At 5,366 feet in elevation in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Mount Madison is the northernmost mountain in the Presidential Range.

Mount Madison and the Presidentials, including nearby Mount Adams, Mount Jefferson and Mount Washington all rise well above treeline into the alpine zone. Weather can be very changeable and harsh without much notice, but on this trip, we lucked out with clear skies, but a steady wind.

We were joined with by our friends Greg, Barb, and Patrick on this hike and began at the Great Gulf Trailhead on Route 16, just outside of Gorham. From the trailhead, we followed the Great Gulf Trail to the Osgood Trail. At that trail junction, Jeff headed up the Osgood Trail to the summit, while the rest of the group continued on Great Gulf Trail to the Six Husbands Trail, then to the Madison Gulf Trail, then along the Parapet Trail and reconnected with the Osgood Trail for an ascent to the summit of Mount Madison. From the summit the entire group descended down to the Madison Spring Hut, where we had a good long rest and then took the Star Lake Trail to the Buttress Trail, descended the Buttress Trail to the Six Husbands Trail, and finally out to the Great Gulf Trail, which we followed back to the trailhead.

This was a 12.5+ mile hike with about 4,300 feet of elevation gain. We'd classify this as a difficult hike, with rock scrambles, a few small climbs over large rocks, and then a very long and rocky descent on the Buttress Trail.

You can find this hike:

• Described in the White Mountain Guide

• Shown on the AMC White Mountain Map

• Shown on the White Mountains Trail Map

Help with hiking?

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Gear we used on this hike:

• Osprey Talon 22 Pack

• Osprey Kestrel 38 Pack

• Altra Lone Peak 5 Shoes

• Deliberate Life Designs Sandals

• Black Diamond Trail Back Trekking Poles

• Darn Tough Midweight Hiking Socks

• Patagonia Nine Trails Shorts

• Eddie Bauer Guide Pro Shorts

• Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter

• CNOC Vecto Water Container

• Nalgene 32-ounce Wide-Mouth Water Bottles

• Energizer LED Headlamp

• NEMO Chipper Reclaimed Closed-Cell Foam Seat Pad

• Mountain Hardwear Acadia Jacket

• Cotopaxi Teca Half-Zip Windbreaker

• Columbia Titanium Outdry Ex Reign Jacket

• Garmin Instinct Watch

• Garmin InReach Explorer+ GPS

Hydration and nutrition for this hike:

• The Complete Cookie

• Gatorade Endurance Carb Energy Chews

• Jelly Belly Sport Beans - Energizing Jelly Beans

• GU Energy Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Drink Mix

• NUUN Sport + Caffeine Hydration Tablets

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