North Tripyramid

North Trypyramid is a NH 4000-footer and one of 3 peaks that comprise Mount Trypyramid near Waterville, New Hampshire.
The north face has a long, steep, prominent rock slide known as the North Slide.
Often climbed in combination with Middle Tripyramid , another official 4000-footer on the AMC list.
Usually climbed in a loop from north-to-south since climbing up the North Slide is easier than going down.

Routes

Pine Bend Brook Trail > Mount Tripyramid Trail

36 summits • 10.9 mi • 3,002 ft gain • 6 hr 2 min

North Slide

26 summits • 12.4 mi • 2,823 ft gain • 6 hr 53 min

North Tripyramid 12.3 mi route

1 summit • 12.3 mi • 2,648 ft gain • 7 hr 59 min

Latest summits

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"With the small amount of snow on the trails, it was particuliarly hard to ascend through the north slide and to descend by the south slide, as there was not enough snow or ice to cover the rocks and provide some grip. Still a great hike." — PL5 • Jan 13, 2020

"Second attempt at the Tripyramids. Had a nasty fall on the North slide three weeks ago. This time was successful. Took Livermore Road/Trail to Scaur Ridge to Pine Bend to Mt. Tripyramid Trail to North peak and over to Middle peak and back the same way. Beautiful blue bird day. Views are from Middle peak. Light bed of 1-2 inches of snow. Used microspikes but probably could have gotten by without them. " — dmcosker • Nov 9, 2019

"The second day of our fun weekend in the Whites. It was hot but the slide was dry so we were anxious to give it a go. Took the Livermore trail in and made our way to the base of the slide and enjoyed a fun climb up to North TP. Enjoyed the ridge hike through to South TP and then hiked/slid our way down the south slide. Another great day in the woods!" — deb-and-rob • Jun 22, 2019

"Hiked along with Middle Tripyramid. We decided on taking the Pine Bend Brook Tr as an out-and-back. Turned out to be a great plan as Sabbaday was closed for safety/maintenance, and everyone we know who had taken the Livermore Tr/Tripyramid loop had only talked about how taxing it had been and wished us luck. We had clear skies and mid seventies. It was a little muggy and buggy, but perfect on the breezy sections of trail. We saw some very healthy lady slippers growing along the lower two miles of trail (a pleasant and easy start and end to the hike), and multiple toads and butterflies. The views were limited but lovely, and worth the few scramble sections where trekking poles were of no use. About 3hr 40min up and over North to Middle, and 3hr down, with a lengthy lunch break at the summit." — gooner • Jun 22, 2018

"Hike with Kate P up Pine Bend Brook Tr. Her first time up. Encountered deep snow higher up. The signpost at the trail junction was nearly buried. Easier time then I was expecting to reach the summit on the final pitch." — newenglandwarrior • Apr 28, 2018

"A solo hike, and double-bagged North and Middle peaks (4th and 5th 4000 footer). I was pleasantly surprised to find the 'Flags on the 48' was on the same day. I topped North Tripyramid as the flag was being raised, shortly thereafter a Black Hawk helicopter flew over head! A very special hike and I am glad I could experience the special tribute. One of the flag raisers was a seven-year-old who already hiked all 48 4000 footers! Continued on to Middle and South Tripyramids." — gullyhiker • Sep 9, 2017

"After Middle, we went over and did North Tripyramid. Then we came down Pine Bend Brook Tr to Scaur Tr to Livermore Tr. Livermore Tr had some wet boggy areas. We reached the Kanc side of Livermore and my car. Some strong red-lining gains for me." — newenglandwarrior • Jul 6, 2017

"Trail started out on a nice dirt road (we really appreciated it on the way back). The North Slide was the hardest trail I've done yet. Open slide, mix of slab rocks & gravelly rocks, goes on for a mile! One of my fellow hikers coached me up, thank goodness. I probably would have taken the Scaur Ridge trail if I was climbing solo. Several water crossings, most rock hoppable (although we walked right through on our way out - cold water felt good)." — PJSelmer • Jul 3, 2017

"Well, I don't know how to even tell this story...it's a little bit of a dramatic "don't do/ what could go wrong" story. A friend and I set out to climb Whiteface...it was a beautiful 50 degree day...the sun was shining...it was perfect! About halfway up I said something about if we were real crazy we would have hiked over to the tripyramids...she said, well you should do it and I will drive and get you. I giggled...thought about it and said awesome. I called a hiking friend while I still had service to ask him to track the route and tell me if he saw any water crossings and how long it would be. He said the trail would be 9 miles from Whiteface to the road on the other side of the tripyramids. He said it all looked good....told me I was crazy but that I could do it. So with his vote of confidence I decided I would go on an adventure. Whiteface was LEDGY...but due to some melting we were able to navigate up in just spikes. After a quick lunch we split ways. My friend headed back down whiteface with the plan to grab the car and drive the Kancamagus to pick me up at the Pine Bend Brook Trailhead. I started to the sleepers and the trail was well blazed for a bit. When I t..." — shay-shay • Mar 9, 2017

"Long day on my first big group hike ever. Started off with going up to my upper thigh in mud on the Livermore Trail, wet socks on the slide was not "awesome". Good weather for the day." — Paddleout • May 21, 2016

