The Bondcliff via Lincoln Woods is a 17.7-mile out-and-back with 3,282 ft of elevation gain.
17.7 mi • 3,282 ft gain • 8-13 hours • Lincoln Woods Trailhead
White Mountain National Forest to Temporarily Close Section of Lincoln Woods Trail for Public Health and Safety
UPDATE: Lincoln Woods Trail will close beginning June 15th through November 2026 when when restoration work commences.
Source: Forest Service
Pemigewasset Wilderness Food Storage Requirement
Effective May 1st, 2026, all overnight campers in the Pemigewasset Wilderness must store all food, food containers, scented items (such as soap, lip balm, and toothpaste) and refuse in a cylindrical, hard-sided, non-pliable Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) certified bear resistant canister. Alternative methods, including bear hangs, for storing food and bear attractants in the Pemigewasset Wilderness will no longer be permitted as they have proven to be less effective than canisters. The only exceptions are the bear resistant food boxes located at the Thirteen Falls Tent Site.
Source: Forest Service
Feels like 33°F
Recent Precipitation
Rain: 0.07" (24h) · 0.07" (48h)
Best Hiking Window
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.
Summit-level conditions by time of day at 4,265' elevation
Tap a day header to expand to 3hr or hourly detail
Today Oct 5 | Tomorrow Oct 6 | Wednesday Oct 7 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | rain | fog | fog | fog | fog | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 46° 41° | 42° 32° | 29° 24° | 24° 24° | 29° 25° | 36° 30° | 44° 39° | 48° 45° | 51° 48° |
| Chill °F | 30° | 16° | 4° | 4° | 7° | 16° | 32° | 37° | 39° |
| Wind mph | 30 | 41 | 46 | 46 | 35 | 27 | 11 | 20 | 32 |
| Gust mph est. | 48 | 57 | 64 | 64 | 56 | 43 | 15 | 32 | 51 |
| Storm risk | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | 0.1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Chance of precip | 35% | 29% | 5% | 5% | 1% | - | 1% | 1% | 5% |
| Freezing ft | 4,963 ft | 2,982 ft | 9,770 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Vis mi | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | clear | clear | clear | clear |
| UV | 2 | 5 | — | 1 | 3 | — | 3 | 5 | — |
Tap a day header to expand AM/PM/Night detail
| Elevation | Today Oct 5 | Tomorrow Oct 6 | Wednesday Oct 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 4,265 ft | 41/46° 30 | 24/24° 46 | 39/44° 11 |
| 4,100 ft | 42/46° 29 | 24/25° 45 | 39/44° 10 |
| 3,300 ft | 46/47° 22 | 27/28° 36 | 39/46° 9 |
| 2,500 ft | 48/49° 16 | 30/31° 25 | 37/51° 7 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 49/51° 14 | 32/33° 21 | 38/53° 6 |
4 more days of forecast: plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Full hourly summit forecasts: Bondcliff weather
Follows the Lincoln Woods Trail and Wilderness Trail from the Kancamagus Highway, then climbs the Bondcliff Trail to the famous open cliffs. The final mile runs along the cliff edge above treeline with nowhere to shelter. Long and remote, so start early.
Distance
17.7 mi
Elevation Gain
3,282 ft
Duration
8-13 hours
Trailhead
Lincoln Woods Trailhead
The Bondcliff via Lincoln Woods is 17.7 miles round trip, starting at Lincoln Woods Trailhead. At AMC book time (half the distance in hours plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing), that works out to roughly 8-13 hours. Most parties take longer than book time on rough or above-treeline terrain, in winter, or with a heavy pack.
The Bondcliff via Lincoln Woods climbs about 3,282 ft over 17.7 miles, an average of roughly 185 ft of gain per mile. That figure is cumulative ascent across the whole out-and-back, not the difference between the trailhead and the high point.
HikerNerd rates the Bondcliff via Lincoln Woods Very hard on a six-tier scale from Easy to Most demanding. The rating comes from the route itself: its 17.7 miles, 3,282 ft of gain, and the steepest quarter mile of trail, with routes known for scrambles or ledges rated a step harder. It is the same scale our NH 4,000-footer difficulty ranking uses. Above-treeline exposure, water crossings, and winter conditions can still make a well-rated route the hardest day of your year, so check current conditions before committing.
The Bondcliff via Lincoln Woods summits 1 named peak: Bondcliff.
The Bondcliff via Lincoln Woods starts at Lincoln Woods Trailhead. Check the trail alerts on this page before you drive: trailhead access and parking in the White Mountains change with closures and construction.
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