The Zealand-Bonds Out and Back is a 19.3-mile loop with 4,928 ft of elevation gain.
Submitted by doobe01
19.3 mi • 4,928 ft gain • 9-15 hours • Zealand Trailhead
Feels like 43°F
Recent Precipitation
Rain: 0.05" (24h) · 0.05" (48h)
Best Hiking Window
Early morning Thursday, ideally starting near sunrise (6:26 AM) to maximize clear conditions before showers and wind increase later Thursday into Friday
Conditions synthesized from: NWS Higher Summits Forecast, NOAA Open-Meteo, Mount Washington Observatory, NETC Trip Reports, NOHRSC Snow Depth, Mt. Washington Avalanche Center, USGS Stream Levels, OpenWeather Air Quality.
AI-generated from public data. Always verify conditions before heading out — backcountry weather can change quickly.
Summit-level conditions by time of day at 4,698' elevation
Tap a day header to expand to 3hr or hourly detail
Today Sep 17 | Tomorrow Sep 18 | Saturday Sep 19 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | ptly cloudy | cloudy | fog | fog | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy | sunny | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 56° 53° | 55° 53° | 55° 49° | 48° 44° | 44° 39° | 39° 36° | 38° 37° | 42° 36° | 43° 42° |
| Chill °F | — | — | 41° | 34° | 27° | 23° | 27° | 31° | 35° |
| Wind mph | 13 | 11 | 25 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 18 | 6 | 13 |
| Gust mph est. | 21 | 18 | 40 | 50 | 46 | 45 | 22 | — | 21 |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Freezing ft | 13,890 ft | 11,996 ft | 9,298 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 74% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | - | 100% |
| Vis mi | 10 | 8 | <0.1 | <0.1 | 8 | clear | clear | clear | clear |
| UV | 4 | 3 | — | 4 | 6 | — | 4 | 6 | — |
Tap a day header to expand AM/PM/Night detail
| Elevation | Today Sep 17 | Tomorrow Sep 18 | Saturday Sep 19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 4,698 ft | 53/56° 13 | 44/48° 31 | 37/38° 18 |
| 4,100 ft | 54/57° 11 | 47/49° 30 | 36/37° 15 |
| 3,300 ft | 56/59° 9 | 49/51° 25 | 35/39° 12 |
| 2,500 ft | 59/61° 7 | 52/55° 17 | 33/43° 7 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 60/63° 5 | 54/57° 15 | 33/46° 6 |
4 more days of forecast — plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Full hourly summit forecasts: Mount Bond weather · West Bond weather · Bondcliff weather · Mount Zealand weather
Option available to overnight at Guyot Campsite or Shelter.
Distance
19.3 mi
Elevation Gain
4,928 ft
Duration
9-15 hours
Trailhead
Zealand Trailhead
The Zealand-Bonds Out and Back is 19.3 miles around the loop, starting at Zealand Trailhead. At AMC book time — half the distance in hours plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing — that works out to roughly 9-15 hours. Most parties take longer than book time on rough or above-treeline terrain, in winter, or with a heavy pack.
The Zealand-Bonds Out and Back climbs about 4,928 ft over 19.3 miles — an average of roughly 255 ft of gain per mile. That figure is cumulative ascent across the whole loop, not the difference between the trailhead and the high point.
HikerNerd rates the Zealand-Bonds Out and Back Very Difficult, scored with the Shenandoah difficulty formula — √(elevation gain × 2 × distance) — applied to its 19.3 miles and 4,928 ft of gain. The score measures physical effort only. Above-treeline exposure, water crossings, and winter conditions can make a moderate-rated route the hardest day of your year, so check current conditions before committing.
The Zealand-Bonds Out and Back summits 4 named peaks: Mount Bond, West Bond, Bondcliff, Mount Zealand.
The Zealand-Bonds Out and Back starts at Zealand Trailhead. Check the trail alerts on this page before you drive — trailhead access and parking in the White Mountains change with closures and construction.
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