Cannon Mountain via Hi-Cannon Trail
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Cannon Mountain Hike Overview
Cannon Mountain (4,100’) sits in the western White Mountains and is one of the most popular ski resorts in New Hampshire! Although many people visit in the winter to ski on it, Cannon Mountain has many hiking trails to reach its summit. This guide goes over a popular loop to the summit that includes exploring one of the most beautiful lakes in the region.
Trail Details
Trail: Hi-Cannon Trail > Kinsman Ridge Trail > Lonesome Lake Trail
Length: 5.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,330 feet
My Trail Time: 4:15 hours hiking; 5:15 hours total
Hike Overview
Cannon Mountain is one of the shortest 4,000-footers, but do not let that fool you into thinking this hike is easy! This hike to Cannon Mountain gains 2,300 feet of elevation in 2.8 miles, so this hike gets STEEP. There are a few relentless steep sections made of dirt which makes it difficult to find good footing.
Although the summit of Cannon Mountain is not completely above the treeline, it has a fire tower on the summit, offering gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains. Also, in the summer and fall, Cannon Mountain has a scenic gondola ride for anyone who does not want to hike, and you are likely to see crowds from that at the fire tower.
Cannon Mountain Hike via Hi-Cannon Trail Guide
June 3, 2018
**Always remember to leave no trace. It is crucial to pack out what you pack in and throw away your trash properly.
Alex and I started our journey to the summit of Cannon Mountain at 9:30 AM on a beautiful June day. It was in the low 70s with no humidity which was perfect hiking weather! The Lonesome Lake trailhead was fairly easy to find since it was by Lafayette Campground. The trailhead to Lincoln and Lafayette is across the street, so the parking lot was packed.
The first 0.3 miles of Lonesome Lake Trail was very easy (such a tease) until it intersected with Hi-Cannon Trail. If we were to continue left, it would have brought us to Lonesome Lake. We opted to go right onto Hi-Cannon Trail and head to Cannon Mountain’s summit first, so we could enjoy Lonesome Lake afterward. We heard parts of the Hi-Cannon Trail were eroded, but we decided to hike it anyway.
We gained about 1,000 feet of elevation per mile once on Hi-Cannon Trail, so our legs burning! It doesn’t help that this trail lacks great traction, so our calves wanted to fall off. Hi-Cannon trail eventually switched from being eroded to having loose rocks which didn’t make the traction better. The only thing we could do was be mindful of where we were putting our feet. I can’t tell you how many times we looked up for one step and slipped. Don’t worry, we didn’t hurt ourselves!
We soon came up to switchbacks along the Hi-Cannon trail which was a relief for our legs. There were also a few rock scrambles as we approached the end of the Hi-Cannon trail and a LADDER. Yup, there was a wooden ladder that brought us over rock slabs that would be otherwise impossible to climb. And yes, it was sketchy, so don’t look down. Once we got to the top of the ladder, we had to scurry across a thin piece of wood to rock scramble some more. As I said, don’t look down. Vertigo is a real thing, and no one needs that while on a steep incline!
At the end of Hi-Cannon Trail, we came to the intersection of Kinsman Ridge Trail which we followed to the right to head to Cannon Mountain’s summit. This part of the trail wasn’t tough, but our legs were definitely tired. As we approached Cannon Mountain’s summit, we were surrounded by people casually dressed without any sweat on their foreheads. We forgot people could pay to take the tram to the summit. Luckily, Cannon Mountain’s summit wasn’t too packed when we arrived around 11:45 AM. We were able to get a seat right by the edge of the fire tower to enjoy the views while eating lunch. As always, once Alex whipped out his handy-dandy expensive camera, everyone flocked to him asking if he would take their picture thinking he must be a master photographer *eye roll*. JK, he is an amazing photographer, so their assumptions were correct.
After Alex was done being everyone’s photographer, we began our descent. We descended down Kinsman Ridge Trail until it intersected with Lonesome Lake Trail. We had our fingers crossed that this would be an easier descent but BOY, were we wrong!! Lonesome Lake Trail was steep, and part of it was completely gone due to erosion. Sounds exciting? NOPE. I was only a tad bit scared since the drop was almost completely vertical. I hope they fix the trail soon!
We were beyond excited to head to Lonesome Lake thinking it would perfect to dip our toes in after a good hike! Although it was beautiful, it was also… gross. It was marshy and muddy, so there were bugs everywhere. We walked around Lonesome Lake and got a beautiful view of the mountains over the lake. After we took in the view, we headed back to Lonesome Lake Trail to finish our hike. The rest of the descent was uneventful besides having to be mindful of our steps.
We practically hugged our car once we got to it at 2:45 PM. We were surprised at how tough the hike to Cannon Mountain was, but it was mostly due to the trail conditions. It's a good hike if you are looking for something short but moderately difficult. However, make sure it didn’t rain recently, and you have the right shoes. You need all the traction you can get if the trail conditions still aren’t great!
Have you hiked Cannon Mountain before? What trail did you take to the summit?
Hey, I’m Nichole!
I am the creator behind Nichole the Nomad, the home of my explorations around the world, mountain hikes, and beautiful pictures taken along the way. I have a deep passion for capturing the world in a beautiful light and sharing my experiences.
I created this blog to share my travels, show how beautiful the world is, provide tips and tricks for traveling, and encourage you to explore. Whether you want to travel across the world or explore what’s in your backyard, I hope this blog inspires you to get outside and find your adventure!