New Hampshire · Hiking · Great Gulf Wilderness · Near North Conway

Buttress

ButtressPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
3.2 mi
round trip
2,201 ft
climb
4,900 ft
high point
Out and back
route

Is Buttress open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in White Mountain National Forest. It doesn't name Buttress, 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.

Buttress is a 3.2-mile out-and-back hike in the Great Gulf Wilderness, part of the Androscoggin Ranger District of White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is rated moderate with a one-way elevation gain of 1,573 feet. The climb starts at about 3,397 feet and reaches a high point of 4,900 feet. The steepest stretch comes early, around 0.23 miles in, with a grade of about 44 percent. The trail is natural-surface and not accessible, and bikes are not allowed. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Mt Washington weather station show July highs around 55°F and lows near 44°F, with no snow days. That station sits about 1,367 feet higher than the trail, so temperatures on the route run warmer. Adams Slide Trail starts just 0.1 mile away, and Six Husbands is 0.4 mile off. The WM: Pinkham / Presidentials climbing area and Osgood Tent Site are both about 1.8 miles away.

Around this trail

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

    Osgood Tent Site

    Campground

    Campground · 1.8 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    The Glen House

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 3 mi
  • If it rainsKen Gallager, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    New England Ski Museum

    Museum

    Museum · 22 mi from North Conway

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: Ken Gallager, CC BY-SA 4.0 (commons)

More in North Conway
  • Best time to go

    Best time to visit Buttress

    No month here meets our mild-weather rule. 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

      15° / -3°

      20 wet · 20 snow

    2. Feb

      15° / -3°

      18 wet · 18 snow

    3. Mar

      21° / 5°

      20 wet · 18 snow

    4. Apr

      31° / 17°

      18 wet · 13 snow

    5. May

      42° / 30°

      18 wet · 7 snow

    6. Jun

      51° / 40°

      17 wet · 2 snow

    7. Jul

      55° / 44°

      17 wet

    8. Aug

      54° / 43°

      15 wet

    9. Sep

      49° / 37°

      14 wet · 2 snow

    10. Oct

      38° / 25°

      18 wet · 9 snow

    11. Nov

      28° / 13°

      19 wet · 15 snow

    12. Dec

      20° / 3°

      21 wet · 19 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mt Washington, NH, 2.8 mi away at 6,267 ft. The station sits about 1,400 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

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Adams Slide Trail

Next door

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Six HusbandsPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Six Husbands

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Mt Jefferson Loop

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Chandler Brook

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~5 min drive

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Great GulfPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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~2 min drive

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Edmands ColPhoto: Ktr101, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Edmands Col

~2 min drive

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