Why is the Lincoln Woods Trail closed?

The Forest Service is stabilizing and rebuilding the East Branch Pemigewasset riverbank along the trail, which was first damaged by Hurricane Irene in 2011 and has eroded further with repeated flooding. Crews and heavy equipment are on site, and the closure is enforceable.

When does the Lincoln Woods Trail reopen?

The Forest Service expects the work to run through November 2026, so a reopening in late 2026 is the target. That date is tentative — confirm the current status on the USFS White Mountain National Forest alerts page before planning a trip.

What's the best alternate trailhead for the Pemi Loop in 2026?

For a single-car loop, the Greenleaf Trail from the Cannon Mountain tram lot is the shortest at roughly 36 miles and is the option the Forest Service lists first. If you want the AMC Hiker Shuttle (which serves Gale River but not Lincoln Woods in 2026), start from Gale River. Skookumchuck (~37 mi), Garfield (~38 mi), and North Twin (~39.6 mi) are the other approaches.

How much longer is the Pemi Loop without Lincoln Woods?

Every alternate adds distance to the traditional ~31-mile loop — roughly 36 to 40 miles total — and more climbing, because each approach trail gains the ridge instead of using the flat valley walk-in. A point-to-point traverse with a shuttle can actually be shorter (~21–26 miles) since it skips the backtracking.

Can I still park at the Lincoln Woods Trailhead in 2026?

Yes. Parking, the restrooms, the suspension footbridge, and the East Side Trail stay open. Only the lower Lincoln Woods Trail (Route 112 to the Osseo junction) is closed, so you can't use it to start the loop — and the East Side Trail can't substitute, because there's no bridge across the East Branch to rejoin the high trails.

Is it legal to hike the closed section anyway?

No. It's an enforceable Forest Service closure with fines reported up to $5,000 for individuals, and there's active construction on an unstable riverbank. Use one of the official alternate trailheads instead.

Guide

Pemi Loop Alternate Routes for 2026: How to Hike It With Lincoln Woods Closed

June 29, 2026

8 min read

Closure status: CLOSED. The Lincoln Woods Trail — the Pemi Loop's usual start and finish — is closed June 15 to November 2026 for riverbank repairs. The loop is still hikeable from alternate trailheads. Last verified June 2026; always re-check the White Mountain National Forest alerts before you go.

Yes — you can still hike the Pemi Loop in the summer of 2026. You just can't start it the usual way. The flat rail-grade walk-in everyone uses, the Lincoln Woods Trail, is closed for the whole prime hiking season while the Forest Service rebuilds an eroding riverbank. Because that trail is both the first and last leg of the classic loop, the closure quietly breaks the hike in two places at once.

The good news: the ridge itself — Franconia Ridge, the Twins, and the remote Bonds — is untouched. You just need a different way onto it. Below is every realistic 2026 option, compared by distance, parking, and effort, so you can pick one and go.

Is the Pemi Loop closed in 2026?

No — the loop is not closed, but its standard trailhead access is. The Lincoln Woods Trail between Route 112 (the Kancamagus Highway) and the Osseo Trail junction is closed June 15 through November 2026. Every peak on the loop is still legally reachable; you simply start from an alternate trailhead and accept a few extra miles. If you only remember one thing: don't drive to the Lincoln Woods lot expecting to start the loop there this summer.

What's actually closed — and what's still open

There's a lot of confusion about this closure online, partly because people mix up two trails. Here's the precise picture:

Closed: the lower Lincoln Woods Trail, from Route 112 to the Osseo Trail junction, June 15 – November 2026.
Why: riverbank erosion. The East Branch Pemigewasset has been undercutting the trail since Hurricane Irene damaged it in 2011, and repeated flooding has made the bank hazardous. Crews are stabilizing and reconstructing it — this is engineered trail work, not a washout reroute.
Still open: the Lincoln Woods trailhead parking, restrooms, the suspension footbridge over the East Branch, and the East Side Trail.
Enforceable: this is a Forest Service closure order, not a suggestion. Entering the closed section is reported to carry fines up to $5,000 for individuals, and there is active heavy equipment on an unstable bank.

A couple of common mix-ups worth clearing up:

It is not "the Wilderness Trail." The Lincoln Woods Trail becomes the Wilderness Trail past the Osseo junction, deeper in the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The closed segment is the Lincoln Woods portion near the road.
It is not a bridge removal. The famous Pemigewasset Wilderness suspension bridge and the Black Brook bridge were removed back in 2009–2010, and the Thoreau Falls Trail bridge came out in 2019. Those are old news and unrelated to this 2026 riverbank project.

Why the closure breaks the whole loop

The classic ~31-mile Pemi Loop hangs off the flat valley corridor: you walk in along Lincoln Woods, climb to the ridge, traverse Mount Flume, Liberty, Lincoln, and Lafayette, continue over Garfield, Galehead, and South Twin to the Bonds, then return down the valley to your car. Lincoln Woods is the on-ramp and the off-ramp.

It's tempting to think the still-open East Side Trail can replace it. It can't. The East Side Trail runs up the opposite (east) bank of the East Branch, and there is no safe, maintained bridge crossing back to the Wilderness/Bondcliff trails on the west bank — the Thoreau Falls bridge that once made that possible was removed in 2019. Fording the East Branch is wide, cold, and dangerous in anything but low water. So the practical answer is simple: to hike the loop in 2026, start somewhere else.

