The easiest hikes in New Hampshire, by the numbers
Of the 96 trails in New Hampshire in our dataset, 9 (9 percent) rate easiest on the gain-and-distance scale we use, run 1 to 6 miles and climb 500 ft or less; all 9 are listed here, lowest rating first.
Cranmore Mountain Trail has the lowest rating: 20 ft of gain over 1.2 miles, 17 ft per mile.
Across the 9, gain runs from 20 to 489 ft and distance from 1.2 miles to 3.8 miles; the median gain is 320 ft and the median distance 1.8 miles.
7 of the 9 are point-to-point routes; the rest are out-and-back (2).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cranmore Mountain TrailWhite Mountain Region | 1.2 | 20 | 17 | 19% | 1,645 to 2,050 | 6.9 | |
| 2 | Province Lake Trail NorthLakes Region | 1.5 | 85 | 57 | 11% | 487 to 588 | 16 | |
| 3 | Swift River TrailWhite Mountain Region | 1.7 | 184 | 108 | 17% | 458 to 548 | 25 | |
| 4 | Hemenway TrailWhite Mountain Region | 1.5 | 243 | 162 | 11% | 920 to 1,113 | 27 | |
| 5 | Flume Gorge TrailWhite Mountain Region | 1.8 | 477 | 265 | 22% | 1,319 to 1,637 | 41.4 | |
| 6 | Rocky Branch Trail | 2 | 464 | 232 | 15% | 1,054 to 1,557 | 43.1 | |
| 7 | West Branch TrailLakes Region | 3.2 | 378 | 118 | 16% | 439 to 669 | 49.2 | |
| 8 | Sawyer River TrailWhite Mountain Region | 3.8 | 320 | 84 | 10% | 1,654 to 1,840 | 49.3 | |
| 9 | Cohos Trail | 2.5 | 489 | 196 | 22% | 2,210 to 2,697 | 49.4 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band easiest (under 50), 1 to 6 miles, no more than 500 ft of gain, ordered by rating asc, miles asc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "New Hampshire" here means the 96 trails in New Hampshire in our dataset, not every trail in New Hampshire.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with Cranmore Mountain Trail.
Easiest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other states in our dataset.