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Mount Cube NH Hike Overview

Mount Cube (2,916’) is on the southwestern side of the White Mountains and is one of the more popular mountains on the 52 With a View List. Although the summit has a viewpoint, the best views, in my opinion, are just past the summit at the end of the North Cube Spur.

Trail Details

Trail: Cross Rivendell Trail > North Cube Spur

Length: 5 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,600 feet

My Trail Time: 3 hours hiking; 4 hours total

Hike Overview

Mount Cube has a few trails leading to its summit, and the most hiked are Cross Rivendell Trail and Mount Cube Trail. Cross Rivendell is the most direct route to the summit and tends to be the most popular trail.

Despite Cross Rivendell being the most popular trail, it does not have a large parking area, and I recommend arriving early to secure a spot. Also, the road to the trailhead is not paved and was very muddy when we hiked in March. We did not have trouble driving on it, but I could feel my car slipping on the mud a bit.

Even though Mount Cube is considered moderately strenuous, it still gains 1,600 feet of elevation. The Cross Rivendell Trail is relatively gradual until it climbs steeply up rock slabs just before the summit.

The summit of Mount Cube has beautiful views, but the best, in my opinion, are just past it. I recommend continuing the 0.4 miles on the North Cube Spur to reach another viewpoint with breathtaking views overlooking Mount Moosilauke and the White Mountains. The spur is relatively flat and worth the extra mileage for the views!

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Mount Cube NH via Cross Rivendell Trail Guide

March 15, 2025

**Always remember to leave no trace. It is crucial to pack out what you pack in and throw away your trash properly.

Surprisingly, Mount Cube had been on my hiking bucket list for quite a while. It is a popular hike on the 52 With a View List, but I kept putting it off because it is on the other side of the White Mountains.

After a brutal winter, we FINALLY had a nice weekend with low winds and temperatures over 40 degrees. And you bet I was planning a hike, even with the mashed potato conditions that come with warmer temperatures!

We decided to hike to Mount Cube on a beautiful Saturday and take advantage of the nice weather while we had it. We arrived at the trailhead around 9:00 AM and got the last parking spots. The trailhead can hold only a handful of cars, and we were lucky to grab the last few spots.

We turned right from the parking area to walk along the road for 0.1 miles before turning left onto the Cross Rivendell Trail. The beginning of the trail had a large sign, so it was hard to miss!

The beginning of the trail had varied conditions, which we expected with this time of year, switching between ice, mud, and soft snow for the first mile. Luckily, the first mile was relatively gradual, with a few switchbacks, so the trail conditions did not affect us too much. But the mud was incredibly slippery and hard to bypass, which will only worsen over the next few weeks.

As we approached the final mile, the snow was deeper and incredibly slushy as the temperatures warmed. It was not enough to put on our snowshoes, but if the snow had been any deeper, snowshoes would have been necessary.

This section of the trail continued to climb steadily until just before the summit. The last section steeply ascended some rock slabs before we finally arrived at the summit of Mount Cube. This portion of the trail was a bit sketchy because of the ice and slush, making traction even with microspikes tough. I am sure it will be gone over the next few weeks, though!

Once we reached Mount Cube, we had beautiful views overlooking the surrounding mountains. Because the sky was clear, we could see into Vermont towards Killington! The views were breathtaking, so we took a quick break before continuing on the North Cube Spur to the next overlook.

We noticed that most of the footprints ended at the summit and did not continue to the other overlook, which I found interesting since most people say to continue to the further viewpoint. But the conditions were not too bad because the snow was minimal.

Even though the North Cube Spur is about 0.4 miles, it flew by, and before we knew it, we were at the final viewpoint! The open ledge overlooked east towards Mount Moosilauke and the White Mountains, which were stunning. Since the wind was minimal and the sun was shining, we decided to take an hour snack break. How could we not take advantage of the nice day and beautiful views?!

Even though it was a beautiful day, we only passed a handful of people on the trail, and only one of those made it to the further viewpoint, so we had the entire ledge to ourselves. It was honestly incredible!

Once the wind started to pick up, we decided to pack up and begin our descent. And the descent flew by! We kept our microspikes on even as the snow became more slushy because it was melting fast and was not deep enough to warrant putting on our snowshoes.

As we approached the final stretch of the Cross Rivendell Trail, we noticed almost all the snow had melted. It was great except for the mud and running water on the trail, but hey, we did not complain because we just spent an hour enjoying the views. And before we knew it, we were back at the trailhead.

I really enjoyed the hike to Mount Cube, and we lucked out with the incredible weather. I would love to hike it again in the summer, too.

Have you hiked Mount Cube?