Hiking North & South Hancock

North and South Hancock mountain are perfect to combine together for a day hike. Located near the middle of the Kancamagus highway, they feature a quick ascent. These mountains don’t have exposed summits, but the summit of North Hancock has exposed granite with incredible views of the North side of the Osceola and East Osceola across the Kancamagus Highway. South Hancock has views facing the east and southeast.

North Hancock

Height: 4,420 feet (1,347 meters)
Distance: 8.6 miles round trip (13.84 km)
Elevation Gain: 2,500 feet
Difficulty: Intermediate
Duration: 3-5 hours

 

South Hancock

Height: 4,319 feet (1,316 meters)
Distance: 8.2 miles round trip (13.82 km)
Elevation Gain: 2,200 feet
Difficulty: Intermediate
Duration: 3-5 hours

 

North and South Hancock

Distance: 9.8 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 2,700 feet (15.77 km)
Duration: 4-6 hours

 

Trail Map

Trails

Hancock Notch Trail – This trail is the beginning portion of the loop up both summits. It starts at the point of the big bend in the Kanc (directions below). It crosses quite a few easy to cross rivers, but descends relatively slowly before

Hancock Loop Trail – This trail connects the summits of North and South Hancock. It is 1.4 miles between the peaks.

Winter Hiking

This is a fantastic winter hiking trail. Due to the steep sections up to each mountain summit, it can be difficult and slippery. In the winter, the trail also opens up providing views that hikers can’t quite get in the summertime. Because the trailhead is on the Kancamagus Highway, this trailhead is accessible year round.

 

Directions

Parking is located at the Hancock overlook. At the far end of the parking lot, a trail goes through the short section of woods before hikers need to cross the road at the big bend in the Kanc. This is the beginning of the trailhead. Exercise caution crossing as it can be difficult for cars to see individuals crossing.

 

Weather Forecast

Lincoln, NH

This Afternoon
Mostly sunny, with a high near 19. West wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.

Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 14. Wind chill values as low as -4. West wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.

Monday
Sunny, with a high near 31. Southwest wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.

Monday Night
A chance of snow showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. Southwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Tuesday
A chance of snow showers before 7am, then snow between 7am and 3pm, then rain and snow. Cloudy, with a high near 35. Southwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Tuesday Night
Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 35. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Wednesday
Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 37. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

 

Pictures