The Pemi Loop is a 31-mile loop in New Hampshire’s rugged White Mountains. It can be hiked in 2-4 days.
Region: New England (White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire)
Length: 31 miles (2-4 days)
Physical Difficulty: Difficult
- Steep climbs to above-treeline summits
- Weather that can go from good to bad quickly
- Water scarce above treeline
Logistical Difficulty: Easy
- This is a loop hike, so only one car needed
- Well-marked trails
- Well-spaced camping areas
Season: Year-round (but see our “winter hiking” and seasonal notes below)
Elevation (average): ~28,00 feet
Total Elevation Gain: 9,200 feet
How to Get to the Pemi Loop
Closest Town: Lincoln, New Hampshire
The Lincoln Woods Trail parking lot —the start and finish for the Pemi Loop—is on the Kancamagus Highway, about four miles east of Lincoln, New Hampshire. A permit is required to park, and is available at local vendors, through the mail, and at White Mountain National Forest offices and visitor center. If you have a national parks pass, put it on your dashboard or hang it from your rearview mirror.
Concord Coach Lines has a bus that runs from Boston, Massachusetts, to Lincoln (130 miles). The Notch Hostel in town has rooms. Aly’s Rides (603) 348-3914 and Shuttle Connection (603) 745-3140 will shuttle hikers.
Hiking the Pemi Loop
The Pemi Loop is a classic White Mountains hike with stunning above-treeline views; stunted, high-altitude forests; and visible remnants of the logging industry that once dominated the mountains.
The Loop, a combination of trails rather than an actual named trail, passes over eight mountains of more than 4,000 feet that are on the Appalachian Mountain Club’s 4,000-footer list. From Liberty Spring Trail to the Twinway-Bondcliff Trail junction it is also the Appalachian Trail. Side trails lead to three more 4,000-footers.
The hike starts and ends at the Lincoln Woods parking area. Expect the 170-car capacity parking area and Lincoln Woods Trail to be filled with day hikers, especially during the fall foliage season.
Should you hike clockwise or counterclockwise? Both times I’ve done the Loop I went clockwise, which meant saving the nearly 5-mile easy hike along an old railroad bed for the end, when my feet and I were tired.
Starting from the parking lot, the trail crosses the Pemigewasset River on a suspension bridge, and follows the flat Lincoln Woods Trail for 1.4 miles to the Osseo Trail junction. Take the Osseo Trail for the clockwise Loop; stay on the Lincoln Woods Trail for a counterclockwise Loop.
The Osseo Trail ascends gradually, then becomes steep with switchbacks and ladders before reaching the summit of Mount Flume and the Franconia Ridge Trail junction. The Franconia Ridge Trail continues over the open summit of Mount Liberty and in 1.5 miles reaches the Liberty Spring Trail. The campsite is .3 miles down the Liberty Spring Trail, and has the last water until Garfield Pond.
The Franconia Ridge Trail continues along the ridge, reaches treeline on Little Haystack Mountain, and stays above treeline as it passes over Mount Lincoln and then acends Mount Lafayette. This is the place to throw off your pack, have a snack, and savor the views. (Lafayette is a very popular day hike from the highway below, so be aware that you’ll probably be sharing the top with day hikers, some of them on their cell phones.) The Pemigewasset Wilderness stretches out below you to the east; to the west, South Kinsman, North Kinsman and Cannon mountains; to the south, the Sandwich Range Wilderness. Mount Garfield, the next steep climb, looms ahead to the north, followed by South Twin Mountain, Mount Bond, and Bondcliff, all of which you’ll climb.
The Franconia Ridge Trail ends on the summit of Lafayette, and the Loop continues on the Garfield Ridge Trail. The trail descends steeply into a stunted forest between Lafayette and Garfield, and passes Garfield Pond, a good place to fill up with water. The hike up Garfield is steep, but once again the views are superb. The descent to Garfield Ridge Campsite is—what else?—steep. If you’re staying at the campsite, fill up with water before heading up the trail. There’s no water after the steep climb to the campsite.