"Parked on the side of the Kankamangus and started on the Pine Bend Brook Trail at 9am. Met up with another hiker about two miles into the hike. Found out that we both are 46ers and we are both working on our NE111. I have 76 completed and he has 83 completed. We hiked together to the summit of North Tripyramid. Lots of sketchy ice above 3600' but we both bare booted to the summit, so it's possible. Headed on the Middle Tripyramid after." — LGH-Tom • May 11, 2016

"Helping out Marielle with Middle TriP and E. Sleeper. We did a loop with a car spot, going up Pine Bend Brook Tr and coming down Downes Brook Tr. Cloudy. Not much to see. Saw 1 person who turned around at the summit. " — newenglandwarrior • Oct 23, 2015

"One of the few days I could get out this summer. Terrific day and saw only two other people all day. I did this loop clockwise (from North Peak to Middle to South Peak) and think I saw a bear sleeping on a high rock, coming down from South Peak. Took me 45 min. going down the 1/2 mile south slide. New boots helped on this one!" — SteveM_StickMan • Aug 21, 2013

"04AUG2013: Tripyramids (My toughest hike yet) Waterville Valley, New Hampshire FIRST OFF: Had my very first BEAR SIGHTING! (I had previously only seen them in captivity). It was ~20 minutes into the drive Northward. A large Black Bear crossed Route 11 right in front of us shortly before Johnson's Restaurant in New Durham, NH New Hampshire’s Tripyramids are composed of 3 consecutive peaks--> North Tripyramid (4,180 ft), Middle Tripyramid (4,140 ft) and South Tripyramid (4,060 ft). These mountains are neither the tallest nor the most magnificent in all of New Hampshire. "What is THIER draw?" you ask. Well... they offer some of the STEEPEST SLIDE TRAILS YOU CAN CLIMB without ropes. We began the first ~3.5 miles of this trip on the Livermore trail-- essentially an old logging road (Turned Cross Country Skiing area) with relatively no elevation gain. So, we began with a faster pace that we would later find out was necessary to offset slower times ahead. We hiked along the aptly named Avalanche Brook for part of the hike; which made for a soothing background noise for us. Eventually we arrived at a trail junction where we were offered a choice to bypass the infamous North Tripy..." — CiccheMariti • Aug 4, 2013

"Beautiful day, steep inclines, breezy, change of plans/route coming down. Butt sledding, darkness, treacherous river crossing, hearing an angel's voice from the parking lot, "Hey! You guys want a ride?" Fireworks as we drove home.... another amazing day on the mountain!" — Jocelyn • Jan 19, 2013

"On Saturday, August 25th, Courtney and I ventured to attack our 39th and 40th peak. We enjoyed the scenic drive across Bear Notch Road to the Kanc to the Pine Bend Brook Trail Head. At 9:15 am we started on the trail to summit North and Middle Tripyramid. The hike started as a friendly stroll through the woods, crossing many small brooks. After about a mile and half of deceivingly easy trail, we crossed our last brook, turned left, looked up and said.. Oh S#*! Yup, still about 3 mile away from the second summit, we were going to start climbing. When I say climbing I mean often using our hands and feet to literally crawl up the mountain. This climb did not come as a surprise, we had heard from many hikers that these peaks were steep and ruthless. Also when reading the AMC guide book, we noted that the book described the climb as very steep, a little less steep, difficult, more steep, and it suggested we “ATTACK” the mountain as we attempt to climb. Needless to say it was a challenging hike. Though it was a constant steep climb we were happy that the trail provided decent footing. After talking to other hikers, we had expected the trail to have more loose gravel, when..." — CarissaJean • Aug 25, 2012

"Did a loop from the Olivarian trailhead to Passaconaway-Whiteface-The Tripyramids to the Kanc and trekked along that back to the Olivarian trailhead. Total milage was 20.4, overnighted on the summit of Middle Tripyramid. Gorgeous weather!" — chrisr00d • Jun 16, 2012

"I met Logan and Jake in Campton. The meet was smooth, and we were both early. We headed down the road toward Waterville Valley. However, we couldn't find the trailhead. We circled around the valley a couple of times in our search, passing a plethora of fancy condominiums along the way. We eventually found the trail, although we were no longer ahead of schedule. The trail followed along side a road for a short distance and crossed onto some cross country ski paths. We continued up the paths, remarking at least once that we might not be on the trail. We came across a sign at last, and we had indeed lost the trail. We descended this side trail to reach our intended footpath. The detour probably added two tenths of a mile to our excursion, but it also added an unnecessary climb. The section of trail that we bypassed was mostly level. We were now on the trail and headed in the correct direction. The trail crossed ski paths a few more times, but we kept the trail. We heard the Norway Rapids before we saw them. I gave the river high marks for audio presentation. There were rocks available for the crossing, but there was certainly an element of danger. The rapids ran over some of the..." — GSDTheFlea • Oct 1, 2011

"First cold weather hike. The temperature was 19° F at the parking lot. Start time 9:45 AM. North Peak at 1 PM. South Peak at 1:35 PM. Back to the cars at 4 PM. Very hard conditions on North Slide (snow, ice, wind and cold). The rest of the hike was fine. The South slide was not a problem to descent. Several streams were crossed on the way back." — iddayhiker • Nov 22, 2008

"Saw cow moose and her twin calves feeding near beginning of the trail. Albany ADK Southern Whites Expedition Day 2 Led by Fred Schroeder Fred helped us on the slide which seemed exciting but a little dangerous." — barbaratraver • Aug 19, 1988