Gretchen Stuppy Carlson
Located in the heart of the White Mountains in Crawford Notch, Mount Jackson NH is one of the shortest hikes to reach one of the 4,000 footers. This short and steep hike offers incredible views of the Presidential Mountains. You can hike this as a 4.7 mile out and back trail, or add on about 2 miles to make this a loop including Webster.
Quick Look at Hiking Mount Jackson NH
There are several routesto hike Mount Jackson NH. The most direct route starts at the Jackson-Webster Trailhead.
Distance: 4.7 miles Elevation Gain: 2,200 feet Difficulty: Hard Hiking Time: 3-5 hours
The trail starts in Crawford Notch. Find the trailhead for the Jackson-Webster Trail near the small lake. The trail distances above describe this as an out and back hiking route, but you can also do this hike as a loop by also doing Webster.
The trail itself is relatively short and steep and gets steepers for the last 1/3 of the trail. The trail is typical for NH with lots of rocks and routes and is best hiked in sturdy hiking boots. With the exception of a small scenic overlook after the first 20 minutes, most of the trail is in the woods and you won’t get views until you reach the summit.
The summit of Jackson is very exposed with incredible views of the Presidential Range and Crawford Notch. Photos from this hike show the hiking trail in the winter, but when we’ve done this trail in the summer there were places with mud as well.
Alternate Route up Jackson Jackson-Webster Loop Distance: 6.4 miles Elevation Gain: 2,385
Map of Mount Jackson Hiking Trail
Things to Know About Hiking Mount Jackson NH
Parking and Trailhead
To access the trailhead up Mount Jackson, you will park at Crawford Notch Depot – there is a lot of parking here but there are also a lot of popular hiking trails and this lot often fills up especially on summer and fall weekends.
Dogs on the Trail
Dogs are allowed on the trail but must be leashed. I did this hike with my dog Cali and she had a blast.
Things to Know
Mount Jackson is a great hiking option if you are looking for a winter 4,0000 footers. Make sure you have microspikes and/or snowshoes if you are hiking in the winter.
As always, be prepared in the White Mountains for rapidly changing weather and dramtic differences between the trailhead and the summit.
This is also an excellent fall hike or since it is through the forest for much of the hike.
Leave No Trace
As always – please practice Leave no Trace. This means staying on the trail and packing out your trash. If you are new to hiking, learn more about how to hike for beginners.
Hiking Mount Jackson NH
Our family has done this hike several times, but most recently I hiked in on an exceptionally warm day in February with my Australian Shephard – Cali.
After dropping the rest of my crew for a day of skiing at Attitash, Cali and I headed out on the trail around 10 am. There were a few feet of snowpack, but the temperatures were already hovering around 40 making it a soft day. I started the hike with microspikes and used them the entire hike. They were absolutely essential towards the top of the hike when there were section of all ice.
The trail ascend relatively quickly to the first scenic overlook marked by a sign then continues more gradually to the sign marking the trail break. At this point you have the option of going to Webster or Jackson. If you want to do this as a loop – take the right and ascend Webster. This was my plan, but the trail to Webster wasn’t as well packed and with the warm temperatures I was postholing a lot.
Turn left to continue up to Jackson. This next section of the trail is the steepest and continues uphill steadily and steep to the summit. Towards the summit, the trails get smaller and you begin to get views out across the valley.
Once you reach the summit, you have incredible views in many directions and ample space for relaxing and taking it all in!
Here’s a view of Finley doing the hike a few year’s ago.
Once you’ve enjoyed the views you can turn around and retrace your steps or continue on over Webster to make the loop.
As always, it’s worth reading the most recent comments on All Trails.
