Winter Hiking in the White Mountains: Trails, Gear & Safety
Winter in the White Mountains is really two seasons stacked on top of each other. Below treeline there are quiet, snowy forest trails, frozen waterfalls and short climbs to ledges above Crawford Notch, and on a cold blue day they're some of the best winter hiking in the East. Above treeline the weather turns deadly, and the summit of Mount Washington holds the world record for the fastest wind ever recorded by a staffed weather station. The gap between those two worlds can be less than an hour of walking. This guide covers winter hiking in the White Mountains through all eight of our New Hampshire trail guides. It starts with the mountain that sets the tone for the region, sorts the rest into trails that suit winter and trails that need much more, and explains how New Hampshire hikers decide between microspikes and snowshoes.
Mount Washington kills people. Start there.
The Mount Washington Observatory recorded a wind gust of 231 miles per hour on the summit on April 12, 1934, and it still describes that as the highest wind speed ever recorded by man. The Forest Service posts warning signs where the trails leave the trees, telling hikers that exposure has killed many people beyond that point, summer included. Mount Washington State Park keeps a list of known deaths on the mountain going back to 1849. When New Hampshire Magazine reported on it in 2019, the list stood at 161, and it has grown since. In winter, the Mount Washington Auto Road is closed to private vehicles. The SnowCoach tours run only to treeline at about 4,200 feet, so there's no ride down from the summit. Our Tuckerman Ravine guide puts the route at about 8.4 miles round trip with 4,250 feet of gain, and it says that from late fall to early summer the mountain is a winter environment that requires an ice axe, crampons and experience. The ravine itself is avalanche terrain, forecast by the Mount Washington Avalanche Center. The center says the Lion Head winter route, the main way to the summit in winter, requires an ice axe and crampons, not just microspikes, and has seen many sliding falls. That makes it a mountaineering objective, not a hike for your first winter season.
Make the Higher Summits Forecast a habit
The Mount Washington Observatory publishes a Higher Summits Forecast for the high peaks, with morning and evening updates. Read it before any trip that goes near treeline, including Franconia Ridge, and compare its wind and wind-chill numbers with what you see in the valley. They're often very different. The observatory says the forecast is only one tool. Carry clothing for conditions worse than it predicts.
Below treeline: the three that suit winter
Three of our guides list winter as a season, and all three stay in the trees or barely leave them. Mount Willard is the best winter introduction to the Whites. AMC lists it at 3.2 miles round trip with about 900 feet of gain at a steady, moderate grade from the Crawford Depot on US-302, and the trail opens suddenly onto ledges looking straight down Crawford Notch. Our guide calls it a popular snowshoe hike, but the ledges can be icy and end in a steep drop, so bring microspikes and stay back from the edge. Lonesome Lake, in Franconia Notch, is 3.2 miles round trip with about 1,000 feet of gain, and nearly all of that climbing comes on about 0.8 miles of steep, rocky switchbacks. Once the lake freezes, the trail becomes a well-used snowshoe route, with views across the ice to Franconia Ridge. Don't park on the I-93 shoulder, which is illegal, or inside Lafayette Place Campground, and note that the Cannon Tramway hiker shuttle runs only in summer and fall. Diana's Baths, outside North Conway, is the gentlest of the three: a 1.2-mile walk on a wide gravel path to cascades on Lucy Brook that partly freeze in winter.
Diana's Baths in snow
The Forest Service maintains the Diana's Baths lot in winter, and it's a year-round fee site with a self-serve pay station: $5 per vehicle per day or $30 for an annual pass. In summer the path is ADA-accessible, but in winter it's packed snow and ice, so bring traction even for a short walk. Stay off the frozen granite near the water, because ice over moving water can be thin.
How New Hampshire hikers choose traction
On popular White Mountains trails, traffic packs the snow into a firm, narrow strip down the middle of the trail. On that surface, and on the ice that forms after thaw and refreeze, microspikes are usually the right choice, and on many winter days they're all you need on Willard, Lonesome Lake and Arethusa. Snowshoes matter after a storm, before the trail is packed, and anywhere the snow is deep enough that you'd sink in to your knees without them. Postholing leaves holes that freeze hard and can turn the next hiker's ankle, so carry snowshoes whenever fresh snow is possible and put them on when the trail calls for it. Many hikers carry both. Microspikes are not crampons. They're for packed snow and moderate ice on hiking trails, not for steep, hard snow above treeline, which is why the avalanche center insists on crampons for the Lion Head route. Add trekking poles with snow baskets, an insulated jacket for stops, spare gloves, a headlamp, and a thermos. In December, darkness falls in mid-afternoon in the notches, and the steep walls of Crawford and Franconia Notch put the trailheads in shade well before that. Cold hands make every small task slower, from adjusting straps to opening a snack, so build extra time into the plan. A winter outing that takes three hours in summer conditions can easily take four or five in snow, so plan your start time around that and not around the summer figures in the guides.
