2,830 ft | Benton Range | 0 routes
As of August 29, 2026
Trail conditions on Black Mountain (Benton) are currently rated Moderate. It's 49°F (feels like 44°F) with NNE winds at 7 mph. See the hour-by-hour Black Mountain (Benton) weather forecast for summit temps, wind chill, and the best hiking window.
Black Mountain (Benton) weather forecast
Hourly summit temps, wind chill & freezing level, trailhead to summit
Feels like 44°F
~4°F drop per 1,000ft
Conditions summary as of August 29, 2026
Black Mountain is in good late-summer shape with dry-to-mostly-dry trail conditions per recent trip reports, clear skies, and mild temperatures, though this is a trailless/bushwhack peak requiring solid navigation skills. Best conditions look to be Saturday with clear overcast-free skies before rain moves in Sunday and continues into Monday.
Expect temperatures to drop roughly 4°F per 1,000 feet gained, with winds noticeably stronger and gustier near the summit than at the trailhead; bring a wind layer for the top even though the freezing level remains far above this peak's elevation.
Best Hiking Window
Saturday morning through early afternoon, before Sunday's rain arrives
Last synthesized Aug 29, 7:20 AM
Planning a hike here this week?
Trailblazer adds the full 7-day summit forecast, the best day to go for every peak, and conditions for each route up.
Trail: Wildcat River Trail, Bog Brook Trail, bushwhack
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“Followed the previous report to the hairpin and started whack to recognized HP. Chose to take a straight line down to logging road system shown on Gaia to shave mileage on return and saved a mile off rather than going back the way we came. Found good and just ok woods until logging road system where things turned wet and nasty until logging road Wildcat Brook 233 which is an excellent road.”
Trail: Bushwhack
Conditions: Dry Trail
“We road walked over the washout and then ascended the logging road diverging to the NE at 1560ft. Followed the helpful road through two landings, but made a mistake after the second landing where we ended up going too far north and diverging from the better defined old road heading NE (visible from sat). We ended up in mediocre woods, heading up the minor SSW ridge. It got a little better when we reaches the plateau around 2600, but still some thick/blow down stuff to navigate, particularly on the southern knob. More open on the summit proper then we took a better route down, crossing over the knob heading SSE and hitting that better defined road around 2400 and good woods above it. This road was overgrown in a few places, but generally very helpful and we followed it all the way to the 2nd landing, then retraced our steps back to the car. 90 mins up, 50 mins down. Would have been quicker if I ascended via my descent route, and not an awful route if you have to drive Black STRAP anyways.”
Trail: Skidder road, bushwhack
Conditions: Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“A FINE day in the forest was had. Like anything on these lists, getting to the start of the hike is half the fun. An extra 90 minutes was added due to road washouts and finding new ways to get there (see above). Cruiser logging/atv line for about a mile or so. Found an object on West peak (unlisted) but we went over to look. Double back, shot in perpendicular to the summit of Northwest. Entry is blowdown central no matter where you hit it. The north side of this ridge was better woods generally speaking. No real issues going over to Southeast. We stashed a car at the ATV gate due north of the summit, about 0.65 as the crow flies. Took a line to the top of a logging cut and as anticipated we where following the seam for a bit, its totally grown in breast stroke swimming. Able to find a goldilocks line until a younger cut enters perpendicular to the other one. Easily traversable in juvenile moose maple. About 3 miles for the traverse, figure about a mile an hour. Woods are good.”
Tap a day header to expand to 3hr or hourly detail
Today Aug 29 | Tomorrow Aug 30 | Monday Aug 31 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | sunny | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy | drizzle | rain | sunny | sunny | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 52° 49° | 60° 54° | 61° 60° | 61° 59° | 65° 60° | 61° 56° | 56° 54° | 65° 59° | 63° 61° |
| Chill °F | 43° | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wind mph | 15 | 12 | 30 | 29 | 24 | 25 | 9 | 13 | 8 |
| Gust mph est. | — | — | — | 36 | 32 | — | — | — | — |
| Storm risk | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | - | - | - |
| Freezing ft | 12,276 ft | 11,410 ft | 13,389 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 1% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | - | 8% | 100% |
| Vis mi | clear | clear | clear | clear | clear | 9 | clear | clear | clear |
| UV | 5 | 7 | — | 4 | 6 | — | 5 | 6 | — |
Tap a day header to expand AM/PM/Night detail
| Elevation | Today Aug 29 | Tomorrow Aug 30 | Monday Aug 31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 2,830 ft | 49/52° 15 | 59/61° 29 | 54/56° 9 |
| 2,500 ft | 50/53° 15 | 60/63° 26 | 55/58° 8 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 51/55° 13 | 61/65° 21 | 56/60° 7 |
4 more days of forecast — plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Conditions synthesized from: NWS Higher Summits Forecast, NOAA Open-Meteo, Mount Washington Observatory, NETC Trip Reports, NOHRSC Snow Depth, Mt. Washington Avalanche Center, USGS Stream Levels, OpenWeather Air Quality.
AI-generated from public data. Always verify conditions before heading out — backcountry weather can change quickly.
No routes available for this peak.
Rising to 2,830 feet in the Benton Range of northwestern New Hampshire, this moderately challenging summit offers a rewarding outing for hikers seeking a less-trafficked alternative to the region's more celebrated peaks. The mountain is part of the 52 With a View (52 WAV) peak list, recognizing its notable panoramic perspectives. The trail ascends through northern hardwood and conifer forest before reaching open ledges that reward hikers with expansive views of the surrounding hills and valleys. The above-treeline exposure near the summit provides a sense of openness uncommon for a peak of this elevation. The hike strikes a balance between accessibility and genuine mountain character, making it appealing to intermediate hikers building experience or enthusiasts working through the 52 WAV list. Its location in the quieter Benton Range ensures a relatively peaceful experience away from the crowds common on the White Mountains' major routes.
Elevation
2,830 ft
Range
Benton Range
Difficulty
Moderate
Coordinates
44.0674, -71.9426
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1 incident on file · drawn from NH Fish and Game releases and regional reporting
46-year-old female hiker from Acton, MA
Hillary Reid, 46, slipped and fell on icy rocks on the Chippewa Trail on Black Mountain, sustaining an injury. After attempting to continue, she and her partner called for help. Conservation Officers and Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team volunteers carried her down steep, icy terrain to the trailhead, where she was transported to Cottage Hospital in Woodsville, NH.