5,260 ft | Franconia | 2 routes
Feels like 57°F
~4.2°F drop per 1,000ft
Best Hiking Window
Friday — ideally with an early morning start to complete the exposed ridge and summit well before conditions begin deteriorating Friday evening. Avoid the exposed ridge on Saturday entirely due to severe storm risk.
Trail: Falling Waters Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant
“Trail conditions are much like Heat Lightning reported yesterday. Old Bridle Path is muddier than Falling waters but you can kind of get around it. The trails above treeline are just perfect. It was a great day to be up high! The trails are getting busier for sure but everyone was friendly and seemed to be enjoying the day.”
Trail: Falling Waters Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path
Conditions: Dry Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“Trails have dried out pretty nicely from the snow on Friday. Mostly dry with minimal puddles and muddy patches. Ridge is in excellent shape. First hut snacks hike of the year (they had chocolate chip brownies at Greenleaf yesssss) Really really gorgeous sunset on the ledges descending old bridal. Little less skeptical of the relo work after being able to cruise w/out headlamp in the last gleaming of twilight. Took the old old bottom section shortcut back down to the car which is still pretty well brushed out (may have used my phone flashlight here)”
Trail: Skookumchuck Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“The majority of the trail was dry. Some wet parts, some mud. As usual, we thoroughly enjoyed this hike. There were maybe around 30 people on Lafayette, with plenty more on their way up.”
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.
Highest peak in the Franconia Range with spectacular Franconia Ridge. Often hiked as part of the famous Franconia Ridge Loop.
Elevation
5,260 ft
Range
Franconia
Rank
#6 of 48
Difficulty
Difficult
Coordinates
44.1607, -71.6444
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12 incidents on file · 3 fatal · drawn from NH Fish and Game releases and regional reporting
Susan Kuruvilla, 71, of Pennsylvania; Mini Kuruvilla, 52, of Texas; Joel Mathew, 21, of Connecticut
Three hikers started the Franconia Ridge Loop at 9:00 a.m. on May 11, 2026, and by 9:00 p.m. found themselves approximately 2 miles from the trailhead with no lights and unable to locate the trail as temperatures dropped into the low 20s. Conservation Officers hiked up the Old Bridle Path, located the group, provided lights, and assisted them back to the trailhead at 2:00 a.m. on May 12.
Shane Squires, 35, of New Bedford, MA, and Robert Conlon, 41, of Haverhill, MA
The two lost the trail descending from Lafayette's summit on the Greenleaf Trail; one fell and claimed a lower-leg injury while both were above treeline in about 10°F, heavy winds, and waist-deep snow. One suffered severe hypothermia and was in and out of consciousness. A Pemi Valley Search and Rescue team warmed them and helped them hike out; both were treated for frostbite.
39-year-old male hiker from Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Edward Pimental, 39, took the wrong trail from the summit of Mount Lafayette on May 1, 2025, continuing north onto Garfield Ridge instead of descending his intended route. Without a map, he became unsure of his location, encountered snow and ice, and was unable to set up shelter in heavy wind and rain before calling 911. Conservation Officers and Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team reached him 4.2 miles up the Skookumchuk Trail at 4:20 a.m. on May 2 and guided him out; he was uninjured.
Three males aged 24, 24, and 25 from Boston, MA and Cambridge, MA
On February 9, 2025, three hikers attempting the Falling Waters/Bridle Path Loop on Franconia Ridge activated an SOS via Garmin device at 5:30 p.m. after becoming caught in white-out conditions with deep snow and suffering cold-related injuries near Mount Lincoln. Rescuers made contact with the group just below Greenleaf Hut at 9:10 p.m., provided light sources after some of theirs had died, and escorted them to the trailhead by 10:20 p.m. The group was noted to be fairly well prepared for winter conditions but lacked experience above treeline.
Joe Revellie, 20, of Rhode Island
Revellie suffered a heat-related medical emergency atop Mount Lafayette. AMC Greenleaf Hut staff brought food, water, and electrolytes; his condition improved enough to walk to the hut, and he hiked out the next day.
Two male hikers, ages 65 and 69, from New York and Florida respectively
On October 4, 2023, two hikers on the 9-mile Franconia Ridge Loop ran out of daylight and water, losing the trail in the dark on Falling Waters Trail. A Conservation Officer hiked 1.3 miles up the trail, reached the pair at 8:35 p.m., provided lights, and assisted them safely to the trailhead by 10:00 p.m. The hikers were cold, wet, and without food or water when located.
42-year-old female hiker from Gorham, ME
On July 30, 2023, Mary Ervin, age 42, experienced a medical issue on the trail between the summit of Mt. Lafayette and AMC's Greenleaf Hut. AMC hut crew assisted her to the hut, but her condition worsened, necessitating helicopter evacuation by the NH Army National Guard. She was transported to Littleton Regional Healthcare for further evaluation and treatment.
67-year-old female from Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
On July 22, 2023, Kathleen Schnell, 67, slipped on wet rocks while descending Mount Lafayette near the summit at approximately 2:00 p.m., injuring her lower leg. Family members assisted her to Greenleaf Hut, then the group attempted to continue descending the Old Bridle Path unassisted before becoming exhausted and activating a Garmin inReach at 10:50 p.m. Conservation Officers and Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team carried her out via litter, reaching the trailhead just before 3:00 a.m.
Emily Sotelo, 19, of Westford, MA
Sotelo was dropped off the morning of November 20 for a solo hike of Lafayette, Haystack, and Flume; per Pemigewasset Valley SAR, temperatures along the ridge were about zero degrees with 30-40 mph winds. When she did not return, a multi-day search ensued; searchers found her tracks and belongings at the headwaters of Lafayette Brook on November 22, and her body was recovered November 23, about three-quarters of a mile off the trail. Officials said she likely died of exposure. Her parents told WMUR she was an experienced summer hiker but had little winter experience.
Robert Cummings, 25, of Loudon, New Hampshire
Per NH Fish and Game, Cummings began at about 7 a.m., turned back near the Lafayette summit as weather deteriorated, and was 'overcome by 40 mph wind and zero visibility' after wind took his map and compass. He posted to Facebook ('send help, stuck by cairn on Old Bridle…Wind took map and compass white out conditions') and sheltered by a cairn; conservation officers reached him at about 4:30 p.m., uninjured, and guided him out, arriving at the trailhead around 7 p.m.
43-year-old engineer from Andover, MA
Brenda Cox, 43, and her husband Russell summited Mount Lafayette on March 21, 2004 despite warnings from descending hikers about deteriorating weather. Caught in a whiteout, they took the wrong trail on descent and were stranded two nights above treeline. Per the American Alpine Club analysis, 'sometime during the night, Mrs. Cox slipped into hypothermia and died.' Her husband survived and was airlifted out the next morning. AAC cited failure to turn back, failure to follow the planned route, and inadequate clothing for a forecast winter storm.
67-year-old author and mountaineer from East Corinth, VT
Guy Waterman, 67, a renowned Northeast mountaineer and co-author of Forest and Crag and Wilderness Ethics, climbed Mount Lafayette on February 6, 2000 and intentionally died of exposure near the summit. Friends, alerted by letters he had sent in advance, recovered his body in the following days. The case is widely documented in regional mountaineering literature and was discussed publicly by his widow, author Laura Waterman, in her memoir Losing the Garden.