Appalachian Trail surge
The New Hampshire stretch of the Appalachian Trail saw 2.88 million visitors last year — massive foot traffic on a single state segment — and remains a hotspot as early spring ushers hikers back onto the White Mountains and Mount Washington corridors New Hampshire stretch of Appalachian Trail had 2.88 million visitors last year | New Hampshire Public Radio. Expect heavy use and variable early-season conditions on popular segments through the coming weeks New Hampshire stretch of Appalachian Trail had 2.88 million visitors last year | New Hampshire Public Radio.
The state’s A.T. corridor measures about 160.9 miles and includes 15.2 miles above treeline—the most above‑treeline mileage of any state on the trail. appalachiantrail.org The Appalachian Trail Conservancy reported 16.9 million recreation visits system‑wide in 2025. appalachiantrail.org The ATC calculated that total using aggregated mobile‑location data, trail counters and field observations. rv-pro.com Local coverage and ATC summaries list New Hampshire as the second‑most visited A.T. state, with only Virginia recording more visits; Virginia contains nearly a quarter of the trail’s mileage. concordmonitor.com Mount Washington’s summit elevation is 6,288 feet, and the busiest approaches—Tuckerman Ravine and the Lion Head/Pinkham Notch corridor—connect through the Pinkham Notch trailhead and AMC visitor center. nhstateparks.org The Mount Washington Avalanche Center flags springtime hazards such as overhead ice and rockfall, open glide cracks and changing avalanche patterns, and it publishes daily avalanche forecasts and a live snowpack tracker. mountwashingtonavalanchecenter.org The White Mountain National Forest maintains Forest Supervisor orders that include seasonal closures for areas like Tuckerman’s, and the Forest Service sells day and annual parking passes for many trailhead lots; the Appalachian Mountain Club operates a published White Mountain hiker shuttle for 2026. fs.usda.gov
