Mount Major
Summit Of About 1,780 Feet Above Alton Bay With One Of The Widest Views Over Lake Winnipesaukee; One Of The Most Climbed Hikes In The Lakes Region, On Land Largely Conserved By Conservation Groups And The State (Confirm Current Owners). · Alton, New Hampshire
A low, bare-topped mountain in Alton, at the southern end of Lake Winnipesaukee, whose open summit of about 1,780 feet looks straight down the length of the lake from Alton Bay to the islands, with the White Mountains on the skyline beyond. For its size it is one of the most climbed hikes in New Hampshire, and on a clear autumn weekend hundreds of people walk up. Two main routes start from the same trailhead lot on Route 11: the steeper, ledgy Main Trail and the gentler Brook Trail, and most people climb one and descend the other for a loop of roughly three and a half to four miles. On the summit stand the low stone walls of a hut built in the 1920s by a local landowner, George Phippen, whose roof blew away long ago. Much of the mountain has been protected by conservation groups working with the state, among them the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (confirm current owners). The Belknap Range continues west from the summit for longer ridge walks. The climb is short but steep in places, the ledges are slick when wet, and the lot fills early.
NH Route 11 (Mount Major trailhead), Alton, New Hampshire, 03809, United States
Mount Major has no gate and no set hours: the trails are open year-round, day and night, and there has been no entrance or parking fee. The trailhead lot on Route 11 is unstaffed and has had at most a portable toilet in the busy season (confirm). On summer and foliage weekends the lot often fills by mid-morning or earlier, and parking on the Route 11 shoulder has been prohibited, with cars ticketed or towed (confirm current enforcement). In winter the lot may be only partly ploughed and the trails need traction. There are no services or lights on the mountain; sunrise and sunset hikers need headlamps.