into one hike.
NOTE: The Zealand Bonds Traverse is a LONG hike. The overall elevation gain is 3,700 feet, which is not bad because it is spread out over the hike, but the mileage makes for a long hiking day. If you are willing to take on the all-day adventure, you will not regret it, and it will be a hike to remember!
Zealand Bonds Traverse
July 25, 2020
**Always remember to leave no trace. It is crucial to pack out what you pack in and throw away your trash properly.
My wonderful friend Chelsea agreed to take on this crazy adventure with me on a beautiful July day. We began the Zealand Bonds Traverse at the Zealand Trailhead at 8:30 AM and prepared ourselves for a long day of hiking. The first 2.5 miles on Zealand Trail were very easy and only gained 500 feet of elevation. I heard Zealand Trail was uneventful, but I thought it was beautiful, running through marshes with wildflowers.
The first few miles on Zealand Trail flew by, and before we knew we were at Zealand Falls. A short spur brought us to Zealand Falls, which was a small but beautiful waterfall. When we continued on Zealand Trail, we climbed for a few minutes before we reached the Zealand Hut. Zealand Hut was offering burritos, quesadillas, and baked goods, which smelt SO good! We, unfortunately, did not stop to try the food, so we only used the restroom and filled up our water.
After Zealand Hut, we turned onto Twinway. The next mile gained 1,000 feet of elevation, so it was a constant climb. Luckily, the first few miles were the perfect warm-up for this section of the trail. After one mile, there was a sign that simply said “view” with an arrow, so we decided to take it, and it led us to Zeacliff. Zeacliff had Chelsea’s favorite views of the day, so I highly recommend taking the short spur to Zeacliff.
After a quick break to take in the views at Zeacliff, we got back on Twinway. The next 1.5 miles on Twinway were relatively easy with minimal elevation gain. Soon enough, we saw a sign pointing to a spur, which we knew led to Zealand Mountain. The spur was 0.1 miles and brought us to the viewless summit. We took a picture with Zealand Mountain’s summit sign before heading back to Twinway to hike over to the Bonds.
The next mile on Twinway offered spectacular views once we broke through the treeline. We were so excited to walk along the ridge for the next few miles because the views made the miles pass by quickly. We hiked over Mount Guyot, which is over 4,000 feet but is not considered a 4,000 footer because of its lack of prominence. After Mount Guyot, we reached the Bondcliff Trail and turned left to continue to the Bonds. Once on Bondcliff Trail, it was 0.5 miles to the Guyot Shelter, where many hikers stay if making the Zealand Bonds Traverse an overnight hike. There was also a spring past the shelter, where hikers can fill up on water.
After passing the Guyot Shelter, we hiked 0.2 miles before reaching the West Bond Spur Junction. The West Bond Spur was only 0.5 miles to the summit, but it felt like it was taking forever to get to West Bond. We heard from multiple hikers that West Bond had some of their favorite views in the White Mountains, so we were very excited to reach the summit! Once we finally broke through the treeline, we arrived at West Bond’s summit and were rewarded with beautiful 360° views. We could see Mount Bond and Bondcliff from West Bond’s summit, which seemed so much further away than they were. We enjoyed our lunch taking in the views before heading back down West Bond Spur.
Once we arrived back on Bondcliff Trail, it was a quick 0.5 miles uphill to Mount Bond. Once we broke through the treeline on Mount Bond’s summit, we were, once again, rewarded with incredible views! I loved the views from Mount Bond’s more than the views from West Bond. We stayed on the summit for 15 minutes taking in the views before beginning the 1-mile ridge walk to Bondcliff.
The views from the ridge between Mount Bond and Bondcliff were beyond beautiful! Because the trail is completely exposed, we were very hot from the sun continuously beating down on us, and I neglected to put sunscreen on before we began the hike. I had some slightly burnt shoulders!
Before we knew it, we arrived at the one and only Bondcliff! It’s funny, I have heard about the Zealand Bonds Traverse for so long and saw pictures of Bondcliff for years, so it felt surreal to finally be on Bondcliff. Obviously, we had to take the classic photo on Bondcliff! We stayed on the summit for 20 minutes taking in the beautiful views before making the LONG hike to Lincoln Woods.
The descent always seems to take longer on a hike, but this one, in particular, seemed to take FOREVER. It felt neverending, which makes sense because we had 8 miles to go. The next 3 miles were a pretty steep decline. We climbed down 1,800 feet of elevation, which doesn’t seem like a lot in 3 miles, but after hiking 9 miles already, it was a killer on our legs. After we finally reached Lincoln Woods, the death march began. I heard a lot of people talk about Lincoln Woods as a death march, and I figured they were overreacting. NOPE! They were right. The last 5 miles felt neverending, and it doesn’t help that we could see the entire trail and how much longer we had to go. Lincoln Woods is relatively flat, but the mileage takes forever. We finally made it to the Lincoln Woods trailhead at 6:30 PM and were SO happy to see the end! Our feet were in more pain than our bodies, so we were excited to be able to get off them for the ride home. I highly recommend sticking your feet in the river because, after a long hike, it feels great!
The Zealand Bonds Traverse was an epic hike! Although my feet hated me, it is one of my favorite hikes. The Zealand Bonds Traverse was a challenging hike that pushed me outside of my comfort zone, but it also rewarded us with incredible views. If you have Zealand Mountain, West Bond, Mount Bond, and Bondcliff on your list, I highly recommend hiking the Zealand Bonds Traverse!
Have you hiked the Zealand Bonds Traverse?
Hey, I’m Nichole!
I am the creator behind Nichole the Nomad, the home of my explorations around the world, mountain hikes, and beautiful pictures taken along the way. I have a deep passion for capturing the world in a beautiful light and sharing my experiences.
I created this blog to share my travels, show how beautiful the world is, provide tips and tricks for traveling, and encourage you to explore. Whether you want to travel across the world or explore what’s in your backyard, I hope this blog inspires you to get outside and find your adventure!