Hiking in Pinkham Notch

Pinkham Notch is where most people funnel through on their way to the bigger peaks—Mount Washington, the Presidential Range, Carter Notch—but the notch itself is genuinely worth your time, not just a throughway. The elevation gain here is real and sustained, but you're not battling the crowds you'd face on the standard tourist routes, and the views of the surrounding ridges are sharper than you'd expect at these elevations.

The hikes in this area split into two camps: the ones that use the AMC's Joe Dodge Lodge as a jumping-off point (which means reliable facilities and a built-in community), and the ones accessed from the pullouts along Route 16 (which means quieter approaches and fewer people). Elevation ranges from moderate day hikes around 2,000 feet to serious scrambles that'll test your legs, so there's actually variety here depending on what you're after.

One thing to know: summer weekends pull cars into Pinkham Notch like nowhere else in the region. If you can get here on a weekday or wait until September when the leaf peepers are still focused on lower elevations, you'll have an entirely different experience. Fall actually works better than peak summer if you're flexible on timing.

We've listed 11 places around Pinkham Notch that'll get you off the pavement and into the actual work of hiking. Use the list below to sort by difficulty, distance, and what kind of views you're chasing. You'll find what actually works for your day.