Peaks

 

48

 

 

Pursuers

 

973

 

 

Finishers

 

85

 

 

The mega-classic New Hampshire peak challenge. Includes all New Hampshire peaks over 4,000 ft high with at least 200 ft of prominence. All peaks lie in the White Mountains of northern New Hampshire, a 2-3 hour drive from Boston, MA and Portland, ME. Started in 1957 by the AMC based on the Adirondack 46er challenge. More on the history here: http://www.amc4000footer.org/history.html

 

Highest peak

Mount Washington

6,288 ft / 1,916 m

Most prominent peak

Mount Washington

6,148 ft / 1,873 m

Most summited peak

Mount Washington

1,059 summits

Most difficult peak

Mount Washington

Class 1

Difficulty breakdown

Class 1/2 5 peaks

Top climbing months

July   16%

August   14%

June   13%

Highlights
  • One of the most popular Peak Challenges in the world. First created in 1957 and modeled after the Adirondack 46er Peak Challenge.
  • All peaks have official trails (except infamous Owls Head, often saved for last, which has an unofficial route to the summit).
  • Emerge from the forest to explore the incredible alpine environments of the White Mountains.
  • Traverse the dramatic alpine landscape of the Presidential Range and climb the highest and most famous mountain in the northeast, Mount Washington.
  • Hike deep into the heart of the Pemigewasset Wilderness and summit the remote, above-treeline Bonds.
"Dropped a car at the Zealand Tr parking lot and headed for Lincoln Woods where we began our ascent at 7:15am. We were in for a long and very hot day, but were ready to tackle five peaks and see if we could beat our own time estimate of 13 hours. And we would have, too! If not for an unintentional detour. Word to the wise: when blood sugar and hydration are getting low, and you've already been on the trail for 9 hours, don't trust your memory... and there's no such thing as checking the map too many times. Lincoln Woods to Bondcliff, West Bond Spur, Twinway, then an unfortunate detour down Zeacliff (longest 1.4 miles of my life) and Ethan Pond before finally making it to the Zealand Falls Hut and taking Zealand Trail down to the car. 5 peaks, 22 miles, 14.5 hours, 1 detour, many liters of water, and a cup of lemonade... Views were spectacular, trail company was good, and in spite of the mayhem, I'd love to do this climb again with a few tweaks." — gooner • Aug 6, 2022
"Got on the trail at 6:36 am. Beautiful morning, very clear skies. Started out with a slow elevation gain, then made it to the view point just about 1.5 miles in. Clouds started to roll in. We continued on up the "Caps", in which there were three of them. Intimidating looking yes, but so much easier than Cathedral on Katahdin for sure. We made it over the caps, and crossed the sing that said .4 miles to the summit. THAT was hard. visibility was maybe 1/8 mile with clouds. Made it to the top, then headed back down stopping at "Caps" #3 for lunch. As we got to "Caps' #1 skies opened up over the summit, and cleared for the rest of the way. Made it back to the car at 1:19 pm. 5 miles of pure joy! Some butt sliding was needed...." — Bucky • Aug 6, 2022
"Dropped a car at the Zealand Tr parking lot and headed for Lincoln Woods where we began our ascent at 7:15am. We were in for a long and very hot day, but were ready to tackle five peaks and see if we could beat our own time estimate of 13 hours. And we would have, too! If not for an unintentional detour. Word to the wise: when blood sugar and hydration are getting low, and you've already been on the trail for 9 hours, don't trust your memory... and there's no such thing as checking the map too many times. Lincoln Woods to Bondcliff, West Bond Spur, Twinway, then an unfortunate detour down Zeacliff (longest 1.4 miles of my life) and Ethan Pond before finally making it to the Zealand Falls Hut and taking Zealand Trail down to the car. 5 peaks, 22 miles, 14.5 hours, 1 detour, many liters of water, and a cup of lemonade... Views were spectacular, trail company was good, and in spite of the mayhem, I'd love to do this climb again with a few tweaks." — gooner • Aug 6, 2022
"Dropped a car at the Zealand Tr parking lot and headed for Lincoln Woods where we began our ascent at 7:15am. We were in for a long and very hot day, but were ready to tackle five peaks and see if we could beat our own time estimate of 13 hours. And we would have, too! If not for an unintentional detour. Word to the wise: when blood sugar and hydration are getting low, and you've already been on the trail for 9 hours, don't trust your memory... and there's no such thing as checking the map too many times. Lincoln Woods to Bondcliff, West Bond Spur, Twinway, then an unfortunate detour down Zeacliff (longest 1.4 miles of my life) and Ethan Pond before finally making it to the Zealand Falls Hut and taking Zealand Trail down to the car. 5 peaks, 22 miles, 14.5 hours, 1 detour, many liters of water, and a cup of lemonade... Views were spectacular, trail company was good, and in spite of the mayhem, I'd love to do this climb again with a few tweaks." — gooner • Aug 6, 2022
"Dropped a car at the Zealand Tr parking lot and headed for Lincoln Woods where we began our ascent at 7:15am. We were in for a long and very hot day, but were ready to tackle five peaks and see if we could beat our own time estimate of 13 hours. And we would have, too! If not for an unintentional detour. Word to the wise: when blood sugar and hydration are getting low, and you've already been on the trail for 9 hours, don't trust your memory... and there's no such thing as checking the map too many times. Lincoln Woods to Bondcliff, West Bond Spur, Twinway, then an unfortunate detour down Zeacliff (longest 1.4 miles of my life) and Ethan Pond before finally making it to the Zealand Falls Hut and taking Zealand Trail down to the car. 5 peaks, 22 miles, 14.5 hours, 1 detour, many liters of water, and a cup of lemonade... Views were spectacular, trail company was good, and in spite of the mayhem, I'd love to do this climb again with a few tweaks." — gooner • Aug 6, 2022