North Percy Peak NH via Percy Peaks Trail
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North Percy Peak Hike Overview
North Percy Peak (3,415’) is in northern New Hampshire in the Nash Stream Forest area, making it one of the northernmost mountains on the 52 With a View List. The trail leading to its summit requires fun rock scrambling, making it an elective trail on the Terrifying 25 List. The effort is worth it though because the views from the summit are breathtaking, and it will quickly become one of your favorite trails!
Trail Details
Trail: Percy Peaks Trail > North Percy Trail
Length: 4 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,200 feet
My Trail Time: 2.25 hours hiking; 2.75 hours total
Hike Overview
North Percy Peak is one of the northernmost mountains on the 52 With a View List near Stratford, New Hampshire. The trailhead is just under 3 miles on Nash Stream Road, which is unpaved and open seasonally.
Nash Stream Road has two trailheads to North Percy: Percy Peaks Trail and Percy Loop Trail. The most popular trail is Percy Peaks Trail, which is short and steep. You can hike to just North Percy Peak or add South Percy Peak to it as well. North Percy Peak has better views, but many enjoy adding on the other summit to make the hike a little longer.
The parking for this trailhead is just south of where the trail begins and can fit only a handful of cars. There is also overflow parking a little bit before this parking area.
The first mile on Percy Peaks Trail gradually ascends before reaching the second mile, where the trail steeply climbs to the summit. The last half-mile is the steepest as it climbs the rock slabs to North Percy Peak, which are strenuous but fun, providing stunning views along the way! The 360-degree views look into New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, and they are some of my favorite views on the 52 With a View List!
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North Percy Peak NH via Percy Peaks Trail Guide
July 4, 2025
**Always remember to leave no trace. It is crucial to pack out what you pack in and throw away your trash properly.
North Percy Peak was my second-to-last mountain on the 52 With a View List, and I was so excited to finally hike it! It was one of those peaks I heard nothing but great things about, and I was saving it for the perfect day so we could enjoy the views.
We decided to hike North Percy Peak on the 4th of July, which I was a bit nervous about. I never know if trailheads are going to be crazy busy, and we were crossing our fingers that this one would not be.
We got a late start to the day, arriving at the trailhead around 10 AM, and the parking area had only three cars! We were beyond excited to enjoy a peaceful day on the trail without the crowds on the more popular trails.
Percy Peaks Trail begins just down the road from the parking area, and immediately ascends steadily for the first mile. I knew this trail was known to be very steep towards the summit, so we were happy to have a good warm-up mile before getting to the steep sections.
The first section of the trail was a little muddy and wet due to the rain the last few days, but it was honestly not too bad. I thought the trail would be worse because of the torrential rain we received the day before, so I was pleasantly surprised it was not too bad.
The first mile on Percy Peaks Trail flew by, and before we knew it, we arrived at the last mile to North Percy Peak. Almost immediately, the trail became incredibly steep as it ascended next to a huge rock slab, but we were rewarded at the top of this section with a sneak peek of the stunning views!
For the next half-mile to the trail junction, Percy Peaks Trail alternated between incredibly steep and gradual. This section was full of roots and rocks - typical New Hampshire trails. A lot of it was wet, forcing us to slow down and be careful about our footing.
Soon enough, we arrived at the Old Summer Club Trail junction where we continued straight to stay on Percy Peaks Trail. We then arrived at another trail junction for the Percy Peaks Loop Trail where we turned left to follow the signs for North Percy Peak. This trail junction also had a register for those backpacking.
As soon as we turned left to continue to North Percy Peak, the trail went from 0 to 100 and immediately started climbing steeply. And before we knew it, we arrived at the wide open rock slabs, which were incredibly steep to say the least.
Although the rock slabs were steep, the last 0.3 miles ascending them was fun! I love climbing rock slabs, and the views were breathtaking! I kept stopping to enjoy them on our ascent, which also made for a nice excuse for breaks haha.
After a fun climb, the trail levels out as it wanders to the summit sign on North Percy Peak. The summit is huge, and we took our time walking around to find the best spots to enjoy the views and a snack.
In the morning before we left, the weather was all over the place with some sites saying rain and others saying just clouds. We were fully prepared to turn around if it began to rain, but we ended up having a perfect day even though it was cloudy. The clouds helped keep it a bit cooler on the ascent, which was great because it was hot.
We had the entire summit to ourselves which was so peaceful. We found beautiful flowers and what looked like blueberry bushes although they did not have any fruit just yet.
After enjoying the views and a break, we decided to begin our descent. I almost felt like descending the rock slabs was more difficult than ascending them, and I crabwalked my way down some sections to make it a bit easier!
Once we were in the treeline, our descent was slow going until we arrived at the start of the last mile. Percy Peaks Trail was steep, and with the rocks and roots being wet, we had to take our time.
Once we arrived at the final mile, we flew down the trail. We always like to see if we can beat our ascent time, and we did by just a little bit! We also passed a few groups of hikers during our descent, but it was not as many people as I assumed would be hiking on the holiday.
Before we knew it, we were back at the trailhead as the wind picked up and the clouds disappeared. We could immediately feel the heat from the sun and were glad we had some clouds during our hike to help with the heat.
I loved North Percy Peak, and it quickly became one of my favorite hikes! It was short and steep but offered breathtaking views at its summit, and I would love to hike it again in the fall because I heard the foliage views are stunning.
Have you hiked North Percy Peak?
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!