Pemi Loop alternate routes for 2026 (compared)

The Forest Service and AMC point to five alternate trailheads that let you complete a single-car loop. All add mileage and climbing versus the flat valley walk-in, because each one gains the ridge instead of strolling the river. Distances are approximate.

Alternate trailhead	Approx. total distance	One car?	Best for
Greenleaf Trail (Cannon tram lot)	~36 mi	Yes	Shortest single-car loop; FS's first pick
Skookumchuck Trail	~37 mi	Yes	Gentler grade onto the ridge
Gale River Trail	~36.8 mi	Yes	The only approach the AMC shuttle serves
Garfield Trail	~38 mi	Yes	Enters at the loop's midpoint
North Twin Trail	~39.6 mi	Yes	Longest; enters near South Twin

Greenleaf Trail — the Forest Service's top pick

Start at the Cannon Mountain tramway hiker lot and climb the Greenleaf Trail past Greenleaf Hut to Mount Lafayette, gaining Franconia Ridge directly. From there you run the full horseshoe over the ridge, the Twins, and the Bonds, then return over Lafayette and back down Greenleaf. At roughly 36 miles it's the shortest single-car option and the one the Forest Service lists first. The trade-off: you climb to and from the ridge instead of walking the flat valley, so expect noticeably more vertical, and you'll summit Lafayette twice (or run the Bonds as an out-and-back spur). Parking is large and reliable.

Skookumchuck Trail

From the Skookumchuck trailhead near the north end of Franconia Notch, it's about 4.3 miles up to the Garfield Ridge Trail just north of Lafayette. One of the gentler grades onto the ridge, fully maintained, no fords — about 37 miles total. The lot is smaller, so arrive early.

Gale River Trail — best if you want the shuttle

The Gale River Trail climbs about 4.2 miles to the ridge near Galehead Hut. What makes it special in 2026: it's the one Pemi approach served by the AMC Hiker Shuttle (Lincoln Woods is not served this season), which opens up car-spot logistics. About 36.8 miles total; parking is limited, so reserve the shuttle and arrive early.

Garfield Trail

The Garfield Trail (about 4.8 miles) drops you onto the ridge right at Mount Garfield, near the loop's midpoint, so the two wings stay balanced. Maintained, no fords, roughly 38 miles total. Roadside parking on Gale River Road is limited.

North Twin Trail

The North Twin Trail climbs over North Twin to South Twin, joining the loop near its northern corner. It's the longest of the five at about 39.6 miles, so it's usually a fallback when the closer lots are full.

Don't need a true loop? Two cleaner options

A loop from one car always means backtracking now that the flat return is gone. If you'll spot a car or take the shuttle, these can be shorter and bag more peaks with no repeated mileage.

Point-to-point traverse with a shuttle — ~21–26 mi, no backtracking

Spot a car (or use the AMC shuttle) and traverse one way: up Falling Waters/Old Bridle Path from Lafayette Place over Franconia Ridge — Garfield — South Twin — the Bonds — then out via the Zealand Trail to the Zealand trailhead. You hike the spine once instead of doubling back, bag essentially the entire Pemi peak set, and cross no fords. The catch is logistics: you need two cars or a shuttle reservation.

Zealand-to-Bonds out-and-back — the Bonds without Franconia Ridge

If the remote Bonds — Bond, West Bond, and Bondcliff — are what you're really after, start at the Zealand trailhead and follow the Z-Bonds traverse over Zealand to Guyot and out to Bondcliff. Around 19–20 miles round trip, fully maintained, shuttle-served, no fords. It skips Franconia Ridge, so it's a Bonds day rather than a Pemi substitute — but it reaches the peaks the closure makes hardest to get to.

Which alternate should you choose?

Shortest single car: Greenleaf.
Want the AMC shuttle: Gale River, or the point-to-point traverse (Zealand exit).
Most peaks, least repeated miles: the point-to-point traverse.
Just the Bonds: the Zealand out-and-back.

Logistics and safety for 2026

Parking fills early. Greenleaf's tram lot is the most reliable; Skookumchuck, Gale River, and Garfield lots are small. Start before dawn on weekends.
AMC Hiker Shuttle. In 2026 it serves the Gale River and Zealand trailheads (not Lincoln Woods). Reserve ahead; walk-ons only if there's space.
Don't ford to save the loop. The East Side Trail does not connect back across the East Branch, and fording there can be dangerous to fatal in high water. The maintained alternates above need no fords — use them.
It's still the Pemi. This is big, committing, above-treeline terrain with fast-changing weather. Check the latest White Mountains conditions before you commit, carry layers, and know your bail-out points.
Respect the closure. It's enforceable, with active construction and reported fines up to $5,000. There's no legal shortcut through the work zone.

Plan your Pemi with HikerNerd

Track the peaks you'll bag along the way — Flume, Liberty, Lincoln, Lafayette, Garfield, Galehead, South Twin, Bond, West Bond, and Bondcliff — and check live, AI-synthesized trail conditions for the day you go. Comparing approaches? See the full Pemi Loop route and the Extended Pemi Loop.

Sources and last verified

This guide was last verified in June 2026 against:

Closure dates and trailhead access can change. Always confirm the current status on the Forest Service alerts page before your trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

The loop itself isn't closed, but its usual start — the Lincoln Woods Trail — is closed from June 15 to November 2026 for riverbank-erosion repairs between Route 112 and the Osseo Trail junction. You can still hike the full loop by starting from an alternate trailhead such as Greenleaf, Skookumchuck, Gale River, Garfield, or North Twin. (Status last verified June 2026 against the USFS White Mountain alert — re-check before you go, as dates can shift.)