The Pemi Loop is a 31.7-mile loop with 9,215 ft of elevation gain.
31.7 mi • 9,215 ft gain • 16-25 hours • Lincoln Woods Trailhead
Pemi Loop Alternate Routes for 2026: How to Hike It With Lincoln Woods Closed
The Lincoln Woods Trail — the Pemi Loop's usual start — is closed June to November 2026. Here's how to still hike the loop: every alternate trailhead, compared.
Guide · Updated August 5, 2026
Pemi Loop Guide: Water, Elevation, Direction and Timing for All 31.7 Miles
The Pemi Loop is 31.7 miles with 9,215 ft of gain across ten 4,000-footers and nine miles above treeline. Here's where the climbs are, where the water is, what the 2026 bear canister rule means, and how long it really takes.
Guide · Updated July 27, 2026
White Mountain National Forest to Temporarily Close Section of Lincoln Woods Trail for Public Health and Safety
UPDATE: Lincoln Woods Trail will close beginning June 15th through November 2026 when when restoration work commences.
Source: Forest Service
Pemigewasset Wilderness Food Storage Requirement
Effective May 1st, 2026, all overnight campers in the Pemigewasset Wilderness must store all food, food containers, scented items (such as soap, lip balm, and toothpaste) and refuse in a cylindrical, hard-sided, non-pliable Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) certified bear resistant canister. Alternative methods, including bear hangs, for storing food and bear attractants in the Pemigewasset Wilderness will no longer be permitted as they have proven to be less effective than canisters. The only exceptions are the bear resistant food boxes located at the Thirteen Falls Tent Site.
Source: Forest Service
Feels like 31°F
Best Hiking Window
Saturday, August 29, early morning through early afternoon (roughly 6:30 AM to 2:00 PM) offers the clearest skies, lightest winds, and most daylight buffer before afternoon clouds and weekend crowds peak.
Conditions synthesized from: NWS Higher Summits Forecast, NOAA Open-Meteo, Mount Washington Observatory, NETC Trip Reports, NOHRSC Snow Depth.
Summit-level conditions by time of day at 5,260' elevation
Tap a day header to expand to 3hr or hourly detail
Today Aug 29 | Tomorrow Aug 30 | Monday Aug 31 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | sunny | sunny | cloudy | cloudy | rain | drizzle | sunny | sunny | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 47° 46° | 49° 45° | 52° 50° | 51° 50° | 53° 51° | 51° 49° | 49° 48° | 53° 47° | 52° 51° |
| Chill °F | 40° | 38° | 41° | 41° | — | 41° | 41° | 42° | — |
| Wind mph | 13 | 17 | 38 | 40 | 32 | 31 | 18 | 12 | 14 |
| Gust mph est. | 21 | 27 | 61 | 56 | 51 | — | — | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | - | 0.2 | - | - | - | - |
| Freezing ft | 12,245 ft | 11,459 ft | 13,337 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 5% | 11% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 7% | 6% | 100% |
| Vis mi | 8 | clear | clear | clear | 3 | 7 | clear | clear | clear |
| UV | 5 | 7 | — | 4 | 6 | — | 5 | 7 | — |
Tap a day header to expand AM/PM/Night detail
| Elevation | Today Aug 29 | Tomorrow Aug 30 | Monday Aug 31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 5,260 ft | 46/47° 13 | 50/51° 40 | 48/49° 18 |
| 5,000 ft | 46/47° 13 | 51/52° 40 | 49/50° 17 |
| 4,100 ft | 47/47° 13 | 53/56° 38 | 50/52° 13 |
| 3,300 ft | 47/50° 15 | 57/59° 31 | 53/54° 8 |
| 2,500 ft | 49/54° 12 | 60/62° 21 | 55/57° 5 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 51/56° 10 | 61/64° 16 | 55/60° 5 |
4 more days of forecast — plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Full hourly summit forecasts: Mount Lafayette weather · Mount Lincoln weather · South Twin Mountain weather · Mount Bond weather · West Bond weather · Mount Garfield weather · Mount Liberty weather · Mount Flume weather · Bondcliff weather · Galehead Mountain weather
The Pemi Loop is a 31.7-mile loop in New Hampshire's White Mountains, starting at Lincoln Woods Trailhead. It climbs about 9,215 ft — an average of 291 ft per mile — which works out to roughly 16-25 hours at AMC book time. It summits 10 named peaks, topping out on Mount Lafayette at 5,260 ft: Mount Lafayette (5,260 ft), Mount Lincoln (5,089 ft), South Twin Mountain (4,902 ft), Mount Bond (4,698 ft), West Bond (4,540 ft), Mount Garfield (4,500 ft), Mount Liberty (4,459 ft), Mount Flume (4,328 ft), Bondcliff (4,265 ft), Galehead Mountain (4,024 ft). HikerNerd rates it Very Difficult on effort alone — check the current conditions above before committing, since weather above treeline changes the day far more than the numbers do.
Distance
31.7 mi
Elevation Gain
9,215 ft
Duration
16-25 hours
Trailhead
Lincoln Woods Trailhead
Mount Lafayette
5,260 ft • Franconia
Mount Lincoln
5,089 ft • Franconia
South Twin Mountain
4,902 ft • Twin
Mount Bond
4,698 ft • Bond
West Bond
4,540 ft • Bond
Mount Garfield
4,500 ft • Garfield
Mount Liberty
4,459 ft • Franconia
Mount Flume
4,328 ft • Franconia
Bondcliff
4,265 ft • Bond
Galehead Mountain
4,024 ft • Twin
The Pemi Loop is 31.7 miles around the loop, starting at Lincoln Woods Trailhead. At AMC book time — half the distance in hours plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing — that works out to roughly 16-25 hours. Most parties take longer than book time on rough or above-treeline terrain, in winter, or with a heavy pack.
The Pemi Loop climbs about 9,215 ft over 31.7 miles — an average of roughly 291 ft of gain per mile. That figure is cumulative ascent across the whole loop, not the difference between the trailhead and the high point.
HikerNerd rates the Pemi Loop Very Difficult, scored with the Shenandoah difficulty formula — √(elevation gain × 2 × distance) — applied to its 31.7 miles and 9,215 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 Pemi Loop summits 10 named peaks: Mount Lafayette, Mount Lincoln, South Twin Mountain, Mount Bond, West Bond, Mount Garfield, Mount Liberty, Mount Flume, Bondcliff, Galehead Mountain.
The Pemi Loop starts at Lincoln Woods 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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AI-generated from public data. Always verify conditions before heading out — backcountry weather can change quickly.