The Mount Hale via Hale Brook is a 4.3-mile out-and-back with 2,222 ft of elevation gain.
4.3 mi • 2,222 ft gain • 2-4 hours • Hale Brook Trailhead (Zealand Road)
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 4,054' 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 | drizzle | drizzle | cloudy | fog | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 46° 42° | 43° 33° | 30° 25° | 25° 24° | 29° 25° | 36° 30° | 44° 39° | 49° 45° | 51° 48° |
| Chill °F | 31° | 17° | 5° | 4° | 7° | 16° | 32° | 37° | 39° |
| Wind mph | 29 | 40 | 46 | 44 | 35 | 26 | 10 | 19 | 29 |
| Gust mph est. | 46 | 56 | 64 | 62 | 56 | 42 | — | 30 | 46 |
| Storm risk | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Chance of precip | 37% | 28% | 5% | 3% | 1% | - | 1% | 1% | 5% |
| Freezing ft | 5,084 ft | 3,076 ft | 9,770 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Vis mi | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0.2 | 8 | clear | clear | clear | clear |
| UV | 3 | 5 | — | 1 | 2 | — | 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 4,054 ft | 42/46° 29 | 24/25° 44 | 39/44° 10 |
| 3,300 ft | 46/48° 22 | 27/28° 36 | 39/46° 9 |
| 2,500 ft | 48/50° 16 | 30/31° 25 | 37/51° 7 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 50/51° 14 | 32/33° 21 | 38/53° 6 |
4 more days of forecast: plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Full hourly summit forecasts: Mount Hale weather
The shortest route up Mount Hale. The Hale Brook Trail makes a steady, moderate climb through forest from Zealand Road to a broad summit clearing. Zealand Road is gated in winter, which adds several miles.
Distance
4.3 mi
Elevation Gain
2,222 ft
Duration
2-4 hours
Trailhead
Hale Brook Trailhead (Zealand Road)
The Mount Hale via Hale Brook is 4.3 miles round trip, starting at Hale Brook Trailhead (Zealand Road). At AMC book time (half the distance in hours plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing), that works out to roughly 2-4 hours. Most parties take longer than book time on rough or above-treeline terrain, in winter, or with a heavy pack.
The Mount Hale via Hale Brook climbs about 2,222 ft over 4.3 miles, an average of roughly 513 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 Hale via Hale Brook Moderate on a six-tier scale from Easy to Most demanding. The rating comes from the route itself: its 4.3 miles, 2,222 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 Hale via Hale Brook summits 1 named peak: Mount Hale.
The Mount Hale via Hale Brook starts at Hale Brook Trailhead (Zealand Road). Check the trail alerts on this page before you drive: trailhead access and parking in the White Mountains change with closures and construction.
Been to Mount Hale via Hale Brook?
Be the first to share your experience!