5,774 ft | Presidential | 1 route
Feels like 55°F
~4.2°F drop per 1,000ft
Best Hiking Window
Friday, ideally with an early morning start to summit and return to treeline before any afternoon cloud buildup. Saturday, Sunday, and Saturday night are not recommended — postpone if you cannot complete the above-treeline section on Friday.
Trail: Shortline, Subway, King Ravine, Gulfside, Valley Way
Conditions: Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock
“Attempted Adams in Sunday Memorial Day storm via King Ravine. Easy approach, fun crawling thru Subway caves! Minimal snow in the caves. No snow up King Ravine headwall, yet wet rocks made for slow travel and cold fingers. Significant snow remains in Great Gully. Cresting Durand Ridge revealed 40-50mph winds, freezing rain, and a 1/4" glazing ice covering all surfaces making travel near-impossible. Retreated to Madison Spring Hut (CLOSED) and out via Valley Way, which was smooth cruising. We were the only crazy ones out there, and had fun in challenging conditions while prepping for an upcoming mountaineering trip.”
Trail: Lowe’s Path, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop, Randolph Path, Emerald Trail, Israel Ridge Path, The Link
Conditions: Dry Trail, Snow - Spring Snow, Leaves - Significant/Slippery
“Lowe’s path is in great conditions, pretty dry and smooth climbing. No more ice or snow anywhere but the Jefferson snowfield to cross, no issues there. I found the way down very interesting, and Emerald Bluff is a must see! Those less travelled trails are beautiful too, not eroded, almost no rocks or water, with a nice pine needles flooring. Great hike, combined with some other Adams family peaks and a small bushwhack to Nowell Ridge. Nice 360 views from there, a nice surprise.”
Trail: Castle Trail, Jefferson Loop, Gulfside, Lowe's Path, Presidential Rail Trail
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Spring Snow
“up castle trail to Jefferson. bits of mud here and there but mostly dry, no snow nor ice anywhere on this trail. castles are looking cool like usual. still waiting on spring to come to the higher elevations. from Jefferson went across Gulfside to Adams. Gulfside was all dry except for a 50ft or so area of snow that's a bit sketchy to cross. from Adam's went down Lowe's path. Nice to see a handful of improved sections of trail on there. no snow nor ice on Lowes either. A bit more mud towards the bottom of Lowe's but nothing bad. Bugs started getting really bad the last mile or so before the rail trail.”
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.
Second highest peak in the Northeast. Features dramatic above-treeline terrain and multiple challenging routes. Star Lake is a scenic destination along many approaches.
Elevation
5,774 ft
Range
Presidential
Rank
#2 of 48
Difficulty
Very Difficult
Coordinates
44.3206, -71.2916
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5 incidents on file · 4 fatal · drawn from NH Fish and Game releases and regional reporting
Christophe Chamley, 70, of Massachusetts
Chamley climbed Mounts Adams and Jefferson on April 22, 2018, then 'decided to bail off' and descended to the Mount Washington Hotel, checking in at 1 a.m. Monday. A message to his wife failed to send, triggering a large overdue-hiker search before he was located unharmed at the hotel. Fish and Game characterized the search as a waste of time, money and resources.
Kate Matrosova, 32, of New York City (experienced mountaineer)
Matrosova began a solo winter traverse of the Northern Presidentials before dawn on February 15, 2015. The Mount Washington Observatory forecast called for a high of -20°F with winds rising to 80-100 mph (gusts to 125 mph) and wind chills as low as -75°F. She activated a personal locator beacon that afternoon; her body was found the next day near Star Lake. Death was attributed to exposure.
64-year-old from University Park, TX
Richard Gabrielle, 64, was ascending Great Gully in King Ravine on January 26, 2013 when he lost his footing near the top. Per New Hampshire Fish and Game, 'Gabrielle travelled over 1,500 feet and dropped vertically over 950 feet before coming to rest' down the ravine's 67-degree slope. He was wearing crampons and a helmet and using an ice axe, but was not roped. As the last climber in line, his fall was unwitnessed.
49-year-old from Brookline, MA
Richard Thaler, 49, died of a heart attack on the King Ravine Trail on Mount Adams in September 1972.
16-year-old from Albany, NY
Mark Larner, 16, died after a short sliding fall above treeline on Mount Adams in February 1969.