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Mount Kearsarge North Trail

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
 4.6 (16)
  1. Areas
  2. NH
  3. …White Mountain Region
  4. Conway / North Conway
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“This is a rewarding less-than-full-day hike with a jaw-dropping 360-degree view from the fire tower at the top. ”

Nick Merrill
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5.8

Miles

9.4

KM

Out and Back

3,221' 982 m

High

734' 224 m

Low

2,485' 757 m

Up

2,487' 758 m

Down

16%

Avg Grade (9°)

40%

Max Grade (22°)

Dogs Leashed

Features River/Creek · Views

Overview

A wonderful hike to great views of the valley including White Horse Ledge in North Conway. Bring some binoculars and maybe you'll be able to spot some rock climbers on the wall.

Need to Know

Ice in the springtime can be challenging to navigate. Plan that you might need to spend more than half your time hiking the top third because of this, especially on the way down.

Description

Great viewpoints start appearing about two-thirds of the way up, with the ultimate view at the top of the peak.

It may take the good part of a day to hike up to the top and back, but you should have enough time for a good, long lunch break with a beautiful view at the top if you leave early enough.

The trail is well-marked (with yellow markers) until the last 0.5 miles or so.

Contacts

Land Manager: USFS - White Mountain National Forest Office

Shared By:

Nick Merrill
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.6 from 16 votes

#1

in Conway / North Conway

#734

Overall
  4.6 from 16 votes
5 Star
63%
4 Star
38%
3 Star
0%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Conway / North Conway

#10

in New Hampshire

#734

Overall
30 Views Last Month
11,452 Since May 24, 2016
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
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Photos

Kearsarge Fire Tower
May 6, 2018 near North C…, NH
View from the peak at the Kearsarge fire tower
May 6, 2018 near North C…, NH
Toward the top of the trail, ferns, lichen, and mushrooms become more prevalent as it is more damp up there.
Sep 29, 2018 near North C…, NH
The fire tower at the top of Mount Kearsarge. You can sleep here if you are overnighting, or just use it as a space place to escape the wind.
Sep 29, 2018 near North C…, NH
Birch trees can be seen shedding along the side of the trail.
Sep 29, 2018 near North C…, NH
The trail crosses solid rock for a while, with blazes painted on the rock to show the way.
Sep 29, 2018 near North C…, NH

1 Comment

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 61 days ago
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

May 26, 2025
Lanting Fuh
6.4mi — 4h 30m
Oct 11, 2024
David Smith
5.8mi — 2h 44m
Feb 5, 2023
Private User
Sep 30, 2022
Mike Tozier
Feb 14, 2021
Nancy Hall
Perfectly packed snow trail. Plenty of UP, but nothing technical or tricky. Cloudy summit, with awesome lookout tower. 5.8mi — 4h 00m
Feb 6, 2021
NH Hiker95
Long steady climb through forests/ledgy areas to Kearsarge North and its wide views from the firepower.
Jan 4, 2021
Lora Doerfer
Needed micro spikes for second half
Nov 8, 2020
Nikki Viden
5.7mi

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