Mt. Pemigewasset
Where: Mt. Pemigewasset, NH
When: October 21, 2026
With: Solo
After finishing the NH48 last year, I figured I'd spend this summer climbing "lesser" peaks, but it didn't happen. Lots of reasons, some legitimate, some lame. I did one hike with Chip at the beginning of July, but that was it. I've had this loop on my to-do list as the next hike, and kept putting off. Finally, tired of beating myself up for not going, I decided to just go. I announced my intentions to Jane, put a pack together last night, and forced myself up and out this morning.
I was out the door with Andy at 5:30AM, and at the trailhead just before 8:00. According to my car's thermometer, it was 32 degrees outside. Brrrrr! I figured I'd warm up as I walked though, so I didn't add any layers, but I zipped up everything I was wearing.
This was the parking for the Indian Head trail, which I planned to come out on. The other end of the loop was a mile further north. Fortunately, there's a path through the woods to get there (vs. walking along the highway). It started with a short, overgrown section from the parking lot to a collection of cottages, part of the Indian Head resort. From there, I crossed the highway (Rt. 3) to the main part of the resort. I paused briefly at a history marker for the Betty & Barney Hill alien abduction incident, then headed north through another collection of cottages.
The road through the cottages ended at the forest, and the path I was following continued on from there. It was well-traveled, clear, and wide. A sign along the way confirmed it was a snowmobile trail in the snowy months. It wound its way through the woods, paralleling the highway to the west, crossed a few rough bridges, then emerged at the parking area for the Flume Gorge and the Franconia Notch bike path. I made my way through the mostly empty lot (a couple of employees were leaf-blowing) to the bike path. It was just about 8:30.
The Mt. Pemigewasset trail left the bike path after 150 yards, heading west and passed through three underpasses for the highways (Rt. 3, 93N, 93S). The final underpass had a collection of walking sticks leaning against the wall. Emerging, the path began to climb, on well-placed stone steps. This is a popular trail for families - easy access, fairly short, not too difficult - so there were lots of stone steps and blue trail blazes.
Forty five minutes after I started up the trail, I emerged on to open ledges with a commanding view to the east. The true summit was a bit further along, but I stopped for a rest and photos. Those ledges given the mountain its other name: Indian Head.
I made my way to the true summit after a bit, searched unsuccessfully for a cairn, USGS medallion, or some other marker, then returned to the ledges. After about 15 minutes at the top, I aimed my feet toward the return path. I'd passed the Indian Head trail just a short distance below the ledges, and now I began following it down.
It was much less traveled than the Mt. Pemigewasset trail. Covered in leaves, to start. Fewer blazes (now yellow) as well. It was also steeper, and rougher (lots of rock hopping). It mostly followed a stream down the slope, and I left the trail at one point to take some photos of a collection of small waterfalls. As I was returning to the trail, three couples came walking up the trail, the first people I'd seen since the leaf blowing workers.
A short time later, the trail came to the highway (93S) and followed a fence south along the road to where the stream I'd been following passed under. No underpasses just for the trail this time. Instead the trail used the stream's underpasses, along the rocks on the side. One more turn after the second underpass (93N), turning south to parallel Rt. 3, and I was back at my car. It was 10:30, and the temperature had climbed to 47 degrees. 2.5 hours later, I was home.
