The Mount Adams via Air Line is a 8.2-mile out-and-back with 4,422 ft of elevation gain.
8.2 mi • 4,422 ft gain • 5-8 hours • Appalachia Trailhead (Route 2)
Feels like 26°F
Recent Precipitation
Rain: 0.16" (24h) · 0.16" (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 5,774' 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 | snow | fog | fog | fog | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 41° 35° | 35° 26° | 24° 21° | 22° 21° | 26° 23° | 39° 25° | 43° 40° | 43° 41° | 47° 43° |
| Chill °F | 21° | 6° | -2° | -2° | 3° | 8° | 32° | 29° | 31° |
| Wind mph | 36 | 47 | 54 | 53 | 44 | 31 | 16 | 33 | 45 |
| Gust mph est. | 58 | 66 | 76 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 22 | 53 | 63 |
| Storm risk | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | 0.1 | 1.1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Chance of precip | 38% | 27% | 6% | 5% | 6% | - | 1% | 1% | 5% |
| Freezing ft | 4,880 ft | 2,707 ft | 10,055 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 | 1 | 4 | — | 2 | 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 5,774 ft | 35/41° 36 | 21/22° 53 | 40/43° 16 |
| 5,000 ft | 39/44° 33 | 22/23° 51 | 40/44° 10 |
| 4,100 ft | 42/46° 30 | 24/25° 47 | 40/42° 8 |
| 3,300 ft | 46/49° 25 | 27/28° 39 | 39/44° 8 |
| 2,500 ft | 49/51° 19 | 30/31° 29 | 35/49° 6 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 50/52° 16 | 32/33° 24 | 36/50° 5 |
4 more days of forecast: plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Full hourly summit forecasts: Mount Adams weather
The most direct route to New Hampshire's second-highest summit. The Air Line climbs from Appalachia on Route 2 up Durand Ridge, a steep, rocky crest above King Ravine. The upper mile is above treeline with little shelter from the wind, and the summit is a jumble of large boulders.
Distance
8.2 mi
Elevation Gain
4,422 ft
Duration
5-8 hours
Trailhead
Appalachia Trailhead (Route 2)
The Mount Adams via Air Line is 8.2 miles round trip, starting at Appalachia Trailhead. At AMC book time (half the distance in hours plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing), that works out to roughly 5-8 hours. Most parties take longer than book time on rough or above-treeline terrain, in winter, or with a heavy pack.
The Mount Adams via Air Line climbs about 4,422 ft over 8.2 miles, an average of roughly 542 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 Mount Adams via Air Line Most demanding on a six-tier scale from Easy to Most demanding. The rating comes from the route itself: its 8.2 miles, 4,422 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 Mount Adams via Air Line summits 1 named peak: Mount Adams.
The Mount Adams via Air Line starts at Appalachia 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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