New Hampshire’s Favorite 48 : Mount Moosilauke Hiking Report
Mount Moosilauke is one of the most popular hikes within all the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Often, people hike this as one of their first 4,000 footers in the state. If you are unfamiliar, New Hampshire has 48, peaks above 4,000 feet in stature. There is a famous hiking challenge that incorporates hiking all these 48 peaks, which Moosilauke is apart of.
Moosilauke is actually one of the tallest peaks apart of the 48s, standing at 4,802 feet, it is New Hampshire’s 10th highest peak. I truly loved this mountain when I hiked it. I hope all the insight I provide in this article, makes you want to see it for yourself. Because, if you like hiking, you will love this mountain, as much as I did. It is a stunning peak, with a huge summit and ridge line that you can continue to walk if you pair this with South Peak (not apart of the 48 high peaks). Truly, it’s a great way to spend a day.
In this post you will read about Mount Moosilauke, Mount Moosilauke directions, Mount Moosilauke Lodge, Mount Moosilauke campground, Mount Moosilauke summit, Mount Moosilauke and South Peak loop, Mount Moosilauke hike, and Mount Moosilauke skiing.
This post is all about Mount Moosilauke.
Mount Moosilauke:
Mount Moosilauke Directions
Similar to other New Hampshire hikes, there are a couple different ways to hike Mount Moosilauke. My friend and I hiked it via the Gorge Brook Trail which takes you to Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. I think this is a very straight forward way to hike this peak and recommend hiking it this way. However, I have not hiked it the other ways, so I am bias to this trail.
Gorge Brook Trailhead Directions
That being said, I will give directions from Lincoln, New Hampshire to the various trailheads for Moosilauke. Okay, first I’m going to start with getting to Gorge Brook. From Lincoln, you will get on Route 112 going west. Stay here for 4 miles then take a slight left turn onto Sawyer Highway. In about 7.1 miles take a right turn onto Ravine Road. Drive down Ravine Road for about 1.4 miles. Drive all the way to the trailhead, then turn your car around and park on the left/west side of the road.
You will follow the signs to the trailhead. You can pair South Peak with Moosilauke via Carriage Road Trail if you wish to see more of the ridge line on this trail. I HIGHLY recommend doing this. This trail is about 7.3 miles with about 2,500 feet of elevation gain. If you pair South Peak with it, it’s about 8.5 miles long with just under 3,000ft of elevation gain. Lastly, this trail is dog friendly. Here is a link to the AllTrails downloadable offline map. You will be fine if you use this map when hiking this route.
Carriage Road Trailhead Directions
Okay, on this trail you will hit South Peak first then hike to Moosilauke. From Lincoln, NH, you will start on Route 112 going west. You will stay on here for 4 miles then take a slight left turn onto Sawyer Highway. In 10 miles you will take a right onto Breezy Point Road. Then in about 1.8 miles, you will arrive at your destination. This trail is a little over 10 miles long, round trip with an elevation gain of just over 3,000 feet. Here is a link to the AllTrails map.
Beaver Brook Trailhead Directions
This is a great option if you want to swim afterwards, as you will find Beaver Pond, where you park your car. From Lincoln, you will start on Route 112 West and stay on here for about 7.5 miles. Then, your destination will be on your right. This route is about 7 miles long round trip with a little over 3,000 feet of elevation gain. Here is a link to the AllTrails map.
Glencliff Trail & Appalachian Trailhead Directions
Again, on this trail, you will hike to South Peak first, then Moosilauke. From Lincoln, you will get on Route 112 and stay here for about 4 miles. Then you will take a slight left onto Sawyer Highway. Stay here for 13 miles, then take a right turn onto NH-25. Stay on NH-25 for about 3.7 miles. Then you will take a right turn onto High Street. You will arrive at your destination in about 1.3 miles. Parking will be on your right. In total, this trail is about 8 miles long with almost 3,500 feet of elevation gain. Here is the link to the AllTrails map.
Benton Trailhead Directions
Finally, another way to hike Moosilauke, is via the Benton Trail. From Lincoln, you will get on Route 112 and stay here for about 12 miles, then, take a left turn onto Tunnell Brook Road. In about 1.4 miles you will arrive at your destination. This trail is about 10 miles round trip with almost 3,500 feet of elevation gain. Here is a link to the AllTrails map.
