NH 48

NH 4000-Footers Ranked by Difficulty

32 of New Hampshire's 48 4,000-footers, ranked easiest to hardest by the Shenandoah difficulty score of each peak’s easiest mapped route — from Mount Tecumseh to Mount Madison. Effort isn’t danger: an exposed summit in bad weather is a harder day than anything at the top of this list, so check current conditions before you commit.

The 5 easiest NH 48 peaks

Mount Tecumseh is the easiest by score — 4.8 mi and 2,214 ft of gain via Mount Tecumseh Out and Back. Good first objectives, not easy walks.

#	Peak	Difficulty	Elevation	Easiest route	Book time

The 5 hardest NH 48 peaks

Mount Madison ranks hardest by effort — 19.4 mi and 8,301 ft of gain even by its easiest route here. Save these for long days and settled weather. Peaks whose only mapped route is a long traverse rank harder than their usual approach would — check the route column before reading a place on this list as the last word.

#	Peak	Difficulty	Elevation	Easiest route	Book time
28	Mount Washington Presidential	Very Difficult score 567	6,288′	Presi Traverse 19.4 mi · 8,301′ gain	11-17 hours
29	Mount Adams Presidential	Very Difficult score 567	5,774′	Presi Traverse 19.4 mi · 8,301′ gain	11-17 hours
30	Mount Jefferson Presidential	Very Difficult score 567	5,712′	Presi Traverse 19.4 mi · 8,301′ gain	11-17 hours
31	Mount Monroe Presidential	Very Difficult score 567	5,372′	Presi Traverse 19.4 mi · 8,301′ gain	11-17 hours
32	Mount Madison Presidential	Very Difficult score 567	5,367′	Presi Traverse 19.4 mi · 8,301′ gain	11-17 hours

Full ranking: all 32 scored, easiest to hardest

#	Peak	Difficulty	Elevation	Easiest route	Book time
1	Mount Tecumseh Waterville	Moderate score 146	4,003′	Mount Tecumseh Out and Back 4.8 mi · 2,214′ gain	2-5 hours
2	Mount Jackson Presidential	Moderate score 171	4,052′	Jackson and Webster Loop 6.1 mi · 2,367′ gain	3-6 hours
3	Mount Osceola Osceola	Moderate score 214	4,340′	Osceola's Out and Back 8.0 mi · 2,847′ gain	4-7 hours
4	East Osceola Osceola	Moderate score 214	4,156′	Osceola's Out and Back 8.0 mi · 2,847′ gain	4-7 hours
5	Mount Hancock (North Peak) Hancock	Moderate score 216	4,420′	Hancock's Loop 9.3 mi · 2,493′ gain	4-8 hours
6	Mount Hancock (South Peak) Hancock	Moderate score 216	4,319′	Hancock's Loop 9.3 mi · 2,493′ gain	4-8 hours
7	Mount Liberty Franconia	Moderate score 218	4,459′	Mount Liberty Out and Back 7.6 mi · 3,113′ gain	4-7 hours
8	Mount Eisenhower Presidential	Moderate score 219	4,780′	Pierce and Eisenhower 7.8 mi · 3,078′ gain	4-7 hours
9	Mount Pierce (Clinton) Presidential	Moderate score 219	4,310′	Pierce and Eisenhower 7.8 mi · 3,078′ gain	4-7 hours
10	Mount Garfield Garfield	Difficult score 237	4,500′	Mount Garfield Out and Back 9.7 mi · 2,880′ gain	5-8 hours
11	South Kinsman Mountain Kinsman	Difficult score 250	4,358′	Kinsman's Out and Back 9.5 mi · 3,287′ gain	5-8 hours
12	North Kinsman Mountain Kinsman	Difficult score 250	4,293′	Kinsman's Out and Back 9.5 mi · 3,287′ gain	5-8 hours
13	Mount Field Willey	Difficult score 250	4,340′	Mount Tom, Field, Willey, and Avalon Loop 9.4 mi · 3,325′ gain	5-8 hours
14	Mount Willey Willey	Difficult score 250	4,285′	Mount Tom, Field, Willey, and Avalon Loop 9.4 mi · 3,325′ gain	5-8 hours
15	Mount Tom Willey	Difficult score 250	4,051′	Mount Tom, Field, Willey, and Avalon Loop 9.4 mi · 3,325′ gain	5-8 hours
16	Mount Flume Franconia	Difficult score 258	4,328′	Flume and Liberty Loop 9.4 mi · 3,539′ gain	5-8 hours
17	Mount Lafayette Franconia	Difficult score 263	5,260′	Lafayette Loop 8.9 mi · 3,893′ gain	5-8 hours
18	Mount Lincoln Franconia	Difficult score 263	5,089′	Lafayette Loop 8.9 mi · 3,893′ gain	5-8 hours
19	South Twin Mountain Twin	Difficult score 299	4,902′	Twins and Galehead 11.5 mi · 3,884′ gain	6-10 hours
20	North Twin Mountain Twin	Difficult score 299	4,761′	Twins and Galehead 11.5 mi · 3,884′ gain	6-10 hours
21	Galehead Mountain Twin	Difficult score 299	4,024′	Twins and Galehead 11.5 mi · 3,884′ gain	6-10 hours
22	Owl's Head Franconia	Difficult score 315	4,025′	Owl's Head via Black Pond Bushwhack 15.8 mi · 3,146′ gain	7-12 hours
23	Mount Cannon Kinsman	Difficult score 316	4,100′	Cannon and Kinsmans Loop 11.4 mi · 4,405′ gain	6-10 hours
24	Mount Bond Bond	Very Difficult score 380	4,698′	Z-Bonds Traverse 18.9 mi · 3,805′ gain	9-14 hours
25	West Bond Bond	Very Difficult score 380	4,540′	Z-Bonds Traverse 18.9 mi · 3,805′ gain	9-14 hours
26	Bondcliff Bond	Very Difficult score 380	4,265′	Z-Bonds Traverse 18.9 mi · 3,805′ gain	9-14 hours
27	Mount Zealand Zealand	Very Difficult score 380	4,260′	Z-Bonds Traverse 18.9 mi · 3,805′ gain	9-14 hours
28	Mount Washington Presidential	Very Difficult score 567	6,288′	Presi Traverse 19.4 mi · 8,301′ gain	11-17 hours
29	Mount Adams Presidential	Very Difficult score 567	5,774′	Presi Traverse 19.4 mi · 8,301′ gain	11-17 hours
30	Mount Jefferson Presidential	Very Difficult score 567	5,712′	Presi Traverse 19.4 mi · 8,301′ gain	11-17 hours
31	Mount Monroe Presidential	Very Difficult score 567	5,372′	Presi Traverse 19.4 mi · 8,301′ gain	11-17 hours
32	Mount Madison Presidential	Very Difficult score 567	5,367′	Presi Traverse 19.4 mi · 8,301′ gain	11-17 hours

