Mt Chocorua New Hampshire Hike Guide

Mt Chocorua is a prominent peak located in central New Hampshire. This mountain is known for its fun scrambling, rocky top with 360 degree views and is said to be one of the most photographed peaks in the world. There are a variety of ways to gain the summit but one of the most popular is the Piper Trail to Liberty Trail loop which this guide is based off. Mt Chocorua also has quite an interesting history which you can read more about here. 

Mt Chocorua Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Mt Chocorua

Mt Chocorua Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)

Distance: 9.2 Miles RT – Includes Three Sisters

Elevation Start: 772ft 

Highest Point: 3,484ft

Total Elevation Gain: 3,308ft

Estimated Time to Complete: 6-8 Hours RT

Difficulty: Moderate What does this mean?

Class: Class 3- Minor Class 3 moves on the Carter Ledge Trail- What does this mean?

Season: May – November (expect snow outside of this period)

Check the Weather Forecast

Directions to Mt Chocorua

Trailhead: Piper Trailhead

Getting Here: There are a number of ways to start the hike up Mt Chocorua but for the loop hike, be sure to head to the Piper Trailhead. Navigate to Piper Trail Road and continue down the narrow dirt road to the parking lot. 

Parking: The Piper Trailhead lot is relatively small but can fit about 30 or so cars. There really is no additional parking after that since much of the surrounding area is residential. The parking area has a few non-plumbing bathrooms. This hike will fill-up on most weekends during the summer and fall so get there early. 

Fee: As of 2021, there is a $5 fee that must be paid at the trailhead. The fee is cash only. Alternatively, you can display your White Mountains Recreation Pass if you have one. 

Summary

Dogs: This hike is dog friendly, but I would not recommend the Carter Ledge Trail and this entire loop for any dog that is not very good at scrambling on rocks. There were 2 or 3 sections where we had to lift our dog Juno up the rock faces. She is excellent at scrambling but some of the jumps were just too big for her. Smaller dogs should not have a problem as they are easily carried up stuff. In general though, know your dog and watch my full video of this hike to see what those tough sections look like. 

Camping: Camping is only allowed on two areas of the Mt Chocorua hike: Camp Penacook and the Jim Liberty Cabin. The Jim Liberty Cabin is free for all and no reservations are required. Camp Penacook is not located on this loop, but is an option for those looking to camp on this side of the mountain. 

Make it a Loop: Mt Chocorua has a number of ways to the summit, but the best loop is starting up the Piper Trail, heading to the Carters Ledge trail, continuing on to the Middle Sisters Trail, heading down the Liberty Trail and finally to the Hammond and Weetamoo Trails back to the car. View a map of the area here. 

Hike Tip(s): Although you can hike the Mt Chocorua loop trail either way, I would recommend starting a counterclockwise loop (starting on the Piper Trail first, not Weetamoo). The reason I say this is for a couple of reasons: the rocks can be slippery and there are several sections where downclimbing would not be super fun. In general, I prefer to climb vs downclimb. In addition, I find that I prefer to tackle the tougher sections on a hike when my legs are fresh. If you descended the Carter Ledge trail on tired legs, a slip or fall would not be good. 

XFactor: Stream Crossing & Summit Views

When hiking down the Liberty Trail, just about ½ mile from the end of the hike there is a stream crossing. When it’s a dry year or during the fall months, this will not be an issue at all. However during the spring when snow is melting or after a very rainy month, this stream crossing can turn into quite a little project. Jackie, Juno (our dog) and I all had different ways of crossing the stream because the waters were so high. 

When hiking Mt Chocorua, be sure to pick a day with clear visibility because the views on this hike are absolutely fantastic and you would not want to miss them with poor visibility. 

Best Views: On a clear day, this hike delivers A++ views, some of the best New Hampshire has to offer. The summit views are untouchable, but so are most of the views coming over from the Three Sisters and on the summit of the Middle Sister. There is an old fire tower there that is certainly worth exploring for a few minutes. In addition, we loved the views from the granite slabs Carter Ledge as well. The only poor views on this hike was most of the Liberty Trail which is mostly in the Trees. 

Mt Chocorua + Three Sisters Hike Route

Gear Needed

• Men’s Trail Runners
• Women’s Trail Runners
• La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
• La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Women’s)
• Backpack
• Food & Water
• Optional: Garmin inReach
• Optional: Hiking Poles
• Optional: Headlamp
• Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
• Optional: Camera and Lens
• Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
• *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.

Our Trip to Mt Chocorua: July 2021

July in New Hampshire is hard to beat. When the rain stops and it’s your birthday, it’s even better. For my birthday, I wanted to hike with my family – my wife Jackie and dog Juno and after deciding that Mt Lincoln & Mt Lafayette loop was going to have too high winds, we landed on Mt Chocorua. I grew up in New Hampshire and hiked a lot, but somehow had never heard of Mt Chocorua. We arrived at the trailhead around 7:30 on a Saturday and started the hike.  

The hiking started in the forest but once we joined the Carter Ledge trail, elevation picked up rapidly. The trail was very steep and recent rain had washed it out making conditions even more challenging. After a bit, we hit the slabby granite slopes of the Carter Ledge and immediately were greeted with amazing views of the Lakes Region of New Hampshire behind us. The scrambling started after this with several sections of fun class 2 and low 3 hiking. Jackie wasn’t thrilled about it since a lot of the rock was wet but Juno was in heaven, leaping up the massive granite boulders. 

We summited all three of the Sisters: First Sister, Middle Sister and Third Sister stopping for a short break at the Middle. The views up here continued to deliver and with a perfect light breeze in the air, the day was just perfect so far. As we continued on towards the summit of Mt Chocorua, our objective for the day, the crowds picked up but so did the fun scrambling and amazing views. Near the summit, there were a few variations to take. I decided to find the hardest route possible while Jackie and Juno stuck to the main trail. We enjoyed our time on the summit, Juno trying to steal food from strangers. After a while, we decided to head back down, this time completing the loop on the Liberty Trail to the Hammond Trail to the Weetamoo Trail. This portion of the hike was far less eventful and much easier hiking but we did check out the Jim Liberty Cabin which was pretty neat.

After the hike, we headed over to Chocorua Lake to soak in more views of the beautiful mountain before driving home. Overall, all three of us loved our hike up Mt Chocorua and I would easily repeat this one. I feel this is a classic New Hampshire hike and is worthwhile for any hiker looking for a moderate day with some scrambling involved. 

Mt Chocorua Virtual Hike Guide