The trail continues to follow Garfield Ridge on a meandering, up-and-down rocky path before reaching the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Galehead Hut. This is a popular spot to sit in the sun outside the hut, eat soup, breads, or cookies on sale inside the hut, and fill up with water.
The next leg of the Loop is on the Twinway. On a hike years ago my hiking partner and I dubbed this ascent of South Twin from Galehead Hut the StairMaster from Hell, and it truly is. The rocky steps are knee-crushing, but once again the views from South Twin are jaw-dropping.
The trail actually gets easier for a while after South Twin as it follows a broad ridge—sometimes in the forest, sometimes on open rock—toward Mount Guyot.
On the open rocks on the south side of Guyot, at the junction of the Twinway and Bondcliff Trail, follow the Bondcliff Trail to continue the Loop. Shortly after the junction a side trail descends .2 miles to Guyot Campsite.
The trail continues through forests and begins the ascent of Bond and an open view from the summit ledges. You’ll then descend to an above-treeline col before climbing to the open and rocky Bondcliff summit. This is the final summit of the clockwise Loop, so stay awhile if the weather is good. Have someone take a picture of you standing on the precipice that seems to hang in midair above the Pemigewasset Wilderness below.
The rest of the hike may seem anticlimatic, but your legs may be thanking you. After a short rock scramble down from the Bondcliff summit—nicknamed the Hillary Step of the Whites—the Bondcliff Trail descends mostly on old logging railbeds to the Wilderness Trail. The next section along the Wilderness / Lincoln Woods trail is flat, but you can make good time as your mouth waters over the food and drink you’ll get in Lincoln to celebrate your trip.
Congratulations on your trip. Here are the mountains you’ve climbed:
Mount Flume: 4,328
Mount Liberty: 4,459
Little Haystack Mountain: 4,780 (not considered a 4,000-footer by the AMC because it does not rise 200 feet above the ridge connecting it to the higher Mount Lincoln)
Mount Lincoln: 5,089
Mount Lafayette: 5,260
Mount Garfield: 4,500
South Twin Mountain: 4,902
Mount Bond: 4,698
Bondcliff: 4,265
When to Hike the Pemi Loop
Fall: Fall is classic hiking weather in New England; not too hot, not too cold, bluebird skies. Hit the peak foliage around the end of September. But be aware of quickly changing weather above treeline. Storms can move in fast, with temperatures dropping and winds picking up. A hot day in the valley below may be cloudy, windy, and cold above treeline. Rain below the trees may be snow or ice on the summits. Plan accordingly.
Summer: Summer is the most popular time to hike in the Whites, so be ready for crowded trailheads and a lot of hikers on some of the more popular sections of the loop. Weather can come in at any time of year, even midsummer, but you’re more likely to get clear weather after the end of June.
Spring: Honestly, probably the least pleasant season to hike the Pemi Loop. Spring in New Hampshire is unpredictable, and can have rough, slushy hiking down low and ice up top. Bring snowshoes and/or traction, even if you think you won’t need it down low, and be prepared for anything from warm sun to freezing rain to snow.
Winter: For the experienced and prepared hiker, winter hiking the Pemi Loop (and anywhere in New Hampshire) is a truly incredible experience. The trails are snowy, but you know what to expect on the terrain. Sometimes the hiking even feels easier over snow, since it smooths out the rock clambering. Be prepared with the right clothes, snowshoes, and traction, and having some winter hiking experience AND White Mountain experience is a good idea before tackling a winter Pemi Loop. Weather comes in fast, so if it looks sketchy above tree line, we always recommend playing it safe.
Pemi Loop Sample Itineraries
One-Day Hike: Yes, people hike the loop in a day. Figure on 12 to 16 hours.
Two-Day Hike: Lincoln Woods to Garfield Ridge Campsite (~14 miles); Garfield Ridge Campsite to Lincoln Woods (~17.5 miles).
Four-Day Hike: Lincoln Woods to Liberty Spring Campsite (~7 miles); Liberty Spring to Garfield Ridge Campsite (~7.7 miles); Garfield Ridge to Guyot Campsite (~6.1 miles); Guyot to your car (~11 miles).
