Mount Morgan and Mount Percival Loop
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Mount Morgan and Mount Percival Loop Hike Overview
Mount Morgan (2,220’) and Mount Percival (2,212’) are near Squam Lake just south of the White Mountains. Because they offer gorgeous views overlooking the surrounding lakes, Morgan and Percival are on the 52 With a View List. They also have ladders and caves along part of the trail, putting them on the Terrifying 25 List, too! But do not worry! They have alternative routes to skip those sections if you do not want to hike them.
Trail Details
Trail: Mount Morgan Trail > Crawford Ridgepole Trail > Mount Percival Trail
Length: 5.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,520 feet
My Trail Time: 3 hours hiking; 3.5 hours total
Hike Overview
Although Morgan and Percival are not the tallest mountains in New Hampshire, their trails are not easy. If you want to hike the ladders and caves, I recommend following the loop clockwise to ascend the ladders and descend through the caves. To skip those sections, you must follow the correct trail signs for the alternate routes.
Also, this loop is popular, so I recommend arriving as early in the morning as you can to find a parking spot. You can park at the Mount Morgan Trailhead, West Rattlesnake Mountain Trailhead, or Mount Percival Trailhead.
Mount Morgan and Mount Percival Loop Guide
August 23, 2024
**Always remember to leave no trace. It is crucial to pack out what you pack in and throw away your trash properly.
Mount Morgan and Mount Percival had been on my summer hiking bucket list for the past few years, and for some reason, I never got around to making my way over to them. When my sister visited and said she wanted to hike a fun trail, I knew it was the perfect time to finally hike the iconic loop.
We started our hike to Morgan and Percival on a stunning August morning. We decided to hike it on a Friday to avoid the weekend crowds. We arrived around 9 AM and were only one of four cars in the small parking lot. If the parking lot was full, we could have parked at the Mount Percival lot which tends to be less crowded. The loop connects both parking lots, allowing hikers to park in either.
We decided to hike the loop clockwise, so we could ascend the ladders to Morgan and descend through the caves after Percival. The first two miles of the Mount Morgan Trail leading up to the ladders were pretty uneventful and gradual with very few steep sections. It was also very muddy due to the recent rain, but we could rock-hop through most muddy areas. We did not pass anyone on this portion of the trail, which was nice since the trail was quiet.
After about 1.6 miles, we turned right to continue on the Crawford Ridgepole Trail to Mount Morgan. And soon enough, we were at the trail junction before the ladders. Going to the right avoided the ladders and going left climbed them. I wanted to check this off the Terrifying 25 List, so we turned left to ascend the ladders.
When I saw photos of the ladders, I was a bit nervous because they looked very steep, but when we arrived at them, they did not seem so bad. The first two ladders were lined up with each other, making them easy to ascend, but the third ladder was trickier because it was not in line with the others (you can see it in the photo below). I moved my hands over to the third ladder first before moving my legs, which made it easier than I thought it was going to be.
After the ladders, the fun did not stop! We had to go through our first cave, which was pretty easy, especially once I took off my backpack. The final section of the Crawford Ridgepole Trail to Mount Morgan had some fun rock scrambles. Only one spot made me hesitate because getting up the rock was a bit weird, but it was so much fun!
Soon enough, we made it to the viewpoint just before the summit of Mount Morgan. The views overlooking Squam Lake were stunning even though some wildfire smoke was in the air, and we sat there for almost 20 minutes, eating snacks and enjoying the views.
After we finished relaxing, we began our hike towards Mount Percival. We stopped by the official summit of Mount Morgan which is off a quick side trail before continuing on the Crawford Ridgepole Trail.
The next mile to Mount Percival was pretty gradual with only a few areas where we had to maneuver around rocks. It was a nice ridge walk, and before we knew it, we were on the summit of Mount Percival!
From the summit, we walked to the right to get a better view and eat a snack. The views from Mount Percival were beautiful, but Mount Morgan had the best, in my opinion. This summit also had way more people than Mount Morgan because it seemed most people only hiked to this one.
We hung out at the top for about 10 minutes before making our way to the caves! From the summit of Mount Percival, we followed the yellow markers right towards the views and down a steep rocky area towards the caves. If we wanted to avoid the caves, we could have hiked left from the summit.
Now, this section of the Mount Percival Trail was a bit difficult to follow. The first section had some rock scrambling and maneuvering around huge boulders, which was really fun! There was one section along the first section of the descent that was a tight squeeze to get through rocks, but taking off our backpacks helped.
We took our time descending to make sure we were following the yellow trail markers because it would have been easy to get off the trail. Sometimes, it was easier to look backward as if we were ascending this part of the trail to find the yellow markers.
As we came around to a cliff face, we finally saw the first cave. It was SO fun! I took off my backpack to make it easier and maneuvered my way through the first hole to enter the cave. Then we continued towards the second hole to finally make our way out. Although this section of the trail to the caves was relatively short, it took us a while to descend because of the trail finding and maneuvering around rocks.
Once we connected with the main trail, the descent on Mount Percival Trail was quick, easy, and uneventful. We passed many people just beginning their ascent, which made us happy to have started our hike early and enjoy most of the trail to ourselves.
After about 1.5 miles we reached the Morse Trail intersection, where we turned right to take Morse Trail. We flew along this trail because it was flat, and before we knew it, we were turning left onto the Mount Morgan Trail intersection and heading to the parking lot.
When we arrived at the parking lot, it was full with a few cars waiting at the entrance. The parking lot across the road was also full, so we were thankful to have started our hike early. Street parking is not allowed in most areas along the road, so if you cannot find a spot, you have to wait or come back at a different time. That is why I recommend arriving early in the morning.
Hiking the Mount Morgan and Mount Percival Loop was SO much fun, and I would definitely hike it again. I loved the ladders and caves because they added a fun element to the hike. And, of course, the views were stunning.
Have you hiked the Morgan and Percival Loop?
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!