The Cannon and Kinsmans Loop is a 11.4-mile loop with 4,405 ft of elevation gain.
Submitted by doobe01
11.4 mi • 4,405 ft gain • 6-10 hours • Lonesome Lake Trailhead
Feels like 49°F
Recent Precipitation
Rain: 0.26" (24h) · 0.26" (48h)
Best Hiking Window
Tuesday morning offers the calmest conditions with lighter winds and only a slight chance of drizzle; avoid Monday, especially the morning hours, due to heavy rain and thunderstorm risk
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 4,358' elevation
Tap a day header to expand to 3hr or hourly detail
Today Aug 17 | Tomorrow Aug 18 | Wednesday Aug 19 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | fog | drizzle | rain | fog | fog | ptly cloudy | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 58° 56° | 62° 58° | 59° 56° | 56° 54° | 56° 53° | 58° 57° | 59° 57° | 63° 58° | 59° 56° |
| Chill °F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wind mph | 27 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 19 | 20 |
| Gust mph est. | 43 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 24 | 18 | — | 27 | — |
| Storm risk | — | mod | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | 0.0 | 0.5 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Freezing ft | 14,670 ft | 14,439 ft | 12,846 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 76% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Vis mi | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | clear | clear | clear | 9 |
| UV | 0 | 2 | — | 3 | 5 | — | 5 | 6 | — |
Tap a day header to expand AM/PM/Night detail
| Elevation | Today Aug 17 | Tomorrow Aug 18 | Wednesday Aug 19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 4,358 ft | 56/58° 27 | 54/56° 11 | 57/59° 9 |
| 4,100 ft | 57/59° 27 | 55/57° 12 | 58/60° 8 |
| 3,300 ft | 58/61° 23 | 57/59° 13 | 61/64° 5 |
| 2,500 ft | 60/64° 17 | 60/61° 12 | 63/68° 5 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 62/66° 14 | 62/63° 10 | 60/71° 4 |
4 more days of forecast — plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Full hourly summit forecasts: South Kinsman Mountain weather · North Kinsman Mountain weather · Mount Cannon weather
The Cannon and Kinsmans Loop is a 11.4-mile loop in New Hampshire's White Mountains, starting at Lonesome Lake Trailhead. It climbs about 4,405 ft — an average of 388 ft per mile — which works out to roughly 6-10 hours at AMC book time. It summits 3 named peaks, topping out on South Kinsman Mountain at 4,358 ft: South Kinsman Mountain (4,358 ft), North Kinsman Mountain (4,293 ft), Mount Cannon (4,100 ft). HikerNerd rates it Difficult on effort alone — check the current conditions above before committing, since weather above treeline changes the day far more than the numbers do.
Distance
11.4 mi
Elevation Gain
4,405 ft
Duration
6-10 hours
Trailhead
Lonesome Lake Trailhead
The Cannon and Kinsmans Loop is 11.4 miles around the loop, starting at Lonesome Lake Trailhead. At AMC book time — half the distance in hours plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing — that works out to roughly 6-10 hours. Most parties take longer than book time on rough or above-treeline terrain, in winter, or with a heavy pack.
The Cannon and Kinsmans Loop climbs about 4,405 ft over 11.4 miles — an average of roughly 388 ft of gain per mile. That figure is cumulative ascent across the whole loop, not the difference between the trailhead and the high point.
HikerNerd rates the Cannon and Kinsmans Loop Difficult, scored with the Shenandoah difficulty formula — √(elevation gain × 2 × distance) — applied to its 11.4 miles and 4,405 ft of gain. The score measures physical effort only. Above-treeline exposure, water crossings, and winter conditions can make a moderate-rated route the hardest day of your year, so check current conditions before committing.
The Cannon and Kinsmans Loop summits 3 named peaks: South Kinsman Mountain, North Kinsman Mountain, Mount Cannon.
The Cannon and Kinsmans Loop starts at Lonesome Lake 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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