Rainbow Trail

New Hampshire

New Hampshire

Free — you'll pick up right here.

4.5 mi

Distance

2,351 ft

Gain

2h 39m

Time

No verdict for this trail

We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.

What we do know

  • Inside White Mountain National Forest

    National Forest boundary is mapped — agency alerts for it feed this page automatically.

    Boundary data

What's missing

  • No access route mapped

    We don't yet know which road reaches this trailhead, so we can't tell you if it's gated.

Nobody's filed a report here yet — be the first.

Why you'll love it

Big climb
Out & back

Here's your day, mapped

Rainbow Trail

Suggested plan · check conditions before you go

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Meals

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Elevation & route

Distance
4.5 mi
Elevation gain
2,351 ft
Elevation loss
2,351 ft
Highest point
4,837 ft
Lowest point
2,579 ft
More about this trail ↓

Photos

Directions & GPX

Get Directions

Permits & access

Managing agency
Forest Service
Bikes
Allowed
Surface
Natural

Source for bikes, surface: USDA Forest Service National Forest System Trails (EDW)

About this trail

Rainbow Trail is a 4.51-mile out-and-back hike in New Hampshire with 2,299 feet of elevation gain. The trail follows an out-and-back route type, ascending 2,299 feet over 4.51 miles.

Facts about this trail

The climb

Starts at
2,600 ft
High point
4,837 ft
Total climbing
2,351 ft
Total descent
2,351 ft
Steepest stretch
37% grade around mile 1.1 on the way out
Length (round trip)
4.5 mi
Shape
Out and back

Most of the climbing comes early, so the second half is easier.

Source: Roamze elevation profile and trail geometry (DEM samples along the mapped route)

When to go

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Mt Washington, NH weather station, 7.2 mi away. High / low in °F, and days with snow.

  1. Jan15° high-3° low20 days with snow
  2. Feb15° high-3° low18 days with snow
  3. Mar21° high5° low18 days with snow
  4. Apr31° high17° low13 days with snow
  5. May42° high30° low7 days with snow
  6. Jun51° high40° low2 days with snow
  7. Jul55° high44° low
  8. Aug54° high43° low
  9. Sep49° high37° low2 days with snow
  10. Oct38° high25° low9 days with snow
  11. Nov28° high13° low15 days with snow
  12. Dec20° high3° low19 days with snow

The station sits about 1,400 ft higher than this spot, so expect it to run a little warmer here.

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Managed by
Forest Service

Source: USFS EDW boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1

Conditions

Active alerts for White Mountain National Forest as of Oct 9, 2026:

Source: USFS forest alerts

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)

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