New Hampshire trails · Kinsman Ridge Trail
Kinsman Ridge Trail
A 10.2-mile out-and-back in New Hampshire, with 2,474 ft of climbing. Reaches North Peak and other lake/pass/summit destinations. Managed by Appalachian Trail.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 48% of the ascent falls between mile 6.8 and mile 10.2. It gives back about 2,690 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- North Peak (summit)
- Mount Wolf (summit)
- South Peak Kinsman Mountain (summit)
- Kinsman Mountain (summit)
- Harrington Pond (lake)
- Kinsman Notch (pass)
- Kinsman Pond (lake)
- Beaver Pond (lake)
Heads up
Getting there
BEAVER BROOK TH — parking nearby, restroom, water, fee site. About 1 h 09 min drive (51 mi) from Laconia. 44.04039, -71.79289 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:31 a.m., the sun rises at 7:00 a.m. and sets at 6:05 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:34 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 05 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 20.5-mile round trip takes roughly 10 h 03 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 5:03 p.m. — 1 h 02 min before sunset.
Loop options
- KINSMAN RIDGE + Kinsman Ridge Trail — 2.0 mi loop, 678 ft gain
- Kinsman Ridge Trail + KINSMAN RIDGE — 5.7 mi loop, 1,555 ft gain
- Cascade Brook Trail + Fishin' Jimmy + Kinsman Ridge Trail — 7.1 mi loop, 2,107 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Kinsman Ridge — 0.5 mi
- Franconia Ridge — 9.4 mi
- Garfield Ridge Trail — 11.1 mi
- Garfield Ridge — 11.1 mi