4,328 ft | Franconia | 3 routes
As of October 7, 2026
Trail conditions on Mount Flume are currently rated Moderate. At 3:20 AM ET it was 29°F at the summit (4,328 ft), feeling like 18°F, with NW winds at 12 mph. The shortest of 3 listed routes is Flume and Liberty Loop: a 9.4-mile loop with 3,539 ft of elevation gain, taking about 5-8 hours. Mount Flume (4,328 ft) is #25 of 48 on the NH 48 list. See the hour-by-hour Mount Flume weather forecast for summit temps, wind chill, and the best hiking window.
Mount Flume weather forecast
Hourly summit temps, wind chill & freezing level, trailhead to summit
Best time to hike Mount Flume
Month-by-month conditions from our daily records
Feels like 18°F
~2.4°F drop per 1,000ft
Conditions summary as of October 7, 2026
Wednesday offers a good hiking window under mostly clear to increasingly cloudy skies, with cold early-morning temperatures and a winter-like chill on the summit. Thursday brings moderate rain and falling temperatures, so plan to finish Wednesday and avoid slick rock on the Flume Slide Trail afterward. Daylight is limited to about 11.5 hours, so an early start is important.
Expect trailhead temperatures in the upper 30s to mid 50s, dropping to the low-to-mid 30s near treeline and the summit with wind chill near 20°F; the freezing level (roughly 2,400 ft) sits low, so frost and icy patches are possible on the upper trail. Start with moderate layers and add an insulating layer and windproof shell before reaching the upper slopes.
Best Hiking Window
Wednesday from sunrise (around 6:50 AM) through early afternoon; start early to summit before clouds thicken and winds increase later in the day, and finish well before dark. Avoid Thursday due to rain and dropping temperatures.
Last synthesized Oct 7, 3:20 AM ET
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: Liberty Spring Trail, Flume Slide Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“Did the loop today, up the slide and down Liberty Spring. The trails were wet from the rain yesterday. The trails are in good condition, with the exception of the fallen tree on Flume Slide at mile 2. I met a few people after summiting Flume, but was by myself all the way up the slide (I like that :-). Still many thru hikers coming up Liberty Spring. Looks like a busy weekend is upon us in the White Mountains”
Trail: Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Liberty Spring Trail, bike path
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“Rocks were wet but grippy for the most part. Trails are in great shape. No views on Lincoln or Lafayette this morning. Flume and Liberty were on and off with clouds moving through. To the person who left their or their dog’s feces in a green bag near the top of Lincoln, what a classy move. A great morning to be out in the fog and clouds. Rain held off which was nice.”
Trail: Liberty Spring Trail, Flume Slide Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail
Conditions: Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“Flume slide is no joke - we struggled in a few spots due to wet slabs and lack of hand holds, but we eventually figured it out”
Tap a day header to expand to 3hr or hourly detail
Today Oct 7 | Tomorrow Oct 8 | Friday Oct 9 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy | rain | cloudy | cloudy | drizzle | drizzle | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 44° 41° | 48° 45° | 49° 47° | 46° 44° | 45° 41° | 42° 37° | 37° 34° | 34° 30° | 31° 29° |
| Chill °F | 32° | 35° | 37° | 33° | 29° | 23° | 19° | 14° | 10° |
| Wind mph | 21 | 33 | 36 | 33 | 34 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 48 |
| Gust mph est. | 34 | 53 | 58 | 53 | 54 | 59 | 59 | 59 | 67 |
| Storm risk | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | 0.2 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Chance of precip | 2% | 7% | 8% | 26% | 33% | 16% | 8% | 14% | 14% |
| Freezing ft | 9,690 ft | 6,745 ft | 4,431 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 55% | 91% | 100% | 92% |
| Vis mi | clear | clear | 9 | <0.1 | 9 | clear | clear | clear | clear |
| UV | 4 | 4 | — | 4 | 5 | — | 2 | 4 | — |
Tap a day header to expand AM/PM/Night detail
| Elevation | Today Oct 7 | Tomorrow Oct 8 | Friday Oct 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 4,328 ft | 41/44° 21 | 44/46° 33 | 34/37° 37 |
| 4,100 ft | 41/44° 21 | 45/46° 32 | 35/38° 36 |
| 3,300 ft | 41/45° 16 | 47/48° 23 | 39/41° 32 |
| 2,500 ft | 42/47° 12 | 49/51° 17 | 42/43° 29 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 43/49° 10 | 50/53° 14 | 41/46° 20 |
4 more days of forecast: plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
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30°F
Summit low
Microspikes
Summit lows near 30°F, so expect ice on rock and the upper trail.
59 mph
Summit gusts
Waterproof shell
Daytime gusts near 59 mph above treeline, and a shell is what blocks it.
11h 21m
Daylight
Headlamp
Sunset around 6:13 PM, so a late start or a slow descent ends in the dark.
The rest of the list: Winter gear guide · How I pick gear
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.
Southern peak of Franconia Ridge, close to Flume Gorge. Often combined with Liberty.
Elevation
4,328 ft
Range
Franconia
Rank
#25 of 48
Difficulty
Moderate
Coordinates
44.1088, -71.6280
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5 incidents on file · drawn from NH Fish and Game releases and regional reporting
Casey Cullinan, 30, of Warwick, RI, and William Becker, 30, of Hope Valley, RI
Two hikers became stranded near the top of the Flume Slide on March 19, 2026, due to extremely icy trail conditions that prevented them from ascending or descending. They had micro spikes but not crampons, and had already spent one night camping. Mountain Rescue Service and Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team used ropes, crampons, and harnesses to lower the hikers to safety, returning to the trailhead at 11:10 p.m.
43-year-old male hiker from Kingston, NH
Christopher Ricca, 43, of Kingston, NH, began suffering from heat-related illness on Wednesday evening while hiking the Pemi Loop between Mt. Liberty and Mt. Flume with his nephew. His nephew hiked out via the Osseo Trail to summon help while Ricca attempted to continue on his own. Conservation Officers and PVSAR members reached Ricca at the summit of Mt. Flume and carried him out via the Osseo Trail, with Ricca reaching the parking lot at approximately 6:20 p.m. on July 17, 2025.
Jonathan Long, 26, leading three youths ages 13-14 from the Boston, MA area
The group was descending the Flume Slide Trail about 3 miles from the trailhead but could not continue because they had no lights and no overnight gear. Because of cold temperatures and the group's unprepared state, a rescue was initiated; officers provided lights and food so they could descend.
52-year-old male from Canton, MA
On June 12, 2023, a 52-year-old Massachusetts man slipped on wet rocks and fell approximately 15 feet while ascending Flume Slide Trail about 3.5 miles from the bike path. Two Conservation Officers and Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team volunteers responded, but the hiker was ultimately able to self-evacuate to the trailhead. He was transported by ambulance to Littleton Regional Healthcare for treatment of serious injuries.
22-year-old male from Acton, Massachusetts
Benoit Armangau, age 22, accidentally stabbed himself in a lower extremity while cutting evergreen boughs for bedding near the summit of Mt. Flume on April 30, 2014, leaving him unable to walk unassisted. Conservation Officers reached the pair at 1:45 a.m. on May 1 amid snow depths up to two feet and cold rain, stabilizing the injury overnight. Rescuers and volunteers evacuated him to the Liberty Spring Trailhead by approximately 1:30 p.m. on May 1.