Mount Morgan and Mount Percival

Pair Of Low Summits In The Squam Range Above Squam Lake Whose Loop Of About 5 Miles (Confirm) Includes Fixed Ladders And Optional Boulder Caves Near The Tops, With Bypasses (Confirm), And Wide Views Over The Lake And The Lakes Region. · Holderness, New Hampshire

Two low, rocky summits at the northern end of the Squam Range in Holderness, joined by a loop of about 5 miles (confirm) that is one of the most popular half-day hikes in the Lakes Region. Mount Morgan and Mount Percival both rise to roughly 2,200 feet (confirm), and their open ledges look south and east over a big island-dotted lake, the Lakes Region hills and, on clear days, Lake Winnipesaukee and the Sandwich Range. The loop starts from roadside parking on NH Route 113 between Holderness and Center Sandwich and climbs through hardwood forest on two separate trails, linked along the ridge. What sets it apart from other short hikes is the finish: near the top of Morgan the trail climbs a set of fixed ladders on a rock face, and near the top of Percival it threads a jumble of boulder caves (confirm which feature sits on which summit). Both have bypass paths for hikers who do not want to climb or squeeze. Most people take three to four hours. The ledges are slick when wet, the ladders and caves are hard or impossible for dogs, and the roadside parking fills early on fine weekends.

NH Route 113 (Morgan-Percival trailhead), Holderness, New Hampshire, 03245, United States

The trails are open all year at all hours, with no gate, staff or visitor building. Parking is at roadside pull-offs on NH Route 113 (confirm current layout and any posted rules); there are no toilets at the trailhead. Route 113 is plowed in winter, but snowbanks shrink the pull-offs from about December to March. The loop is best from about late May to late October; in winter and during the April and early May thaw the ladders and ledges carry ice and running water and need traction or should be skipped. On fine summer and foliage weekends the roadside spaces often fill by mid-morning.

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