The hike from Garfield Ridge Campsite to Guyot Campsite is a short day on day three of this hike, so you might want to add Galehead Mountain (Frost Trail, 1-mile round trip, 4,024 feet) or North Twin Mountain (North Twin Spur, 2.6 miles round trip, 4,761 feet). Both are AMC 4,000-footers. The summit of Mount Guyot (4,590 feet, not an AMC 4,000-footer because of the elevation change rule) is a .2-mile round trip from the junction of the Twinway and Bondcliff Trail. Another option is to set up camp at Guyot and do a round trip to West Bond (4,540, 2.6 miles round trip, AMC 4,000-footer).
Pemi Loop Terrain
The Pemi Loop is classic New Hampshire: rugged, beautiful wooded slopes and open granite summits. The White Mountains may be shorter in stature than their Rocky Mountains counterparts, but they are not to be underestimated. Steep, rocky, challenging trails shoot straight up the sides of the mountains. The trees give way to open summits, and weather can move in fast. There are sections of more moderately graded ridgelines, but the climbing and descending is often quite slow going, so plan accordingly.
Logistics: Permits, Camping, Water
Camping: The AMC maintains shelters and campsites along the Loop. Caretakers are posted at all the sites, typically from Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day weekend, and a fee is charged at all the sites. Water is available at all the sites. Camping is prohibited above treeline and in forest protection areas along other parts of the trail.
Liberty Spring Campsite: Tent platforms, water, outhouse, bear box, fee. On the Liberty Spring Trail .3 miles below the Franconia Ridge Trail.
Garfield Ridge Campsite: Shelter, tent platforms, outhouse, bear box, fee. 200 yards above the Garfield Ridge Trail.
Guyot Campsite: Shelter, tent platforms, water, outhouse, bear box, fee. .2 miles below the Bondcliff Trail. Overflow site on the Bondcliff Trail.
Permits: Permit needed to park at Lincoln Woods. No permit needed to hike the Loop.
Water: Several streams on the Osseo and Bondcliff trails, and the Pemigewasset River on the Lincoln Woods / Wilderness trails. Once above treeline water is available .3 miles down the Liberty Trail, at Garfield Pond, Garfield Ridge Campsite, the AMC’s Galehead Hut from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend; and Guyot Campsite.
Know Before You Go
Weather: It can’t be said enough: the weather changes quickly and drastically above treeline. Storms can trap unprepared hikers above treeline, with drastic consequences. At least one hiker a year runs into trouble, even those who are prepared. Study the route and be prepared to drop below treeline on one of the many side trails if the weather becomes nasty. One year when I set out to hike a half-Loop there was a trace of snow in the valley, but at least six inches of snow on the Bonds.
Shorter Options: If the weather turns bad, or the hike is more than you expected, your can cut the Loop nearly in half by descending the Franconia Brook Trail just north of Garfield Ridge Campsite or the Twin Brook Trail at Galehead Hut. Both trails will bring you to 13 Falls Campsite with its beautiful falls, and an easy hike from there back to your car.
Route Finding: The trails are well-marked with blazes in the woods and cairns above treeline.
Hike Safe: The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department issues a Hike Safe Card that covers the cost of rescues for people hiking or taking part in other outdoor activities. The cost is $25 per person, $35 for a family, and the card is good from the date of purchase until Dec. 31 of the same year. People whose negligence has led to the reason for a rescue are expected to repay the cost to the state if they don’t have the card.
Crowded Peaks: Most of the summits are popular with day hikers, especially along Franconia Ridge, so expect to share the summits with a lot of hikers. Depending on the time of year you may also see Appalachian Trail thru-hikers on the AT section.
Clockwise or Counterclockwise: Hiking clockwise leaves the easiest part of the trail for the end, when you and your feet are tired. Hiking counterclockwise provides a chance to loosen up before hitting the steepest climbs.
Pemi Loop Resources
Appalachian Mountain Club: shelters, campsites