The East Osceola via Greeley Ponds is a 5.3-mile out-and-back with 2,165 ft of elevation gain.
5.3 mi • 2,165 ft gain • 2-5 hours • Greeley Ponds Trailhead (Kancamagus Highway)
Feels like 31°F
Recent Precipitation
Rain: 0.09" (24h) · 0.09" (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 4,156' 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 | cloudy | rain | cloudy | cloudy | sunny | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 46° 42° | 43° 33° | 31° 25° | 26° 25° | 31° 27° | 39° 31° | 44° 40° | 48° 42° | 51° 47° |
| Chill °F | 31° | 17° | 4° | 4° | 10° | 17° | 34° | 31° | 37° |
| Wind mph | 31 | 43 | 53 | 50 | 36 | 25 | 9 | 31 | 41 |
| Gust mph est. | 50 | 60 | 74 | 70 | 58 | 40 | 14 | 50 | — |
| Storm risk | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | 0.1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Chance of precip | 28% | 16% | 1% | 1% | - | - | 1% | 1% | 5% |
| Freezing ft | 5,188 ft | 3,831 ft | 10,209 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 100% | 100% | 100% | 81% | 38% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Vis mi | 8 | 3 | 9 | 9 | clear | clear | clear | clear | clear |
| UV | 1 | 5 | — | 2 | 4 | — | 4 | 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 4,156 ft | 42/46° 31 | 25/26° 50 | 40/44° 9 |
| 4,100 ft | 42/46° 31 | 25/26° 50 | 40/44° 9 |
| 3,300 ft | 46/47° 25 | 28/29° 43 | 40/43° 7 |
| 2,500 ft | 47/49° 18 | 31/33° 30 | 40/47° 6 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 48/51° 15 | 33/35° 24 | 38/49° 5 |
4 more days of forecast: plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Full hourly summit forecasts: East Osceola weather
Follows the Greeley Ponds Trail from the Kancamagus Highway, then the Mount Osceola Trail up a very steep, rough slope to the wooded summit. The steep section is demanding in both directions and slick when wet.
Distance
5.3 mi
Elevation Gain
2,165 ft
Duration
2-5 hours
Trailhead
Greeley Ponds Trailhead (Kancamagus Highway)
The East Osceola via Greeley Ponds is 5.3 miles round trip, starting at Greeley Ponds Trailhead (Kancamagus Highway). At AMC book time (half the distance in hours plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing), that works out to roughly 2-5 hours. Most parties take longer than book time on rough or above-treeline terrain, in winter, or with a heavy pack.
The East Osceola via Greeley Ponds climbs about 2,165 ft over 5.3 miles, an average of roughly 409 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 East Osceola via Greeley Ponds Very hard on a six-tier scale from Easy to Most demanding. The rating comes from the route itself: its 5.3 miles, 2,165 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 East Osceola via Greeley Ponds summits 1 named peak: East Osceola.
The East Osceola via Greeley Ponds starts at Greeley Ponds Trailhead (Kancamagus Highway). 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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