Star Lake Trail
To Mount Adams · New Hampshire
Star Lake Trail is a trail in the Presidential Range, climbing about 950 ft from the Gulfside Trail and Osgood Trail junction to Mount Adams. Part of it is above treeline.
Map length
0.8 mi
Climb from the low end
962 ft
Book time up / down (from map miles)
53 min / 24 min
High point
5,766 ft
Above treeline
0.8 mi
Steepest ¼ mile
2,356 ft/mi
Stream crossings
0
Low point
4,801 ft
Measured on the map. The AMC guide and Forest Service figures usually run 5 to 15% longer. The mapped trail stops just short of the summit of Mount Adams; these figures end there.
Star Lake Trail Above treeline
Mile by mile (map miles)
From Gulfside Trail and Osgood Trail junction (the lower end) to Mount Adams.
- 0.0Gulfside Trail and Osgood Trail junction
- 0.0Leaves the trees: exposed above treeline
- 0.0Madison Spring Hut
- 0.2Junction with Parapet Trail
- 0.2Star Lake
- 0.3Junction with Buttress Trail
- 0.8Mount Adams
Distances and book times (map miles)
To Parapet Trail junction
0.16 mi (total 0.16) · ↑91 ↓0 ft · 8 min / 5 min
To Buttress Trail junction
0.10 mi (total 0.26) · ↑13 ↓0 ft · 4 min / 3 min
To Mount Adams
0.54 mi (total 0.80) · ↑851 ↓2 ft · 42 min / 16 min
| From | To | Map miles | Total | Climb ↑ / ↓ | Time ↑ / ↓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulfside Trail and Osgood Trail junction | Parapet Trail junction | 0.16 | 0.16 | 91 / 0 ft | 8 min / 5 min |
| Parapet Trail junction | Buttress Trail junction | 0.10 | 0.26 | 13 / 0 ft | 4 min / 3 min |
| Buttress Trail junction | Mount Adams | 0.54 | 0.80 | 851 / 2 ft | 42 min / 16 min |
↑ walking from Gulfside Trail and Osgood Trail junction; ↓ the other way. Book time: 2 mph over the map miles plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing.
Summit conditions
Today's conditions reportRecent trip reports
1 report on this trail in the last 30 days: snow or ice in 1, microspikes recommended in 0, mud in 1. From hikers on New England Trail Conditions.
- Wed, Sep 23IceMudDryFull report on NETC
Connecting trails
What to bring
From the summit forecast, Sat to MonPaid links. Backcountry.com pays me if you buy. Prices are Backcountry's, checked twice a day.
74 mph
Summit gusts
Plan a below-treeline hike
Daytime gusts near 74 mph above treeline. Pick a sheltered route or another day.
27°F
Summit low
Microspikes
Summit lows near 27°F, so expect ice on rock and the upper trail.
11h 13m
Daylight
Headlamp
Sunset around 6:08 PM, so a late start or a slow descent ends in the dark.
The rest of the list: Winter gear guide · How I pick gear
Trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Elevation: USGS 3DEP. Above-treeline areas from canopy height by Meta and WRI (CC BY 4.0). Distances are measured from the map and can differ from signs and guidebooks. Conditions change: check before you go.