5,089 ft | Franconia | 2 routes
As of September 1, 2026
Trail conditions on Mount Lincoln are currently rated Moderate. It's 55°F (feels like 55°F) with ESE winds at 5 mph. The shortest of 2 listed routes is Lafayette Loop: a 8.9-mile loop with 3,893 ft of elevation gain, taking about 5-8 hours. Mount Lincoln (5,089 ft) is #7 of 48 on the NH 48 list. See the hour-by-hour Mount Lincoln weather forecast for summit temps, wind chill, and the best hiking window.
Mount Lincoln weather forecast
Hourly summit temps, wind chill & freezing level, trailhead to summit
Feels like 55°F
~3.8°F drop per 1,000ft
Conditions summary as of September 1, 2026
Mount Lincoln currently has dry-to-mildly-damp trails with mild temperatures, but increasing wind and fog are moving in through Tuesday afternoon and evening as a warm front lingers, with rain arriving overnight Wednesday. The 0.5-mile exposed ridge section could see gusts up to 45 mph by Tuesday night, so an early start is strongly advised to avoid worsening wind and reduced visibility.
Expect temperatures near 51-53°F at the summit versus 57-66°F at the trailhead, with winds strengthening from about 10 mph at the trailhead to 13-15 mph above treeline; pack a wind layer to add once you clear treeline near 4,000ft, since freezing levels remain far above this peak's summit.
Best Hiking Window
Early Tuesday morning before winds and fog increase in the afternoon; alternatively, an early Wednesday morning start before evening rain arrives ahead of the cold front.
Last synthesized Sep 1, 5:40 PM
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: Falling Waters Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“I checked the weather both last night and this morning and thought I might score a weather window. Nope. Today was a reminder that Mother Nature always calls the shots and I am just along for the ride. The trail was pretty dry to start with the usual areas of running water and mud. Everything was totally socked in on the ridge and there was a light misty rain. Visibility was not an issue so I was very comfortable continuing. Even with the damp conditions, the rocks were grippy. I met quite a few friendly hikers and crossed paths with many headed to the hut. The clouds made for a really nice day. Sometimes gray moody days are the best days!”
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: Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Falling Waters Trail
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“Clockwise loop including a stay at Greenleaf Hut for a night seeking some darkness to catch Perseids. Definitely going against the tide of hikers going this direction, but we were ok with that. Saw 434+ people doing the loop today that we crossed paths with, my friend decided to count just to see. It has been many years since I have done this trail, before it was crazy popular like it is now. Amazing work done/being done by trail crews to maintain integrity of trails, thank you. Definitely muttered to myself upon arrival at the lot when a couple popped out of the car next to us (yep, out of state plates) and asked where the water dispenser was at the trailhead. No packs, just almost empty water bottles, looking for a water dispenser at a trailhead. Yep.”
Tap a day header to expand to 3hr or hourly detail
Tuesday Sep 1 | Today Sep 2 | Tomorrow Sep 3 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | cloudy | cloudy | sunny | fog | fog | rain | rain | drizzle | drizzle |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 52° 51° | 52° 51° | 52° 51° | 50° 49° | 51° 49° | 52° 51° | 55° 53° | 57° 55° | 56° 53° |
| Chill °F | — | — | — | 43° | 42° | — | — | — | — |
| Wind mph | 5 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 49 | 44 | 15 | 21 |
| Gust mph est. | — | 14 | 21 | 24 | 28 | 69 | 62 | 19 | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | - | - | 0.7 | 0.3 | - | - |
| Freezing ft | 12,552 ft | 13,126 ft | 12,910 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 99% | 100% | 35% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Vis mi | clear | clear | 8 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| UV | 2 | 5 | — | 1 | 4 | — | 0 | 1 | — |
Tap a day header to expand AM/PM/Night detail
| Elevation | Tuesday Sep 1 | Today Sep 2 | Tomorrow Sep 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 5,089 ft | 51/52° 5 | 49/50° 15 | 53/55° 44 |
| 5,000 ft | 51/52° 5 | 49/50° 15 | 53/55° 44 |
| 4,100 ft | 53/55° 6 | 51/52° 16 | 54/56° 39 |
| 3,300 ft | 55/58° 6 | 53/54° 16 | 55/57° 32 |
| 2,500 ft | 56/59° 5 | 55/55° 13 | 56/57° 25 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 57/60° 4 | 56/57° 11 | 57/58° 20 |
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.
Part of the spectacular Franconia Ridge, usually hiked in combination with Lafayette. The ridge walk between them is one of the best in the Northeast.
Elevation
5,089 ft
Range
Franconia
Rank
#7 of 48
Difficulty
Difficult
Coordinates
44.1488, -71.6446
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6 incidents on file · 1 fatal · drawn from NH Fish and Game releases and regional reporting
four 18-year-olds from New Jersey
On August 14, 2026, four 18-year-old hikers from New Jersey became stranded on Franconia Ridge near Mount Lincoln after starting their hike at 3:30 p.m. without headlamps, sufficient food, water, or appropriate clothing. One hiker was experiencing difficulty breathing and sore legs. Five Pemi Valley Search and Rescue volunteers and a Conservation Officer located them at 1:15 a.m. and guided them out, arriving at the trailhead at 9:07 a.m. on August 15.
Andre Bissonnette, an 80-year-old from Orford Township, Quebec, Canada, hiking with his son Vincent Bissonnette, 45, of Drummondville, Quebec
On June 24, 2026, an 80-year-old hiker began experiencing chest pains while hiking Franconia Ridge near the summit of Mount Lincoln. His son called 911, and due to the hiker's incapacitation and the time required for ground rescue, the NH Army National Guard was called in. A helicopter hoisted both hikers from the summit and transported the patient to Littleton Regional Hospital by 6:05 p.m.
57-year-old male from Wells, Maine
On March 11, 2025, Lawrence Duell, 57, suffered a lower-leg injury while hiking between Lincoln Mountain and Mount Lafayette on Franconia Ridge. A nearby hiker activated a Garmin inReach to alert authorities. Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue transported Duell to the trailhead, from which he drove himself to receive medical care.
Anna Meier, 33, of Boston, MA
Meier, hiking the 9-mile Falling Waters/Old Bridle Path loop solo, slipped descending from Mount Lincoln toward Lafayette and injured her lower leg 4.2 miles from the trailhead, in 60-80 mph winds and temperatures in the 30s. Passing hikers reported it; rescuers assisted her out.
James Boule, 57, of Campton, NH
Boule suffered a lower-leg injury on Lincoln's Slide and was assisted out partly by ATV. One of three back-to-back Fish and Game rescue calls in Franconia on July 4.
Guopeng 'Tony' Li, 28, of Salem, NH (originally from Hebei Province, China)
Li set out alone around 11 a.m. on Christmas Eve on the 8.6-mile Bridle Path/Falling Waters loop in near-zero temperatures. A family member in China tracking his phone saw it die at 6:15 p.m. with him lost off-trail south of Mount Lincoln. His body was found around 6:45 a.m. December 25 about a half-mile off the Falling Waters Trail; family described him as inexperienced.