Mount Moosilauke Hike via Gorge Brook Trail
Okay, next, I am going to talk about Moosilauke the way I hiked it. I am going to talk about the route, tips and tricks, and overall things I do and don’t recommend about this hike. Once you have parked your car, you will follow the signs or people to the Trailhead.
Yes, there will be a LOT of people whenever you plan to hike this trail. My friend and I hiked this on a beautiful Wednesday, in early July. We got there just before 9am and there were at least 10-15 other cars parked there with people getting ready for their hike. Because of this, I would plan accordingly. If crowds are not your thing, then I would get here early, like 7am, especially on a weekend. Once we parked, we got out of the car and followed the signs and AllTrails to the start of the hike. If you follow the AllTrails map for this hike, you will be fine. I followed the map and even incorporated the loop with South Peak and never got lost.
Once at the trailhead (to the left of the lodge) you will see the trail registration box. You can sign in, then be off on the Gorge Brook Trail. You will follow this trail all the way to the summit of Moose. You will arrive at Moose in about 3.5 miles. Now, even though the elevation is about 2,500ft, it’s still a lot. There is no rest from the up until you reach the ridge line.
Mount Moosilauke Summit
The summit of Moose is gorgeous, there’s plenty of space to eat your lunch and to find a spot for yourself. As you can see from the pictures below, it’s something you have to experience for yourself, if you are able to.
Now, at the summit of Moose, you have some decisions to make. You can decide to spend as much time at the summit as possible and not continue onto South Peak. If you hiked this via Beaver Brook, you can hike back down and take a swim in Beaver Pond. Or, you can continue onto South Peak. I recommend continuing onto South Peak. This way you can spend as much time as possible on the ridge line and see another beautiful peak.
Mount Moosilauke and South Peak Loop
I will say, South Peak is not nearly as impressive as Moose, however, since it’s so easy to get to, I think it’s worth the trip. To do this, you will continue past Moosilauke summit instead of going back the way you came. The new trail you will follow is called Carriage Road. You will follow Carriage Road to South Peak and beyond.
To get to South Peak, it will be about a mile. There will be a trail split about .15 of a mile before the summit of South, where you will take the right to South Peak. After the summit of South Peak, you will go back the same way you came and go to that trail split, then go back onto Carriage Road.
You will be on Carriage Road for about the next mile. Here, there will be another intersection, where you want to go to the left, onto the Snapper Trail. In about .9 of a mile, you will get back onto Gorge Brook Trail. Finally, in about half a mile, you will be back at your car.
The Best Way to Hike Moosilauke for You
I HIGHLY recommend hiking Moose with South Peak. Thus, the best trails for this are Gorge Brook and Carriage Road. Also, the Glencliff and Appalachian Trail will bring you to the same places. Now, I do think Beaver Brook is a nice option if you’ve hiked Moose before and want to swim after. I don’t recommend the Benton Trail because it doesn’t easily get you to South Peak and it’s much longer than the other trails. I think Gorge Brook and Carriage Road are your best options.
Moosilauke Ravine Lodge & Camping
The Moosilauke Ravine Lodge is a great place to stay in the White Mountains, as you are at the trailhead of Mount Moosilauke and nearby many other hikes. They provide meals and lodging here. You can also rent the space for your own event. Now, as far as camping goes, some great places to camp near Moosilauke are Moose Hillock Camping Resort, Beaver Brook Shelter (backpacking on the Beaver Brook Trail), Lost River Valley Campground, and Mountain Lake Camping Resort. In addition there is a summer camp in Orford, NH, called Camp Moosilauke for children.
Mount Moosilauke Skiing
Moosilauke is a popular backcountry skiing route in the White Mountains, along with Tuckerman’s Ravine on Mount Washington. On this route, people typically ascend up and down Carriage Road. More information about the route and more backcountry skiing can be found here.
Overall Thoughts about Moosilauke
Overall, Mount Moosilauke has become one of my all-time favorite peaks in the White Mountains and in New Hampshire. The summit is incredible and dog friendly. The ridge line to South Peak is breath-taking and everything you want in a hike. Truly, this mountain is why you hike or at least why I hike. You get to be outside in nature with breath-taking views and a stunning ridge line. I recommend this hike paired with South Peak to anyone who loves hiking. The only drawback is how crowded this trail is. Otherwise, I hope you get to hike this mountain. Thank you so much for reading and take care!
