5,774 ft | Presidential | 1 route
As of August 29, 2026
Trail conditions on Mount Adams are currently rated Moderate. It's 37°F (feels like 29°F) with W winds at 12 mph. The listed route, Presi Traverse, is 19.4 miles point to point with 8,301 ft of elevation gain, taking about 11-17 hours. Mount Adams (5,774 ft) is #2 of 48 on the NH 48 list. See the hour-by-hour Mount Adams weather forecast for summit temps, wind chill, and the best hiking window.
Mount Adams weather forecast
Hourly summit temps, wind chill & freezing level, trailhead to summit
Feels like 29°F
~3.4°F drop per 1,000ft
Conditions summary as of August 29, 2026
Saturday offers the best window this weekend for Mount Adams, with dry trails, clearing skies, and manageable winds in the 25-30 mph range along the exposed ridge, though wind chills in the upper 30s will feel raw for the extensive above-treeline sections. Sunday brings deteriorating conditions with fog, showers, and much stronger winds gusting near tropical-storm force, making it a poor choice for this highly exposed route. Given the 1.5 miles of sustained exposed ridge terrain, an early start is essential to complete the above-treeline sections while weather remains favorable and to maximize the 13.4 hours of daylight available.
Expect a significant temperature and wind shift as you climb from the mild trailhead (51-64°F, 14 mph wind) to the exposed summit (45-50°F, 26 mph wind, wind chill 36°F); layer up around treeline at 4,000ft where winds jump to 25 mph and wind chill drops to 39°F, since this is the key transition point onto sustained exposed terrain.
Best Hiking Window
Saturday morning through early afternoon, ideally starting at or before sunrise (6:03 AM) to clear exposed ridge sections before afternoon cloud increase and before Sunday's forecasted high winds and fog arrive
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: Airline, Gulfside, Lowe's Path, Osgood Trail, Airline Cutoff
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“I had checked the MWOBS forecast and NOAA before heading out and all was within my comfort range, however the winds were definitely stronger than forecasted. I headed up Airline and could hear the wind as I got closer to popping out above treeline. The trail was mostly dry all the way up with a few wet spots and some muddy sections. The steep rocky section was pretty dry which helped me move a little faster. Once I was above treeline the winds were strong but the footing was good so I kept going. I did have to take a few breaks to wait out the stronger gusts before moving again. Due to the stronger winds, I opted to take Gulfside to Lowe's Path as opposed to going straight up Airline to the summit. This was a good call. The footing was better and the winds were not as bad. Lowe's Path also had good footing. I was delighted to bump into David and the dogs up there and after "family photos" we parted ways as he headed to Jefferson and I headed down Airline towards the hut. Descending was slower going than usual due to the winds but the rocks were dry and grippy so I stayed upright. I made it to the hut in pretty good time and headed up Madison. Again, the rocks were dry but the winds were pushing me around from time to time. Back down at the hut I made the call to return via Airline to avoid the Valley Way slog. The Airline cutoff was muddy and had some standing water but was well worth it to avoid VW. I met many friendly hikers who were out for the day and quite a few headed to the hut for multiple day traverses. This was an incredible day in really fun conditions. It was a solid roll of the dice. I got back to my car to find TRAIL MAGIC again! 2 days in a row. I haven't solved the mystery yet as to who left me chocolate today. But thank you to whoever you are! It was gone before I left the parking lot.”
Trail: Airline, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail
“Woke up just after 0300 & headed to cumberland farms for hot water to prep my tea for the morning. I was staying with friends that were starting a hike later so i left the motel we were staying at with all my crap & got myself ready for the morning in my vehicle. My start time was just before 5am from Valley Way. It was already humid and gross. I think at 0300 it was already in the low 70s if recall correctly. Not a lot to say about this hike as it was just me try to maximize my vertical gains in a manner that isnt just summitting the same peak over and over on a day that was forcasted to be rainy with chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. I am heading to california to do some hiking in the sierras and felt like i havent been hiking regularly enough to hit the ground running as smoothly as i generally would. There would end up being a downpour but it started moments before i made it to Madison hut. My planning and timing is/was painful but generally sound. Hoping when i get back it is less humid.”
