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Cannon Mountain is one of New Hampshire’s 48 4,000 footers. It’s a popular ski resort in the winter. In the summers, people can use the gondola to take scenic rides up the mountain. While this is a nice option for people who can’t physically hike up, it makes for a very crowded summit! There are multiple trails you can use for the hike, all of which can be found on AllTrails.
Jarrett and I got an early start for this hike but sadly, not early enough. The parking lot near the trailhead we wanted to use was full. We ended up parking at the Cannon Mountain Ski Resort lot and took a shuttle to the trailhead we wanted. The first part of the hike took us up to Lonesome Lake. It’s fairly steep, but overall, not a terrible way to start the day. The trail around the lake was very damp and had some rotted bog boards, but otherwise was a pleasant stroll.
From here, the trail started with a steep incline and didn’t relent. The trail was rocky, as New England is known for, and required a lot of careful attention. Once we connected to the Kinsman Ridge trail, things were a little sketchy in places. We fared okay but we came across a family who wasn’t having the best time. There were some gaps and boulders they had to maneuver around, which was difficult for kids. Once at the top, there is a trail circling the summit. There is a platform/tower that you can climb up to get amazing 360º views. As mentioned above, this is where the gondola brings a lot of tourists, so the summit was very crowded.
We took a different trail down to put us closer to our car so we could bypass the shuttle. However, the trail ended up being very steep, wet, slippery and slow-moving descent.
🥾 Approx. 6.5 miles round trip
⛰️ Approx. elevation gain 2,454 ft.
🌲 Hard to Strenuous (depends on fitness level)
💰 Free! (unless you need to use the shuttle)
🦮 Dogs allowed
🚽 Bathrooms available
I’m not sure if I’d repeat this hike again, although the views of Franconia Ridge across the notch were stunning!
📍I acknowledge the lands mentioned in this post are the ancestral lands of the Wabanaki (Dawnland Confederacy) and N’dakina (Abenaki / Abénaquis) people.
The Adventures of Suze 
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