4,310 ft | Presidential | 2 routes
Feels like 55°F
~4.4°F drop per 1,000ft
Best Hiking Window
Early Monday morning through late morning offers the clearest and calmest conditions. Start at or just after sunrise to maximize time before clouds build and winds increase through the afternoon. Avoid Monday afternoon onward and avoid Tuesday entirely due to severe weather potential.
Trail: Webster Cliff Trail, Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop, Monroe Loop
Conditions: Dry Trail
“I started the morning from the Mizpah Spring Hut and hiked the southern Presidential Range. It is a steep, rocky climb from the hut to Pierce. I took the Mt Eisenhower loop trail over Eisenhower, and the Mt Monore loop trail over Little Monroe and up to Monroe. From the summit of Monroe I turned around, went back over Little Monroe, and continued on the Crawford Path back to 302. Eisenhower had some small scrambles on both sides. Both Little Monroe and Monroe have some large boulders to hop across. Mt. Clinton Rd. was closed for paving so I didn't consider the Edmands Path for my descent; otherwise this could be a good option. The weather was amazing: sunny, warm, low wind; a wonderful day on the southern Presidential Range! I'll write a blog post and create a video of this hike soon.”
Trail: Crawford Path, Webster Cliff Trail
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“Great hike! It was a gorgeous day. The views from Mt Pierce are stunning. You can see the Mt. Washington Hotel and the presidential range leading up to Mt Washington.”
Trail: Crawford Connector, Crawford Path, Mitzpah Cutoff, Webster Cliff Trail
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant
“What can you say about longest continuously used footpath in the US? Rocks, roots, and did I mention lots of rocks??? Érosion and féer have taken their toll. It had rained the day before we went up to Mitzpah, so things were quite wet. They weren't much better coming down the next day (Sunday). The Cut-off was wet too, as well as Webster-Cliff Tr, though the slabs on W-C Tr weren't too bad and wet spots were mostly avoidable. All in all, a very nice outing and fun time at the hut.”
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.
Gateway to the Southern Presidentials. Mizpah Spring Hut is located nearby. Formerly called Mount Clinton.
Elevation
4,310 ft
Range
Presidential
Rank
#27 of 48
Difficulty
Easy
Coordinates
44.2268, -71.3657
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3 incidents on file · 1 fatal · drawn from NH Fish and Game releases and regional reporting
Stephen Bullard, 49, of Avon, CT
Bullard summited Mt. Pierce with his wife on Wednesday July 21, 2021. While descending around 11:30 a.m. he slipped on a log and sustained a significant leg injury, unable to bear weight. Approximately 30 people — from the AMC, Twin Mountain Fire Department, Pemigewasset Valley SAR, SOLO School of Wilderness Medicine, and Conservation Officers — carried him in a litter about 1.7 miles to the trailhead, arriving at 5:40 p.m.; he was taken to Littleton Regional Healthcare.
Six Tufts University Mountain Club students, ages 19-20
Six Tufts University students became lost after mistakenly taking the Dry River Cutoff trail instead of the Mizpah Cutoff trail while descending Mount Pierce. They ended up in the Dry River Wilderness area, where the trail is closed due to Hurricane Irene damage including washed-out bridges and downed trees. Four Conservation Officers located all six hikers unharmed at 2:30 AM and walked them out to the Route 302 trailhead.
A Boy Scout troop leader (age 46 per Wikipedia's table; name not stated in any retrievable source) died of sudden cardiac arrest on July 22, 2002 about 200 feet up from the start of the Crawford Path. Documented only via secondary memorial compilations; the victim is left unnamed pending newspaper-archive confirmation.