Not yet ranked

These peaks don’t have a standard route in our database yet, so they can’t be scored. Their overall difficulty rating is shown instead.

How this ranking works

Each peak is scored with the Shenandoah difficulty formula — √(elevation gain × 2 × distance) — applied to the easiest route we have mapped for that peak, then ranked from lowest score to highest. Book time uses the AMC formula (half the distance in hours, plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing).

The score measures effort, not risk. Above-treeline exposure, water crossings, and winter conditions can turn a “Moderate” peak into the hardest day of your list. Every peak links to its live trail conditions — today’s conditions dashboard covers the whole list, and the rescue record shows where things actually go wrong.

Frequently asked

What is the easiest NH 4000-footer?+

By this ranking, Mount Tecumseh is the easiest of New Hampshire's 48 4,000-footers: its easiest mapped route (Mount Tecumseh Out and Back) is 4.8 miles with 2,214 ft of elevation gain — about 2-5 hours of hiking. "Easiest" still means a real mountain hike: check conditions and carry the Ten Essentials.

What is the hardest NH 4000-footer?+

Mount Madison ranks hardest: its easiest mapped route (Presi Traverse) runs 19.4 miles with 8,301 ft of gain — roughly 11-17 hours. Rankings reflect effort (distance and climbing), not technical terrain or weather exposure, so an exposed peak can be more dangerous than its rank suggests.

How is difficulty calculated?+

Each peak is scored with the Shenandoah difficulty formula — the square root of (elevation gain × 2 × distance) — applied to the easiest route we have mapped for that peak. It's the same formula used across HikerNerd's route pages, so a "Moderate" here means the same effort as a "Moderate" anywhere on the site. The formula measures physical effort; it does not capture above-treeline weather exposure or terrain like ladders and scrambles.

How many 4000-footers are in New Hampshire?+

There are 48 official 4,000-footers in New Hampshire, as defined by the Appalachian Mountain Club's Four Thousand Footer Committee. A peak must rise at least 200 ft above any ridge connecting it to a higher 4,000-footer to qualify. Hiking all of them is the classic "NH48" peak-bagging list.