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Hard Hiking Trails in New Hampshire

The directory currently contains 28 quality-checked routes matching this guide in New Hampshire. Their average mapped distance is 36.6 km and average recorded ascent is 1,645 m (5,397 ft); the longest route in the set is 257 km.

This subset represents 7% of the 390 quality-checked routes in New Hampshire. Its average distance is 36.6 km, compared with 5.3 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 1,645 m (5,397 ft), versus 260 m (853 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

This set contains routes rated hard or expert from their available distance and elevation measurements. Within this set, 0 routes (0%) are rated easy, 28 (100%) are rated hard or expert, and 0 (0%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

10.1 km

Webster Cliff Trail

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

1,131 m

Webster Cliff Trail

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

0 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

Expert

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
234 km
/ 146 mi
Elevation gain
8,313 m
Typical duration
67 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
36.2 km
/ 22.5 mi
Elevation gain
2,125 m
Typical duration
11 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
72.0 km
/ 44.7 mi
Elevation gain
2,068 m
Typical duration
19 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
10.1 km
/ 6.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,131 m
Typical duration
3 hr 48 min
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
Expert

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
75.8 km
/ 47.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,688 m
Typical duration
20 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Expert

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
257 km
/ 160 mi
Elevation gain
5,772 m
Typical duration
69 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
10.6 km
/ 6.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,429 m
Typical duration
4 hr 21 min
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
7.9 km
/ 4.9 mi
Elevation gain
1,110 m
Typical duration
3 hr 19 min
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
21.1 km
/ 13.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,792 m
Typical duration
7 hr 16 min
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
10.3 km
/ 6.4 mi
Elevation gain
900 m
Typical duration
3 hr 30 min
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
13.4 km
/ 8.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,005 m
Typical duration
4 hr 18 min
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
10.1 km
/ 6.3 mi
Elevation gain
994 m
Typical duration
3 hr 36 min
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
4.5 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
945 m
Typical duration
2 hr 21 min
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
16.2 km
/ 10.1 mi
Elevation gain
680 m
Typical duration
4 hr 26 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
16.8 km
/ 10.4 mi
Elevation gain
315 m
Typical duration
4 hr 1 min
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
5.2 km
/ 3.3 mi
Elevation gain
931 m
Typical duration
2 hr 29 min
  • River
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
6.4 km
/ 4.0 mi
Elevation gain
934 m
Typical duration
2 hr 44 min
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
14.2 km
/ 8.8 mi
Elevation gain
922 m
Typical duration
4 hr 21 min
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
14.7 km
/ 9.1 mi
Elevation gain
653 m
Typical duration
4 hr 2 min
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
10.3 km
/ 6.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,240 m
Typical duration
4 hr
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
8.9 km
/ 5.5 mi
Elevation gain
2,053 m
Typical duration
4 hr 56 min
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
5.6 km
/ 3.5 mi
Elevation gain
1,171 m
Typical duration
2 hr 55 min
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
13.0 km
/ 8.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,170 m
Typical duration
4 hr 28 min
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
5.5 km
/ 3.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,010 m
Typical duration
2 hr 40 min
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
8.1 km
/ 5.0 mi
Elevation gain
1,055 m
Typical duration
3 hr 16 min
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
6.6 km
/ 4.1 mi
Elevation gain
903 m
Typical duration
2 hr 44 min
  • Mountain
Hard

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
10.0 km
/ 6.2 mi
Elevation gain
926 m
Typical duration
3 hr 28 min
  • Mountain

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Appalachian TrailNew Hampshire234 km8,313 m67 hrExpertJune to October
Cross Rivendell TrailNew Hampshire36.2 km2,125 m11 hrExpertApril to October
Wantastiquet-Monadnock TrailNew Hampshire72.0 km2,068 m19 hrExpertApril to October
Webster Cliff TrailNew Hampshire10.1 km1,131 m3 hr 48 minHardApril to October
Monadnock-Sunapee GreenwayNew Hampshire75.8 km1,688 m20 hrExpertApril to October
Cohos TrailNew Hampshire257 km5,772 m69 hrExpertApril to October
Great Gulf TrailNew Hampshire10.6 km1,429 m4 hr 21 minHardJune to October
Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge GreenwayNew Hampshire120 km2,813 m32 hrExpertApril to October
Osseo TrailNew Hampshire7.9 km1,110 m3 hr 19 minHardApril to October
Davis PathNew Hampshire21.1 km1,792 m7 hr 16 minHardJune to October

Appalachian Trail, Cross Rivendell Trail, Wantastiquet-Monadnock Trail currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

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