Mount Success via Mount Success Trail
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Mount Success via Mount Success Trail Overview
Mount Success (3,592’) is just north of the White Mountain National Forest and is one of the tallest mountains on the 52 With a View List. Although it is not far from the popular areas in the White Mountains, Mount Success is often overlooked. Despite being lesser known, it does not lack beautiful views and has a plane crash near the summit.
Trail Details
Trail: Mount Success Trail > Appalachian Trail
Length: 7 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,160 feet
My Trail Time: 4 hours hiking; 5 hours total
Hike Overview
The most popular route to Mount Success is via the Mount Success Trail. The first 1.5 miles of the trail gains most of the elevation (over 1,500 feet) and is consistently steep.
Also, if you want to visit the plane crash, you must use a map to help you find the trail. Most maps have the trail leading to the crash, making it easy to find. Please be respectful when you visit the plane crash site and do not move or take anything from the site.
Mount Success via Mount Success Trail Guide
September 22, 2024
**Always remember to leave no trace. It is crucial to pack out what you pack in and throw away your trash properly.
Mount Success was among the last mountains I needed to hike on the 52 With a View List, and I was waiting for a dry week to hike it. The Mount Success Trail is usually muddy and wet, even during dry periods, so I wanted to avoid hiking it after a rainy week.
I decided to hike Mount Success on a beautiful Sunday in September on the first official fall day. Mount Success felt like it was in the middle of nowhere, and I had to drive on the dirt Success Pond Road for five miles before finally arriving at the trailhead. But the road was in great condition, unlike some dirt roads in New England.
The trailhead does not have a parking lot, so I had to park along the dirt road. Success Pond Road is pretty wide, so we had plenty of space to park along the side of it. We arrived around 9 AM and only saw one other car at the trailhead.
The first 0.3 miles of Mount Success Trail traveled through a flat and open trail. It almost looked like a herd path as it wandered through tall grass and wildflowers. This section also had a few other side trails, but it was easy to follow the correct path with the signs posted.
Once we were in the woods, the trail steadily began to gain elevation for the next 1.2 miles. Although the Mount Success Trail steadily climbed, it was never overly steep. But it did not have flat sections in between, so it made us sweat!
After the first 1.5 miles of hiking, we came to The Outlook junction. We turned right at the sign and continued the short climb to The Outlook, and we were shocked by how beautiful the views were! When you hike this trail, do not skip The Outlook!
We stayed at The Outlook for about a half-hour, eating a snack and enjoying the views. Although it was a cloudy day, we could see for miles, and the views of the surrounding mountains were stunning.
The wind picked up, dropping the temperature significantly, so we continued to the summit of Mount Success. We finished hiking the loop around The Outlook and turned right once we were back on the Mount Success Trail.
The next 0.7 miles were relatively flat as we traveled through a beautiful moss-covered forest. This section of the trail was very muddy, and the trail had some wood bridges over the areas to help. Because the Mount Success Trail is usually wet, the vegetation surrounding it was a vibrant green.
Soon enough, we finally made it to the Appalachian Trail junction. We turned right to continue the final half-mile to the summit of Mount Success. Even though it was later in the season, I was hoping to cross paths with a thru-hiker, but we unfortunately did not.
The final half-mile to the summit was steep, climbing rock slabs before finally reaching the top. The summit of Mount Success was in the clouds when we arrived, so we decided to continue to the plane crash, hoping it would clear by the time we were back.
From Mount Success, the Appalachian Trail continues to the other side of the mountain through a muddy bog. The trail had wooden bridges to help navigate the muddy areas, but even those were still pretty muddy. I would not want to hike this trail after a wet season because this portion of the trail would not be fun to travel through.
After about 0.2 miles, we arrived at the plane crash trail junction. The side trail was not overly noticeable, but our maps helped us easily find it to the left of the Appalachian Trail. The first section of the trail was narrow and muddy before opening up a little as we traveled the final section to the plane crash.
I was shocked at how much of the plane was still intact at the site! I had never visited a plane crash site before, and it was really cool to see. We wandered around the area, looking at the plane and reading about it via a small pamphlet.
The plane crashed near the summit of Mount Success in November of 1954 due to reduced visibility. It had seven people onboard- three passengers and four crew members, but unfortunately, only five survived. When you visit, please be respectful and do not damage, take, or move any parts of the plane.
After exploring the plane crash site, we followed the trail back toward Mount Success and were excited to see the clouds cleared! The views on the summit were stunning since we almost had complete 360-degree views. We could see into Maine towards Sunday River, west towards Berlin, and south towards the White Mountains and Presidential Range. We could also see a lot of foliage starting to pop on the surrounding mountains.
We ate lunch on the summit, enjoying the views and the quiet mountain. We only saw three other hikers at this point in our hike, which was unusual since it was prime hiking time. After hanging out at the summit, we decided to hike back toward the car.
Once we finished descending the steep section below the summit of Mount Success and turned left onto Mount Success Trail, we flew down the rest of the trail. We passed a handful of people on our descent, which made us happy to have started our hike early. And before we knew it, we were back at our cars!
I have enjoyed hiking the mountains on the 52 With a View List because it has hidden gems, like Mount Success! I loved the beautiful hike, views, and plane crash site. It quickly became a favorite hike of mine.
Have you hiked Mount Success?
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!