New Hampshire trails · Nelson Crag
Nelson Crag
A 3.0-mile out-and-back in New Hampshire, with 3,617 ft of climbing. Reaches Nelson Crag and other arch/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the first third: 48% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 1.0. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Nelson Crag (arch)
- Mount Washington (summit)
- Agiocochook Crag (summit)
- Ball Crag (arch)
Getting there
NELSON CRAG — parking nearby. 44.27073, -71.30330 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:36 a.m., the sun rises at 6:06 a.m. and sets at 7:23 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:53 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 17 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 6.0-mile round trip takes roughly 5 h 50 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 11:56 a.m. — 7 h 27 min before sunset.
Loop options
- NELSON CRAG + HUNTINGTON RAVINE + TUCKERMAN RAVINE — 5.9 mi loop, 3,229 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Gulfside Trail — 0.3 mi
- Tuckerman Ravine — 2.6 mi
- Tuckerman Ravine Trail — 2.6 mi
- Wildcat Ridge — 3.0 mi