The Twins and Galehead is a 11.5-mile point-to-point with 3,884 ft of elevation gain.
Submitted by doobe01
11.5 mi • 3,884 ft gain • 6-10 hours • Gale River Trailhead
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 46°F
Recent Precipitation
Rain: 0.29" (24h) · 0.29" (48h)
Best Hiking Window
Tuesday morning offers the best conditions with lighter winds and reduced precipitation chances; if hiking Monday, aim for afternoon after morning thunderstorm risk passes and winds begin to ease.
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 4,902' elevation
Tap a day header to expand to 3hr or hourly detail
Today Aug 17 | Tomorrow Aug 18 | Wednesday Aug 19 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | fog | rain | drizzle | fog | fog | cloudy | cloudy | drizzle | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 57° 55° | 60° 57° | 58° 55° | 55° 53° | 53° 52° | 55° 53° | 56° 53° | 60° 55° | 56° 53° |
| Chill °F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wind mph | 29 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 19 |
| Gust mph est. | 46 | 22 | 10 | 13 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 29 | 25 |
| Storm risk | — | mod | mod | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | 0.2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Freezing ft | 14,603 ft | 14,389 ft | 12,764 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 88% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Vis mi | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | clear | clear | clear | clear |
| UV | 0 | 3 | — | 5 | 6 | — | 5 | 6 | — |
Tap a day header to expand AM/PM/Night detail
| Elevation | Today Aug 17 | Tomorrow Aug 18 | Wednesday Aug 19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 4,902 ft | 55/57° 29 | 53/55° 8 | 53/56° 11 |
| 4,100 ft | 56/59° 27 | 55/57° 11 | 57/60° 8 |
| 3,300 ft | 58/61° 21 | 57/59° 11 | 60/65° 5 |
| 2,500 ft | 61/64° 14 | 60/61° 10 | 58/69° 3 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 62/66° 11 | 62/63° 8 | 58/71° 3 |
4 more days of forecast — plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Full hourly summit forecasts: South Twin Mountain weather · North Twin Mountain weather · Galehead Mountain weather
The Twins and Galehead is a 11.5-mile point-to-point in New Hampshire's White Mountains, starting at Gale River Trailhead and finishing at North Twin Trailhead. It climbs about 3,884 ft — an average of 338 ft per mile — which works out to roughly 6-10 hours at AMC book time. It summits 3 named peaks, topping out on South Twin Mountain at 4,902 ft: South Twin Mountain (4,902 ft), North Twin Mountain (4,761 ft), Galehead Mountain (4,024 ft). HikerNerd rates it 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
11.5 mi
Elevation Gain
3,884 ft
Duration
6-10 hours
Trailhead
Gale River Trailhead
The Twins and Galehead is 11.5 miles point to point, starting at Gale River Trailhead. At AMC book time — half the distance in hours plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing — that works out to roughly 6-10 hours. Most parties take longer than book time on rough or above-treeline terrain, in winter, or with a heavy pack.
The Twins and Galehead climbs about 3,884 ft over 11.5 miles — an average of roughly 338 ft of gain per mile. That figure is cumulative ascent across the whole point-to-point, not the difference between the trailhead and the high point.
HikerNerd rates the Twins and Galehead Difficult, scored with the Shenandoah difficulty formula — √(elevation gain × 2 × distance) — applied to its 11.5 miles and 3,884 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 Twins and Galehead summits 3 named peaks: South Twin Mountain, North Twin Mountain, Galehead Mountain.
The Twins and Galehead starts at Gale River Trailhead and finishes at North Twin Trailhead, so it needs a car spot or shuttle. 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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