How to Hike Mt. Moosilauke in The White Mountains
Here, I will tell you How to Hike Mt. Moosilauke in The White Mountains! Are you looking for a moderate hike that offers amazing views? Mt. Moosilauke and South Peak Loop is the one for you! Moosilauke is a 4,802 foot hike in the New Hampshire White Mountains.
The hike is 8.2 miles and on average, takes about five hours to complete. At the summit you are rewarded with amazing 360 views!!
The mountain is located in Warren, NH. A town about a half hour outside of Lincoln, NH (where Loon Ski Mountain is located).
Moosilauke is one of the NH 48 4000 footers. If you complete the hike you can check this one off the list! Compared to other NH 4000 footers, this hike is truly a moderate one.
My boyfriend, dad and I conquered Moosilauke in late July. We loved this hike, it has turned out to be one of my favorite 4000 footers so far!
Are you thinking about tackling Moosilauke? – Here is everything you need to know!
How to Hike Mt. Moosilauke in The White Mountains
Getting there
Wake up bright and early and head to the mountain!
Moosilauke is a very popular hike, especially on the weekends. Getting up extra early will be worth beating the crowd to the parking area and trail, as well as the midday summer heat.
Try and arrive at the trailhead by 7-7:30AM.
Getting there
To get to the trailhead, all you have to do is enter “Moosilauke Ravine Lodge” into your GPS.
When you arrive, you will see a fork in the road. One sign will point to a road that leads you to the lodge, you want to park at the fork in the road. There will be signs that show you where you can park on the side of the road.
*Winter rules are different you will most likely have to park much further out and hike a mile + in.*
You can then walk down to the beautiful Moosilauke Ravine Lodge.
We saw a few other hikers down by the lodge and found a bathroom to use. Overall it was pretty quiet there early in the morning.
You can easily spot the trailhead once you are down by the lodge.
Starting off
You want to follow the Gorge Brook Trail! This will take you on a counterclockwise loop.
The Gorge Brook Trail trek is much more gradual than going the clockwise route up Snapper.
If you are looking for a more difficult hike, take the Snapper Trail up.
Keep in mind both trails can be rather rocky so have the proper footwear.
Gorge Brook
As you get going, you will probably notice a bit of a steep incline right off the bat.
This is how the trail starts out but not too long into it becomes more gradual.
As you hike up, you will notice this trail is a nice mix of challenging stretches with some gradual breaks.
The hike up
As we hiked up we saw only a few others on the trail since we started off pretty early. This was really nice, it made waking up early so worth it! Who doesn’t like a quiet trail when hiking!?
During the hike up, you will be in the woods for the majority of the time. Towards the summit there will be a couple times when the trees will open up, offering beautiful views.
Arrive at the summit of Moosilauke!
The summit…it’s so beautiful up there!
Everywhere you look there are rolling mountains that go on forever with blue skies above.
Take in the views, you earned it!!
The summit
It took us about one hour and 40 minutes to get to the top.
Even if you hike in the middle of summer it will most likely be a little windy/chilly up there.
Have a long sleeve or fleece ready in your backpack to throw on at the top so you can enjoy the views without being cold.
The summit is a great place to rest your legs and have snack to refuel for the rest of the hike.
Another good reason to start your hike early is for how quiet it will be at the top! We only saw a few other people up there with us. At one point we had the entire summit to ourselves!
Hike over to South Peak via Carriage Road
South Peak is Moosilauke’s next door neighbor!
It’s a quick 20-30 minute hike to get to it on the Carriage Road. If you are doing the loop trail you should checkout South Peak.
There will be signs at the summit of Moosilauke that will point you in the right direction.
Unfortunately, South Peak is not on the official 4000 footer list but it is another cool peak that actually is above 4000 feet.
The hike over to South Peak on the Carriage Road is pretty much a traverse with mostly flat trail the entire way. Just keep an eye out for the trail over to South Peak once you get back into the woods. The trail to South Peak is not long once you get to it!
South Peak
I liked hiking over to this peak.
You get to see Moosilauke from here, it’s pretty cool to see where you just hiked over from.
South Peak offers great views, it’s also another great place to stop and have a snack/lunch break.
Get back on the loop to hike down
Once you’ve seen all of South Peak, you have to head back out the Carriage Trail a little ways (the way you hiked to South Peak) to get back on the main trail.
It only takes roughly ten minutes to do so.
Get back on trail, make sure you are headed in the right direction and start your descent.
The hike down
The hike down was a little slower than I had expected it to be.
If you follow the counterclockwise route like we did, you will hike down via the Snapper Trail.
This trail is not as easy to hike as the Gorge Brooke. Just take it a little slower with all of the loose rocks.
By the time we headed back down the traffic hiking up the mountain was very heavy. We were happy we started so early.
Hike completed
A 4000 footer to check off the list!
Moosilauke is a good one. Not too difficult…but still hard enough where halfway up you question why you wanted to do this while sweating and breathing heavy. Then when you arrive at the summit you remember!
The Moosilauke and South Peak Loop is a well marked trail. This is a great hike for beginners looking to get into larger mountains.
A lot of this hike is in the woods, you get a few teasers of the views along the way…then you arrive at the summit and it’s all so worth it!!
Tips to know before you go
- Buy the Hike Safe NH Card
- As with all hikes in the White Mountains you NEED to know the weather forecast before and during the hike to avoid unsafe trail conditions (weather can change rapidly)
- Heavily trafficked- early bird gets the worm
- Parking fills up late morning
- No actual parking lot but we were shocked by the amount of cars we saw parked along the road by the time we finished the hike
- Safe and easy trail for beginners
- The hike took my boyfriend, dad and I roughly four hours to hike the entire loop with some snack + picture breaks
- Lots of room at the summit to find your own area to hangout
- Clockwise route: harder
- Counterclockwise route: easier
- Use your favorite GPS trail app to track your hike – I use AllTrails
What to pack in your backpack for this hike
- Snacks: apple, banana, beef jerky, granola bars, fruit snacks, pb&j, trail mix, nuts, etc. (bring extra)
- Water: 2 large reusable water bottles per person (more if you can fit it)
- Map
- Compass
- Warm Clothing: sweater or fleece, long pants, hat & mittens
- Flashlight or Headlamp
- Matches/Fire starters
- First Aid Kit/Repair Kit
- Whistle
- Rain/Wind Jacket and Pants
- Pocket Knife
- Cameras
- Sunglasses
- Toilet paper
Post hike beers
On your way home, stop at One Love Brewery in Lincoln, NH for a few post hike beers and some lunch!
One Love Brewery is a cool place with great beer.
The Mt. Moosilauke and South Peak Loop trail is such a fun hike with great views.
If you are thinking about hiking this, do it! You will be so happy you did. Just make sure to get there early and to go on a clear day so you get the best experience possible.
Moosilauke will give you a great workout…To do the entire loop: take Gorge Brooke up, The Carriage Trial over to South Peak then Snapper back down to complete the whole thing!
I hope this guide, How to Hike Mt. Moosilauke in The White Mountains was helpful for you in some way!
Have you hiked the Mt. Moosilauke and South Peak Loop trail? If so, what are your thought on the hike? What trail did you take to the summit? Let me know in the comments below!
Also check out my Instagram for more hiking posts and reels!
Stay safe out there + happy hiking!
sierra
Hello there! It's wonderful to have you here. I'm Sierra, a NH native with a love for travel and adventure. I have a constant desire to explore beautiful places around the world and go on awesome adventures! I seek to inspire others to travel to see all the beauty and culture the world has to offer! 🌞⛰️🌼🫶🏼🦋🌲📸🥾💛
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