Arethusa Falls on ice
Arethusa Falls, in Crawford Notch, is about 2.8 to 3 miles round trip with roughly 800 feet of gain on a rocky, rooty path. Our guide says microspikes are essential in winter, when the falls freeze. It's a good winter outing for hikers with traction and some experience. Never walk out onto the frozen falls or the ice at their base. The optional loop over Frankenstein Cliff has a steep descent that's better left for summer.
Open granite ledges: Welch-Dickey and Artist's Bluff
Bare granite is what makes these two short hikes special in summer and fall, and it's also why they're difficult in winter. TrailFinder warns that the Welch-Dickey ledges become extremely icy and dangerous in fall, winter and spring. The 4.4-mile loop, with about 1,800 feet of gain, crosses long stretches of open bedrock where you follow cairns and paint blazes, with some short, steep scrambles. Covered in ice, that rock is slick, and snow can hide the cairns. Our guide lists spring through fall as the seasons, so treat Welch-Dickey as an option for experienced winter hikers with good traction on a calm, clear day, or leave it until the ledges are dry. Artist's Bluff and Bald Mountain is only 1.5 miles with about 535 feet of gain, but the Bald Mountain spur includes a steep ledge scramble with grades up to about 45 percent, and the bluff ends at an edge above Echo Lake. Our guide lists summer and fall as its seasons. In winter it's for confident hikers with traction only, and it's a poor choice with children.
Parking on the ledge hikes
Welch-Dickey is a White Mountain National Forest fee site on Orris Road: $5 per day, $30 annual, with America the Beautiful passes accepted. We haven't confirmed winter plowing on the approach roads, so check before you drive. For Artist's Bluff, TrailFinder notes the NH-18 lot may be closed when Cannon's ski area isn't operating, in which case use the designated highway lots.
Franconia Ridge in winter is a mountaineering route
The Franconia Ridge Loop is about 8.9 miles with 3,900 feet of gain in guidebook figures, and about two miles of it are above treeline over Little Haystack, Lincoln and Lafayette. Our guide says plainly that the ridge isn't a winter hike for most people and becomes a mountaineering route. In winter that means hard snow and ice on the ridge, wind that can knock you off balance, cloud that hides the cairns, and no easy way off once you're between summits. The Falling Waters Trail was rerouted in September 2026 near Cloudland Falls, with old streamside sections closed and a new switchbacking route to the north. Follow the new blazes, and don't assume older winter trip reports describe the trail as it is now. If you're building toward a winter ridge day, make it a separate goal: get comfortable on Lonesome Lake and Willard first, learn to use crampons and an ice axe, go with partners who have done it in winter, and turn back at treeline if the Higher Summits Forecast or the sky looks doubtful.
The hikeSafe card and rescue costs
New Hampshire Fish and Game sells a voluntary hikeSafe card, which our guides list at $25 for an individual or $35 for a family in 2026. The program says carrying one lets you avoid being held liable for rescue costs, but you may still be billed if your actions meet criteria set by state law. The card also helps fund the state's search and rescue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best winter hike in the White Mountains for beginners?
Mount Willard is a good first choice. It's 3.2 miles round trip with about 900 feet of gain at a moderate grade, and it ends on ledges above Crawford Notch. Bring microspikes and keep back from the drop. Lonesome Lake and the flat walk to Diana's Baths are good alternatives.
Can you hike Mount Washington in winter?
Experienced mountaineers do, but it isn't a hike in winter. The main winter route needs an ice axe and crampons, Tuckerman Ravine is avalanche terrain, and the summit has recorded a 231 mph wind. Get training and experienced partners, read the Higher Summits and avalanche forecasts, and be ready to turn back.
Do I need microspikes or snowshoes in the White Mountains?
Usually microspikes, because popular trails are packed hard and often icy. Bring snowshoes after fresh snow or when the trail isn't packed, and carry both if you're unsure. Neither one replaces crampons on steep, hard snow above treeline.