Mt. Garfield – New Hampshire (Fall)

There are few better destinations in the US for fall foliage viewing than New Hampshire’s White Mountains. This past weekend (October 15, 2017), we ventured up to the Franconia Range to hike Mt. Garfield and hopefully take in some fall scenery…we were not disappointed. As we drove through Franconia Notch, we were greeted with a sea of beautiful burnt orange trees blanketing the mountains on both sides of the notch. Peak foliage had indeed arrived, albeit a bit delayed. The weather in and around Franconia Notch was perfect for a Fall hike, with good visibility and temperatures in the 60’s. We parked at the Garfield trailhead and hit the trail at about 10 AM. Although there were plenty of available parking spots, both the parking lot and the trail itself were crowded by this point late in the morning.







Trail Summary

Distance: 10.0 miles out and back

Elevation Gain: 3,000 ft

Summit Elevation: 4,500 ft

Difficulty: Easy (but long)

Time: 6 hours

Trail Map: 4,000footers.com

The Garfield Trail is 4.8 miles each way, with a 0.2 mile hike to the summit along the Garfield Ridge Trail bringing the round-trip distance to 10 miles. While 10 miles is long enough to seem intimidating, the trail is generally considered one of the easier 4,000-footer ascents in the White Mountains. The 3,000 feet of elevation gain is extremely gradual, and there are no steep sections with the exception of the final 0.2 mile push to the summit.

The entire trail is pretty much a green tunnel (more of an orange tunnel this time of year) with no views until reaching the summit. While it’s much less exciting than other White Mountain ascents like the Falling Waters Trail, hiking at this point in the season more than made up for the lack of views along the way. Most of the trail was carpeted in a layer of red and orange leaves and the colorful surroundings made the long, gradual hike seem much less monotonous.

Summit

Once you reach the summit, you will notice the remaining base of an old fire tower marking the highest point. On a clear day, you will enjoy unobstructed views of Franconia Ridge and the Pemigewasset Wilderness. On this particular day, the wind was incredibly strong, so we took cover inside the concrete fire tower foundation where we ate lunch. While it was sunny throughout the ascent, the clouds had rolled in at the higher elevations, completely blocking any views. Luckily, there were periodic gaps in the clouds that allowed us to catch brief glimpses of what certainly would have been spectacular views on a clear day.

Read More: Best Hikes in New England

Mt. Garfield is a great 4,000-footer for beginners who aren’t quite ready to take on multi-summit hikes or any of the more challenging peaks in the White Mountains. It is relatively long for a single -summit hike, but the ascent is so gradual that it is not terribly difficult. While the views in the fall are stunning, it’s a great hike in any season.

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