Mount Moosilauke - 4,802'
Hike Statistics
Total Distance: 7.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,570 feet
Hiking Time: 5 hours and 5 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate
Season: Summer
Hiking this peak in winter? Click here!
Hike date: 08/03/2019
Description: Mount Moosilauke is the western most 4,000 footer and dominates its region. The bald summit offers incredible panoramic views. Overall, this is a relatively easy hike for a tall 4,000 footer with incredible views. This loop is highly recommended for those new to hiking in the White Mountains looking to tackle a big mountain! It’s also a great family hike since the terrain is very reasonable. Using the below route, you will have the opportunity to spend time above treeline soaking in the views, get to travel on the Appalachian Trail, hike on an old carriage road, and visit South Peak. Be sure to check out our YouTube video of our hike to Mount Moosilauke which you can find here!
Trails Used: Ascend via Gorge Brook Trail and descend via Moosilauke Carriage Road to Snapper Trail.
Trail Summary: The trailhead for this hike is at the end of Ravine Lodge Road. To start this loop, you will first take the Gorge Brook Trail which you can access by crossing a footbridge over a river at the end of the gravel road. You will come to a junction with the Hurricane Trail, where you will want to turn right to stay on Gorge Brook Trail. After 0.8 miles, the trail goes right veering off from the Snapper Trail (which is where you will descend from later). The trail moves uphill at easy to moderate grades the whole way; there is nothing particularly difficult about this trail. The lower portion of the trail is a mix of roots and rocks, while the middle section is more of a dirt path. The upper section goes back to being rocky all the way to treeline. After about 3.3 miles, you’ll reach the treeline where you will now climb through a grassy area and some rocks for another 0.4 miles before reaching the infamous orange summit sign. On a clear day, there are phenomenal views in every direction from the summit. The Gorge Brook Trail climbs roughly 2,500 feet and it took us about 3 hours.
Newly renovated Ravine Lodge. Haven’t stayed, but it looks very nice
Terrain on the lower portion of Gorge Brook Trail
Terrain on the middle portion of the Gorge Brook Trail
Terrain on the upper portion of the Gorge Brook Trail; it becomes rocky again
Above treeline terrain approaching the summit
Views from the summit looking to the east towards the Franconia Ridge
Summit views looking towards the south
To descend from the summit, you will take the Carriage Road Trail which heads west (take a look at the summit sign). This trail used to be a carriage road (as you could guess from the name), so it is a wide trail and offers a very gentle and moderate descent. You will descend about 0.2 miles before reaching the treeline. In 0.9 miles, you’ll come to a junction with the Glencliff Trail and also see a spur path which is 0.2 miles long and leads to South Peak. It’s worth the small detour as South Peak offers a unique view! Continue following the Carriage Road Trail for another 1.2 miles until you reach the junction for the Snapper Trail. This portion of the Carriage Road Trail is very moderately graded and has great footing the whole way!
Looking towards South Peak from the summit… heading that way next!
Carriage Road from the main summit to South Peak junction is very gentle and easy going
The junction. Spur path for South Peak is off to the right and easy to miss!
Looking back towards Mount Moosilauke’s summit from the top of South Peak
The Snapper Trail makes this loop a possibility. As you’ll have seen on your way up, the lower portion of it coincides with the Gorge Brook Trail. You will hike on the Snapper Trail for 1.1 miles approximately before reconnecting with Gorge Brook. Like Carriage Road, this trail allows for a nice moderate descent and has a few small streams crossings. The trail consists mostly of roots and small rocks. Once you get back on Gorge Brook Trail, it’s an easy 0.8 miles back to the trailhead. Overall, you’ll enjoy a great day of hiking when using this route - even though it is a big peak, the terrain is gentle on your body and the views are a very nice reward.
The Carriage Road is like this the whole way down. Very gentle
Typical terrain on the Snapper Trail - nothing difficult
Victory photo! Enjoying the nice weather and fine views
Alternative routes:
We have not yet done any alternative routes to the summit of Mount Moosilauke. This page will be updated once we have!
Hiking Mount Moosilauke in the winter
Mount Moosilauke is an incredible peak to summit in the winter! Overall, this is a relatively easy hike for a tall 4,000 footer with incredible views. It’s a great peak to start out on in winter as the route is not too difficult and you will also briefly spend time above treeline.
We have a complete blog post on our experience winter hiking Mount Moosilauke, which you can check out by going here!
Questions? Comments? Want to share your take on this hike? Get in touch with us using the contact page!
As experienced hikers, we always make sure that we are hiking with The Ten Essentials which include navigation, a headlamp, sun protection, first aid, a knife, shelter, extra food, water and clothes. Overtime, we have discovered some items that we always bring on our hikes and consider them to be our personal, expanded ten essentials.