Trail: Air Line, Short Line, King Ravine, Subway, Gulfside, Valley Way
Conditions: Dry Trail
“Another absolutely killer day above treeline this weekend. Only saw a few other folks on King Ravine - two going up and one coming down. Not sure I would personally recommend coming down King Ravine, but to each his own. Rocks were all dry so no issues with slipping, just some loose rocks in spots on the headwall to be careful of. We kept a short distance between us ascending the headwall in case one of us kicked a rock down on the other. Had to take our packs off to go through some parts of the Subway, but that was to be expected. Headwall route was well marked with cairns and some faint blazes. Ran into a USFS volunteer on the way out down Valley Way carrying two full trash bags. He said it was full of people's campsite waste (and luckily for him, an address too). Going to be a hefty fine for the people who left it, I'm sure. Big thanks to all the volunteers who do great work to keep the trails and the mountains clean.”
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 | sunny | cloudy | cloudy | rain | rain | sunny | sunny | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 45° 45° | 47° 45° | 50° 48° | 48° 47° | 50° 48° | 49° 47° | 46° 46° | 50° 47° | 51° 49° |
| Chill °F | 39° | 37° | 38° | 36° | 38° | 37° | 39° | 43° | 44° |
| Wind mph | 14 | 20 | 40 | 44 | 37 | 36 | 18 | 8 | 11 |
| Gust mph est. | 22 | 32 | 56 | 62 | 59 | 58 | 27 | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | - | 0.5 | 0.1 | - | - | - |
| Freezing ft | 12,221 ft | 11,648 ft | 13,201 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | - | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 13% | - | 100% |
| Vis mi | clear | clear | clear | 9 | <0.1 | clear | clear | clear | clear |
| UV | 5 | 7 | — | 4 | 6 | — | 5 | 7 | — |
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 5,774 ft | 45/45° 14 | 47/48° 44 | 46/46° 18 |
| 5,000 ft | 46/46° 14 | 50/52° 42 | 49/50° 12 |
| 4,100 ft | 47/48° 14 | 53/55° 38 | 53/54° 9 |
| 3,300 ft | 48/51° 14 | 56/58° 31 | 55/59° 7 |
| 2,500 ft | 49/55° 10 | 59/61° 20 | 53/63° 6 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 51/57° 9 | 61/63° 17 | 54/65° 5 |
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.
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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Been to Mount Adams?
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9 incidents on file · 4 fatal · drawn from NH Fish and Game releases and regional reporting
a 49-year-old from Weston, MA, hiking with his kids
On June 25, 2026, James Bell, 49, of Weston, MA, slipped and fell while descending the Valley Way Trail approximately 1.6 miles from the Appalachia Trail parking lot, suffering a serious lower-leg injury. Bell had been hiking with his children and had earlier summited Mt. Adams and Mt. John Quincy Adams. Conservation Officers and AVSAR volunteers applied a vacuum splint, carried him out in a litter, and he was transported to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin.
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.
10-year-old boy from Duxbury, Massachusetts
A 10-year-old boy took a five-foot fall at Crag Camp Cabin on Mt. Adams, hitting his head and losing consciousness for approximately four minutes. Rescuers hiked three miles to the cabin and conducted a carryout, arriving at the trailhead at 6:20 a.m. The boy was transferred to Gorham Ambulance and transported to Androscoggin Valley Hospital for further evaluation.
Douglas Soholt, age 25, of Colorado, hiking with companion Nathaniel Blauss, age 28, of Hanson, MA
On March 28, 2010, hiker Douglas Soholt lost his footing on icy alpine slab on the Gulfside Trail during descent from Mt. Adams summit and slid approximately 1,500 feet down the headwall of King Ravine. He was able to call 911 after coming to rest near treeline, having suffered superficial head injuries. Rescuers from NH Fish and Game and AVSAR reached him at approximately 8:30 PM and he walked out to the trailhead at 12:45 AM.
Two hikers: Wayne Rodriguez, age 50, of Westfield, Massachusetts, and Janice Doubleday, age 55, of Hiram, Maine; and separately, Walter Calkins, age 85, of Swanzey, NH
On January 10, 2007, two hikers on a day hike from Gray Knob Hut became lost above treeline on Mount Adams during severe snow squalls and 40-50 mph winds; they were located around 1 a.m. in the initial stages of hypothermia and escorted to shelter. Separately, 85-year-old Walter Calkins left for a walk behind his Swanzey home around noon and did not return; he was found the following morning approximately 3/4 mile from his home with his legs encased in ice from falls during the night. Both incidents were resolved successfully without major injury.
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.