The Mount Tecumseh via Mount Tecumseh Trail is a 4.8-mile out-and-back with 2,189 ft of elevation gain.
4.8 mi • 2,189 ft gain • 2-5 hours • Mount Tecumseh Trailhead (Waterville Valley Ski Area)
Feels like 43°F
Best Hiking Window
Wednesday morning shortly after sunrise (around 7:00 AM) through early afternoon, taking advantage of clear skies, calm winds, and full daylight before conditions cool in the evening.
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 4,003' elevation
Tap a day header to expand to 3hr or hourly detail
Today Sep 22 | Tomorrow Sep 23 | Thursday Sep 24 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy | sunny | sunny | clear | sunny | sunny | clear |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 40° 38° | 42° 39° | 42° 40° | 40° 38° | 42° 39° | 43° 41° | 42° 41° | 49° 44° | 47° 46° |
| Chill °F | 32° | 32° | 30° | 27° | 29° | 32° | 33° | 41° | 40° |
| Wind mph | 8 | 10 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 6 | 15 |
| Gust mph est. | — | 15 | 34 | 33 | 27 | 32 | 27 | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Freezing ft | 10,395 ft | 10,258 ft | 11,633 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 100% | 100% | 100% | 4% | 3% | - | - | - | - |
| Vis mi | 9 | clear | clear | clear | clear | clear | clear | clear | clear |
| UV | 4 | 6 | — | 4 | 5 | — | 4 | 5 | — |
Tap a day header to expand AM/PM/Night detail
| Elevation | Today Sep 22 | Tomorrow Sep 23 | Thursday Sep 24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 4,003 ft | 38/40° 8 | 38/40° 23 | 41/42° 17 |
| 3,300 ft | 41/42° 12 | 40/41° 24 | 43/46° 16 |
| 2,500 ft | 43/45° 14 | 42/43° 21 | 45/50° 13 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 44/47° 12 | 43/45° 18 | 46/52° 10 |
4 more days of forecast — plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Full hourly summit forecasts: Mount Tecumseh weather
One of the shortest 4,000-footer hikes and a common first peak. The Mount Tecumseh Trail starts at the Waterville Valley ski area, crosses Tecumseh Brook, and climbs a steady, rocky grade alongside the ski slopes to the summit ridge. A short final climb leads to the wooded summit and a small ledge viewpoint. The brook crossing near the start can be tricky in high water.
Distance
4.8 mi
Elevation Gain
2,189 ft
Duration
2-5 hours
Trailhead
Mount Tecumseh Trailhead (Waterville Valley Ski Area)
The Mount Tecumseh via Mount Tecumseh Trail is 4.8 miles round trip, starting at Mount Tecumseh Trailhead (Waterville Valley Ski Area). 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 Mount Tecumseh via Mount Tecumseh Trail climbs about 2,189 ft over 4.8 miles — an average of roughly 461 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 Tecumseh via Mount Tecumseh Trail Moderate, scored with the Shenandoah difficulty formula — √(elevation gain × 2 × distance) — applied to its 4.8 miles and 2,189 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 Mount Tecumseh via Mount Tecumseh Trail summits 1 named peak: Mount Tecumseh.
The Mount Tecumseh via Mount Tecumseh Trail starts at Mount Tecumseh Trailhead (Waterville Valley Ski Area). 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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