The Mount Waumbek via Starr King is a 6.8-mile out-and-back with 2,662 ft of elevation gain.
6.8 mi • 2,662 ft gain • 3-6 hours • Starr King Trailhead (Jefferson)
Feels like 33°F
Recent Precipitation
Rain: 0.17" (24h) · 0.17" (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 4,006' 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 | fog | cloudy | fog | fog | cloudy | mostly clear | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 46° 42° | 42° 33° | 30° 25° | 24° 24° | 29° 25° | 35° 31° | 44° 37° | 50° 43° | 51° 49° |
| Chill °F | 31° | 17° | 6° | 4° | 7° | 16° | 27° | 32° | 39° |
| Wind mph | 31 | 39 | 43 | 42 | 35 | 31 | 19 | 32 | 47 |
| Gust mph est. | 50 | 62 | 60 | 59 | 56 | 38 | 29 | 51 | 66 |
| Storm risk | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Chance of precip | 44% | 23% | 5% | 5% | 2% | - | 1% | 1% | 8% |
| Freezing ft | 4,912 ft | 2,761 ft | 9,312 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 53% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Vis mi | <0.1 | 8 | 0.1 | <0.1 | 8 | clear | clear | clear | clear |
| UV | 2 | 5 | — | 2 | 3 | — | 3 | 4 | — |
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 4,006 ft | 42/46° 31 | 24/24° 42 | 37/44° 19 |
| 3,300 ft | 45/48° 28 | 27/28° 38 | 38/43° 13 |
| 2,500 ft | 47/50° 21 | 30/31° 29 | 40/46° 8 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 48/51° 16 | 32/33° 24 | 38/48° 7 |
4 more days of forecast: plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Full hourly summit forecasts: Mount Waumbek weather
Climbs the Starr King Trail from Route 2 in Jefferson over Mount Starr King, then along a short ridge to Waumbek's wooded summit. A steady, moderate climb; the best views are from Starr King's outlook toward the Presidentials.
Distance
6.8 mi
Elevation Gain
2,662 ft
Duration
3-6 hours
Trailhead
Starr King Trailhead (Jefferson)
The Mount Waumbek via Starr King is 6.8 miles round trip, starting at Starr King Trailhead (Jefferson). At AMC book time (half the distance in hours plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing), that works out to roughly 3-6 hours. Most parties take longer than book time on rough or above-treeline terrain, in winter, or with a heavy pack.
The Mount Waumbek via Starr King climbs about 2,662 ft over 6.8 miles, an average of roughly 389 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 Waumbek via Starr King Moderate on a six-tier scale from Easy to Most demanding. The rating comes from the route itself: its 6.8 miles, 2,662 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 Waumbek via Starr King summits 1 named peak: Mount Waumbek.
The Mount Waumbek via Starr King starts at Starr King Trailhead (Jefferson). 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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