Winter Hiking Cannon Mountain (4,100')

HIKE STATISTICS

Total Distance: 4.4 miles

Elevation Gain: 2,150 feet

Hiking Time: 4 hours and 40 minutes

Difficulty: Difficult

Curious to learn more about this peak during the summer time when there is no snow? Click here!

Want to feel what it is like to experience this peak? Watch our vlog which you can find here!

HIKE DATE: 03/08/2020

Description: Cannon Mountain is located in Franconia Notch State Park and is part of the Kinsman Range. It is home to Cannon Mountain Ski Area and the former site of the Old Man of the Mountain before it collapsed. In the winter, this peak is bustling with activity due to all of the skiers and snowboarders and offers phenomenal 360 degree views.

Trails Used: Ascend via Kinsman Ridge Trail to Rim Trail Loop. Descend by turning around and going back the same way you came.

Trail Summary: Though there are a few common ways to summit Cannon Mountain in the winter, we opted for the most direct route via the Kinsman Ridge Trail. Since this trail climbs 2,150 feet in 2.2 miles, we knew it was going to be steep. Due to recent conditions, we had a feeling the trails would be icy so we carried full crampons and ice axes with us just in case we felt the need for them.

The trailhead for this hike is at the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway parking lot. If you are looking at the tramway building, there will be a service road to the left (it was plowed when we were here) - this is what you will follow to get to the trailhead. There is a small sign pinned on a tree that indicates that the trail is that way, though it can be easy to miss. You’ll walk along the service road for about 100 yards until you come to a clearing where you will see a sign that points to the Kinsman Ridge Trail and head into the woods. We opted to start in microspikes since the trails were frozen solid and hard packed. Immediately after starting the hike, you’ll begin gaining elevation very quick. The ascent will remain steep and utilizes several switchbacks to help with the steepest pitches. We found a few spots with some major sections of ice bulges, but nothing too difficult to navigate around. After about 0.7 miles of hiking, you’ll reach the bottom of a backcountry ski trail - the Kinsman Glades. This makes the hike really interesting because for the next 0.4 miles or so you will cross the ski route several times and have some nice views to the north though the trees. Make sure to watch out for any incoming skiers! We found this part of the hike to definitely be a bit sketchy because you will traverse the open glades several times and one slip could easily send you sliding down. At the top of the glades, the trail goes left back into the woods (watch for the blue blaze) and starts to climb more moderately than the previous sections. As the trees become much shorter, you’ll see a side path that leads to an excellent viewpoint of Franconia Ridge. We felt like we could reach out and touch the peaks that’s how close they were! From here, you can also look up and see the summit tower which is your next stop. The trail dips slightly into some scrub before climbing moderately over some semi-exposed ledges (which have awesome views). Soon you will come to a junction with the Rim Trail, which you can turn right on to and take towards the tower. On the way, you’ll pass the tramway station and head up the ski slopes very briefly before taking a left into the trees towards the tower. The lookout tower has incredible 360 degree views and is fully exposed to the wind, which was fierce on this day, so we were glad to have our faces protected! After the tower, we headed down to the tramway station to warm up, have lunch (their soup is delicious!), and relax before heading back down. The first part of the descent isn’t too bad, but once you’re back at the top of the glades, the steep terrain can be a bit sketchy to descend on - especially when it is icy! We used our ice axes on this decent rather than our poles, as they gave us much more confidence and made us feel safer as we made our way down. It also made for some amazing butt sledding because we could use our ice axes to slow us down so we didn’t barrel off the trail or hurt ourselves. Overall, this was a really enjoyable hike and the opportunity for butt sledding made the steep descent very quick! This trip to Cannon makes Winter #14 for us!