Hit the Trail: Pentadoi Loop
For trail runners looking for a White Mountains route with views of waterfalls and options to adjust elevation and distance, the Pentadoi Loop, off the side of the Presidential Traverse in Randolph, is a great place to start.
It’s among the trails that will be detailed in a forthcoming guidebook co-authored by Andrew Drummond, an ultrarunner, backcountry explorer and founder of White Mountain Ski Co. in Jackson.
“It’s more like mountain running and hiking. It’s generally less runnable terrain, but it’s a mix,” Drummond says. “I want (the guidebook) to be a little something for everyone. So, if a customer comes in the shop and they want a recommendation, I can be like, ‘Well, have you spent time in this range?’ Based on their timeline and what they’re looking for, as far as a commitment for a run, you can give them four options to get started, and then they can obviously explore on their own after that.”
Customization and adaptability are key features of this trail loop, which has several intersections of alternative paths so that runners and hikers can adjust to the challenges on which they want to train.
“There’s also a lot of room for exploration,” Drummond says. “It’s like you could be in the zone and never repeat a route twice. You could add on or shorten up this route, depending on how you feel.”
The Pentadoi Loop begins at the Appalachian Trailhead Parking area (elevation 1,300 feet) off Gorham Hill Road in Randolph, across from Durand Lake.
“Up off the Appalachia Trailhead, as far as White Mountains go, it’s some of the most runnable terrain where, any weather day, you can pretty much get out on those trails,” Drummond says. “That’s certainly like a fun trail option. What’s nice is that you can extend it as far as you want. So, if you feel like you wanted to go a little further, you also have the rail trail there that runs across the starting point, so you can extend it that way east or west along Route 2.”
Runners can start ascending the Airline Trail before veering to the right at a fork onto the Short Line Trail. Short Line Trail becomes the Randolph Path, and that rises to nearly 2,900 feet elevation.
The Pentadoi “is 5.8 miles with 1,700 feet of climbing, and it takes you from the Appalachian Trailhead up to the base of King Ravine,” he says. “The highlights of it is that you pass all these different cascades along the way, and it’s like a true hardwood forest experience in there.”
Once you’ve been running for 2.25 miles, you will hit the intersection that gives the loop its name. King Ravine Trail, Randolph Path and the Amphibranch form a five-pronged crossroads. Instead of staying on the Randolph Path, which is headed out toward the Adamses, turn right to head downhill on the King Ravine Trail. Follow the King Ravine Trail for 0.87 miles until it merges with the Lowe’s Path. It’s a steep 20%-plus grade at the start, but only for about 0.15 miles. You’ll head back uphill for about three-tenths of a mile before hitting the rest of the downhill.
Your time on the Lowe’s Path is short, just 0.1 miles, then continue heading downhill on The Link, which you follow pretty much to the beginning, reconnecting with the Airline Trail to bring you back to the parking lot.
“All these trails are very well maintained by the Randolph Mountain Club,” Drummond says. Its scenic qualities and the trail system’s adaptability make it a great spot for trail running, hiking, snowshoeing and more.
“I’ve utilized this route to get to get into King Ravine for a ski trip. I’ve used it for a bigger traverse across the Presidentials, to connect from Randolph to Bartlett, which is a whole crazy thing. I’ve used it in late fall, when there’s bad weather, to still get a nice trail run in and get some elevation without having to go above the tree line,” Drummond says. “It’s just this impressive network of trails. It’s neat, the way they weave in and out, and highlight all of these different cascades and waterfalls in the area. There are small bridges. It’s very scenic and there are lots of beautiful spots to take breaks along the way.”
For runners who like mountain trails, the benefit of this system is that spots where you have to stop running and do some serious hiking are limited.
“There’re some trails in New Hampshire that are just pure hiking for 99% of the runners, but this one isn’t that type of trail,” Drummond says. “While it’s a sustained climb, it’s one that you can practice. You can do intervals. You can break up your run, and do sections of running, sections of hiking, to really improve your uphill fitness.”
Trail running is a great way to cover a large amount of terrain in a short time to make the most of the mountain experience, Drummond says.
He is a native of the Mount Washington Valley. “I grew up ingrained in the ski culture, as an Alpine racer, but I kind of fell out of love with skiing. Once I discovered backcountry skiing, that’s really what drew me back here to the Northeast in the White Mountains,” he says. “And given that the skiing season is only so long; I’ve always been a hiker, but trail running was like the next best thing.”
Upon returning to New Hampshire after some time on the West Coast, Drummond founded Ski the Whites, then Run the Whites, which now operate as White Mountain Ski Co.
“We started a run, an uphill series called Friday Night Vertical. We’ve taken over a local 10K road race. We started a backyard ultra. We have a nighttime 5K-10K trail race. We started a turkey trot,” Drummond says of his company’s event sponsorship. “The core of it is: We’re a specialty outdoor shop focusing on backcountry skiing, trail running and biking, too.”
This article was featured in Run NH.
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