Located in Carroll, New Hampshire, Mount Jackson is one of the shorter 4000’ers at 4,052’. My friend Kayleigh and I started this hike at midnight on October 8th, summited just before 2am, and then laid out our sleeping pads and sleeping bags until sunrise.

The hike up was easy-moderate, it wasn’t super steep but the majority of the path involved stepping around rocks and roots- it felt like more than some trails. The end of the trail was the hardest with some scrambling to do. My guess is this would have been a little easier to do in the daylight!

I wore a long sleeve, Patagonia nanopuff, and leggings. The temperature wasn’t bad while moving, I could have been fine in shorts and a t-shirt. But once we got to the summit, the cold settled in and on top of that, it was misting. I curled up in my sleeping bag and in the middle of the night I stretched back out to turn onto my other side, and was greeted with the cold and dampness from the mist.

We set out alarms for 6:15am as sunrise was set to be at 6:50am. Probably around 6:20am, someone walked right by us. I think maybe we had ended up sleeping on part of the trail at the summit? It was completely foggy and it seemed like there would be no sun in sight for quite a while, if at all. We descended just before 7:00am and about 15 minutes later we started to see blue skies. Gah!

I’m sure it would have been a killer view, as you have 360° views from the summit and it was prime leaf peeping- the fall foliage was on full display! On our way down, we passed probably ~30 people, and when we got to the bottom, the parking was packed full.

On our way home, we did a quick stop at Artists Bluff in Franconia Notch. That spot always is an amazing view, though I will say the sunlight in the morning washes the view/photos out. I would recommend the afternoon for better lighting.

PARKING

There is parking along Route 302, right past the AMC Highland Center.

MILEAGE

5.2 miles. There is a trail sign indicating how far you’ve got left to the summit at 1.2 miles- just another 1.4 miles from there!

ELEVATION

4,052’

TERRAIN

Lots of rocks and roots to step over, moderate incline

THE VIEWS

You can get 360° views from the summit of Mount Jackson looking out into the Presidential Range.

GEAR

The Cat’s Meow Sleeping Bag | North Face, Backcountry
Nemo Flyer Sleeping Pad | REI, Moosejaw, Backcountry