4,328 ft | Franconia | 2 routes
As of August 29, 2026
Trail conditions on Mount Flume are currently rated Moderate. It's 51°F (feels like 46°F) with NW winds at 11 mph. The shortest of 2 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
Feels like 46°F
~3.6°F drop per 1,000ft
Conditions summary as of August 29, 2026
Mount Flume is dry and in good late-summer shape, but brisk northwest winds and cool temperatures will make it feel more like a fall hike, especially with gusts near 22-31 mph and wind chills in the upper 30s to low 40s. Saturday offers the best window with sunny skies and light-to-moderate winds before a wetter, breezier system moves in Sunday.
Expect a noticeable temperature and wind shift above 4,000ft: while the trailhead may feel comfortably cool in the 50s-60s°F, treeline and summit conditions turn windier and colder with wind chills near 39-41°F, so pack a wind layer to add once above the trees.
Best Hiking Window
Saturday morning through early afternoon, starting shortly after sunrise to take advantage of clear skies and lighter winds before afternoon clouds build
Last synthesized Aug 29, 12:20 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: Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path, Falling Waters Trail, Liberty Spring Trail, Flume Slide Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Skookumchuck Trail
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“Mainly posting to let people know access to Skookumchuck trailhead remains open as of 8/16, see above. All trails are in good shape. Falling Waters, Liberty Springs, and Franconia Ridge between Little Haystack and Lafayette were crowded as expected on a perfect Saturday weather day. All other trails were quiet when I was on them. Great day below and above the notch, best of both worlds - solo solitude to party people vibe.”
Trail: Bike path, Liberty Spring Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail
Conditions: Dry Trail
“I had my doubts about my decision to hike on the Franconia Ridge on a beautiful Saturday in July, especially with my 'late' start, but you know, sometimes things just work out and today they did. Plenty of people out and about, but it never felt crowded. I was alone for much of the way up&down LS . Had plenty of company over to Flume, and I think it actually helped with my mental game when it got tough. I saw more than a few hikers who could've benefitted from carrying and drinking more water and spoke to some who clearly hadn't researched the strenuousness of what they had planned. I encountered one duo on FR who had come up Flume slide and had planned to continue over Liberty, Lincoln, and Lafayette. At 1pm they hadn't made it to Liberty yet and I was very concerned about the condition of one of them. I think I convinced them that descending LS was in their best interest, since they hadn't spotted a car at Lafayette place. It was great chatting with the fellow in the Vulcan's Fury t-shirt and I hope he and his friend accomplished their goal of getting all 4 peaks. It was a great day to be out on the Ridge and I'm glad I made the last minute decision to go!”
Trail: Whitehouse Trail, Liberty Spring Trail, Flume Slide Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock
“My sister and I headed up the trail this morning to finish her NH48. Flume Slide Trail was straightforward until the river crossing mentioned above that was partially blocked by the fallen tree. The slide started soon afterward. The bottom part is full of very loose rock, and then it reaches some very steep slabs. There were bypasses around the worst areas, and I used a few of them, but my sister wanted to use the actual slide as much as possible. Luckily, the rocks were dry, so they generally gave pretty good grip. The upper part of the slide is, on average, slightly less steep than the part below, but still very steep and scrambly. There are a few places with views through the trees. Near the top, we were passed by a father and a daughter who was probably around 10 - I was impressed by how well she was doing on such a difficult trail. Once leaving the slide, the uppermost part of Flume Slide Trail is still very steep and rough, just without the slabs of the slide. When reaching the junction with Osseo and Franconia Ridge Trail, be sure to take the very short side path to the right (partially blocked by a fallen tree) to get an excellent view. Franconia Ridge Trail is in good shape, and even though the haze and approaching rain limited the views from Flume and Liberty, we could still see a whole bunch of mountains. Just before reaching Liberty, the main trail turns left to traverse a few difficult ledge slabs, while a bypass trail (which wasn't there 10 years ago) continues straight to bypass the slabs. The summit of Liberty was beautiful, even though we could tell that rainfall was imminent. We were still able to celebrate my sister's successful completion of the NH48. Liberty Spring Trail was a straightforward descent, even if the steep upper section was slower and some of the rocks were wet. It rained for periods on the lower half of the descent, but it didn't make the trail notably more difficult. We saw a whole bunch of other people, some with similar itineraries to ours, while others were planning to continue along the ridge to Little Haystack and even beyond. We hope they hiked safely considering the wet rocks they must have encountered. It was a strenuous but still very enjoyable hike. My sister's verdict on Flume Slide Trail was that it was the fun kind of steep climbing, and not quite as difficult or dangerous as the North Slide of Tripyramid. But it's still a T25 for a reason - be very careful on it.”
Tap a day header to expand to 3hr or hourly detail
Friday Aug 28 | Today Aug 29 | Tomorrow Aug 30 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | cloudy | cloudy | ptly cloudy | sunny | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy | drizzle | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 59° 57° | 59° 54° | 52° 46° | 47° 47° | 54° 48° | 55° 52° | 55° 54° | 61° 56° | 58° 52° |
| Chill °F | — | — | 38° | 41° | 42° | — | — | — | — |
| Wind mph | 9 | 17 | 23 | 16 | 15 | 33 | 33 | 29 | 27 |
| Gust mph est. | 14 | 27 | 37 | 26 | 24 | 53 | 53 | 46 | 32 |
| Storm risk | high | high | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Freezing ft | 13,006 ft | 12,488 ft | 11,263 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 100% | 100% | 72% | 1% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Vis mi | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | clear | clear | clear | 5 | clear |
| UV | 5 | 7 | — | 5 | 7 | — | 4 | 5 | — |
Tap a day header to expand AM/PM/Night detail
| Elevation | Friday Aug 28 | Today Aug 29 | Tomorrow Aug 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 4,328 ft | 57/59° 9 | 47/47° 16 | 54/55° 33 |
| 4,100 ft | 58/60° 9 | 47/48° 17 | 55/56° 32 |
| 3,300 ft | 61/62° 7 | 48/51° 17 | 57/59° 27 |
| 2,500 ft | 63/64° 5 | 51/55° 12 | 60/63° 18 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 64/66° 4 | 52/57° 10 | 61/65° 14 |
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.
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.