Maine · Hiking · Near North Conway

Miles Notch Trail

6.4 mi
round trip
2,367 ft
climb
1,853 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Oct
best months

Caution today

Agency alerts are in effect for this area; weather is good · USFS, OpenWeather · checked 8 h ago

Is Miles Notch Trail open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in White Mountain National Forest. It doesn't name Miles Notch Trail, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).

As of · Source: USFS · White Mountain National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Miles Notch Trail is a hard out-and-back hike in Maine's White Mountain National Forest, within the Saco Ranger District. The route is 6.4 miles long, with a total gain of 2,367 feet, and it climbs to a high point of 1,853 feet. The trail is natural-surface and allows bikes, but it is not accessible. The steepest part of the route comes at about 1.7 miles in, where the grade reaches 33 percent. That means the climb is a significant undertaking, and the trail is best suited to experienced hikers and riders who can handle a long, rolling route with substantial elevation change. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Bethel show July highs around 79°F with lows near 57°F, though that station sits well below the trail's high point, so temperatures on the summit run cooler. The trail starts at the Miles Notch Trail Parking Lot and is open year-round. Plan on about 3.5 hours for the round trip. Within a few miles you'll find the Cold Brook Trail, the Adams Mountian Trail and the Evergreen Link Trail, and the Family Wall climbing area is about 3.4 miles away.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Camping Field

    Campground

    Campground · 3.9 mi from the trail
  • If it rains

    Several Viewpoints at Black Cap

    Viewpoint

    On your way back · 17 mi

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in North Conway
  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit Miles Notch Trail

    Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      28° / 8°

    2. Feb

      31° / 11°

    3. Mar

      40° / 19°

    4. Apr

      52° / 31°

    5. May

      65° / 42°

    6. Jun

      74° / 51°

    7. Jul

      79° / 57°

    8. Aug

      78° / 56°

    9. Sep

      71° / 47°

    10. Oct

      57° / 37°

    11. Nov

      45° / 27°

    12. Dec

      34° / 17°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Bethel 6 Sse, ME, 7.9 mi away at 790 ft. The station sits about 1,100 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Cold Brook TrailPhoto: D. Sikes from Fairbanks, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Cold Brook Trail

~2 min drive

4.40-mile out-and-back trail in Maine with 723 ft gain.

Shell Pond trailPhoto: Me in ME, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Shell Pond trail

~6 min drive

2.48-mile out-and-back trail in Maine with 489 ft elevation gain and loss.

HIKE

Red Rock

~5 min drive

11.20-mile out-and-back trail in Maine with 993 ft gain.

Stone House TrailPhoto: Paul VanDerWerf from Brunswick, Maine, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Stone House Trail

~6 min drive

1.40-mile out-and-back trail in Maine with 608 ft elevation loss

Shell Pond LoopPhoto: Me in ME, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Shell Pond Loop

~7 min drive

0.86-mile out-and-back trail at Shell Pond Loop in Maine with 26 ft of elevation gain.

HIKE

Blueberry Ridge Trail

~6 min drive

6.20-mile out-and-back trail in Maine with 251 ft gain and 1,811 ft loss.

HIKE

COLD BROOK TRAIL

~3 min drive

5.08-mile out-and-back hike in Maine with 1,872 ft elevation gain and loss.

Leach Link TrailPhoto: Paul VanDerWerf from Brunswick, Maine, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Leach Link Trail

~10 min drive

2.40-mile out-and-back hike in Maine with 232 ft gain

HIKE

Heald Bradley Ponds Reserve Trails

~6 min drive

7.98-mile out-and-back trail in Maine with 2,684 ft elevation gain and loss.

HIKE

Adams Mountian Trail

~3 min drive

2.04-mile out-and-back trail in Maine with 1,092 ft elevation gain and loss.