FranklinSites.com Hiking Guide
Home

States
 Colorado
 Connecticut
 Maine
 Massachusetts
 New Hampshire
 New York
 Rhode Island
 Utah
 Vermont

 View All

Lists
 NE 4,000 Footers
 NE 100 Highest
 NH 4,000 Footers
 NH 100 Highest
 NH 52 With A View
 NH Belknap Range
 NH Ossipee 10

Links

Trail Conditions

Trip Log
 Sunrises
 Sunsets


About


Mt. Lafayette (North Peak), Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lincoln
Fraconia, NH, Lincoln, NH

Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below.
Looking up the Skookumchuck Trail
Looking up the Skookumchuck Trail

Route: Skookumchuck Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail, (Mt. Lafayette - North Peak), Garfield Ridge Trail, (Mt. Lafayette), Franconia Ridge Trail, (Mt. Truman), Franconia Ridge Trail, (Mt. Lincoln), Franconia Ridge Trail, (Mt. Truman), Franconia Ridge Trail, (Mt. Lafayette), Garfield Ridge Trail, (Mt. Lafayette - North Peak), Garfield Ridge Trail, Skookumchuck Trail

With rain in the forecast for the balance of the week, I decided to take a few hours off from work and use the sunny afternoon weather to my advantage.

Reaching the trailhead, there were two well beaten paths without blazes - the one going directly uphill to the right is the trail. Though sparsely blazed, the trail was thereafter pretty much easy to follow.

The first part of the trail was fairly bland - the noise of the auto traffic took away from the wilderness feel. Reaching the brook and the old trail, however, things became much more interesting. Though generally gradual, there were a few steeper pitches.

Reaching the Garfield Ridge Trail, the views opened up - the scenery from the north peak of Mt. Lafayette was tremendous. While the traditional loop had plenty of folks on it, there was perhaps better scenery from this peak with zero people.

Mt. Lafayette had the normal good-weather-sized crowds, however from there to Mt. Lincoln was pretty quiet. The alpine flowers, though probably not peak, were quite a sight as well.

The return trip was pretty uneventful, though I started to get a sore leg as I reached the Skookumchuck Trail. On the bright side, there were no mosquitoes or black flies!


Hike Ratings
Getting To Trailhead: Easy
Destination: Mt. Lafayette (North Peak)
Length: Moderate
Steepness: Difficult
Navigation: Easy
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Minimal
Destination: Mt. Lafayette
Length: Moderate
Steepness: Difficult
Navigation: Easy
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Heavy
Destination: Mt. Truman
Length: Difficult
Steepness: Moderate
Navigation: Easy
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Minimal
Destination: Mt. Lincoln
Length: Difficult
Steepness: Difficult
Navigation: Easy
Views: Excellent
Crowds: Minimal


Hike Stats
Date Hiked: Monday, June 8, 2009
Hike Commenced: 1:34 PM
Parking Elevation: 1,700'
Destination: Mt. Lafayette (North Peak)
Ascent Commenced: 1:34 PM
Summit Reached: 3:49 PM
Time Elapsed: 02:15
Trailhead Elevation: 1,700'
Summit Elevation: 5,060'
Vertical Gain: 3,570'
Destination: Mt. Lafayette
Ascent Commenced: 3:50 PM
Summit Reached: 4:05 PM
Time Elapsed: 00:15
Trailhead Elevation: 5,060'
Summit Elevation: 5,260'
Vertical Gain: 300'
Destination: Mt. Truman
Ascent Commenced: 4:09 PM
Summit Reached: 4:21 PM
Time Elapsed: 00:12
Trailhead Elevation: 5,260'
Summit Elevation: 5,000'
Vertical Gain: 120'
Destination: Mt. Lincoln
Ascent Commenced: 4:22 PM
Summit Reached: 4:33 PM
Time Elapsed: 00:11
Trailhead Elevation: 5,000'
Summit Elevation: 5,089'
Vertical Gain: 219'
Hike Ended: 7:44 PM
Hike Time Elapsed: 06:10
Hike Distance: 12 miles
Hike Vertical Gain: 5,029'


The Skookumchuck Trail trailhead off US 3
The Skookumchuck Trail trailhead off US 3

A buttercup at the beginning of the Skookumchuck Trail
A buttercup at the beginning of the Skookumchuck Trail

Looking Mt. Garfield from the North Peak of Mt. Lafayette - Click to enlarge
Looking Mt. Garfield from the North Peak of Mt. Lafayette

The Garfield Ridge Trail on the way to Mt. Lafayette
The Garfield Ridge Trail on the way to Mt. Lafayette

Diapensia near Mt. Lafayette
Diapensia near Mt. Lafayette

Looking at Mt. Guyot and the Bonds from Mt. Lafayette - Click to enlarge
Looking at Mt. Guyot and the Bonds from Mt. Lafayette

The Franconia Ridge Trail between Mt. Lafayette and Mt. Truman
The Franconia Ridge Trail between Mt. Lafayette and Mt. Truman

Looking at the Bonds from the Mt. Truman summit - Click to enlarge
Looking at the Bonds from the Mt. Truman summit

Franconia Ridge Trail between Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Truman
Franconia Ridge Trail between Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Truman

Diapensia near Mt. Lincoln
Diapensia near Mt. Lincoln

Looking over the Twins and Bonds at Mt. Washington from Mt. Lincoln - Click to enlarge
Looking over the Twins and Bonds at Mt. Washington from Mt. Lincoln

Topographic map of Mt. Lafayette (North Peak), Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lincoln - Click to enlarge


Directions to trailhead: Take I-93 North to exit 35 (US 3 North). The Skookumchuck Trail parking lot and trailhead will be on the right shortly thereafter

Back to Mt. Lafayette (North Peak) Profile
Back to Mt. Lafayette Profile
Back to Mt. Truman Profile
Back to Mt. Lincoln Profile




Copyright 2002-2021, All Rights Reserved.
www.FranklinSites.com