Mount Percival and Mount Morgan Loop in Squam Range Conservation Easement, NH

Hike Mount Percival and Mount Morgan Loop Squam Range Conservation Easement, NH

Class 3 5.2 miles 1500 gain 2-4 hrs Loop Jul 9, 2022
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Mount Percival and Mount Morgan Loop GPX Track

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This loop visits the Squam Mountains High Point, but most people know the hike as the Mount Morgan and Mount Percival Loop. Neither of these named peaks have enough promience to actually be peaks, but they have views while the actual high point does not. I shelved another objective to go for this hike because the contrived features along the loop seemed fun, specifically the ladder section up Mount Morgan and the caves on Mount Percival. A note at the trailhead claimed the route is steeper up to Mount Percival, so I decided to go that direction first (counter-clockwise). You might prefer to ascend Mount Morgan initially instead since that means climbing up ladders rather than coming down them, but there was more scrambling on the way up Mount Percival, so I guess it doesn't really matter much which direction you go. Much of the land is managed by the Burleigh Land conservation easement, but I couldn't figure out the land ownership for the peaks themselves. There's also another trailhead you can use to start the loop that's located a few hundred feet north of where I parked.

I headed along the Morse Trail briefly before intersecting the Mount Percival Trail, which I followed north. There were a couple of cute little scramble-esque sections, but really it's a trail all the way to just before the summit. After a bit over a mile, I reached a sign at the base of some cliffs pointing for "Cliffs" to the right and "Caves" to the left. I chose the caves, but either option leads to the summit. The caves option led through a tight couple of boulder squeezes and had some light Class 3 scrambling on solid boulders. I passed a couple whose northeastern accents were masked only by their squeals of delight as they exclaimed how much they loved this section.

I made it to Mount Percival, which had some nice views toward Squam Lake to the southeast. I continued along the ridge crest by using the Crawford-Ridgepole Trail. It doesn't actually hit the Squam Mountains High Point, so I left the trail for a hundred feet to ascend a slippery slope to get this bump before continuing to Mount Morgan. The unobstructed view toward Squam Lake from Mount Morgan's overlook point is excellent. The trail continued south onto massive slabs of rock, and then suddenly the trail seemed to disappear. I looked around for a moment, confused. And then I saw it, a hole in the ground. I smiled happily at the gimmicky trail before lowering myself into the hole and finding the top of a wooden ladder, which I climbed down. I found the bits of scrambling to be fun, but a bit short-lived for the hype. I continued along the trail and reached a junction with the Mount Morgan Trail, which I took south. This portion of the hike followed a wide trail through the forest, and it was quite crowded.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Mount Percival
2200 ft
40 rise
2
Squam Mountains High Point
2260 ft
800 rise
3
Mount Morgan
2212 ft
52 rise

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Starting the Mount Percival and Mount Morgan Loop.
Starting the Mount Percival and Mount Morgan Loop.
Well-signed junctions.
Well-signed junctions.
Along the Mount Percival Trail.
Along the Mount Percival Trail.
Image 3 from gallery
The trail climbs for a few hundred feet until the base of the scrambling bit.
The trail climbs for a few hundred feet until the base of the scrambling bit.
View back with some obscured views toward Squam Lake.
View back with some obscured views toward Squam Lake.
A signed junction just below Mount Percival's summit. Left is for the caves, while right takes the cliffs. I went left, caves.
A signed junction just below Mount Percival's summit. Left is for the caves, while right takes the cliffs. I went left, caves.
Class 2.
Class 2.
Squeeze hole into the "cave".
Squeeze hole into the "cave".
Some more Class 2/2+ scrambling past the cave.
Some more Class 2/2+ scrambling past the cave.
View back down the scramble just below the summit.
View back down the scramble just below the summit.
Approaching Mount Percival, a view south along the Squam Mountains ridge.
Approaching Mount Percival, a view south along the Squam Mountains ridge.
Mount Percival.
Mount Percival.
Onward to Mount Morgan. The Squam Mountains true high point is located off the trail, a quick detour if you care to bag the high point.
Onward to Mount Morgan. The Squam Mountains true high point is located off the trail, a quick detour if you care to bag the high point.
Image 14 from gallery
A view along the way.
A view along the way.
Overlook toward Squam Lake. Mount Morgan's summit is just behind me.
Overlook toward Squam Lake. Mount Morgan's summit is just behind me.
Descending the trail past the overlook, which leads down some granite slabs.
Descending the trail past the overlook, which leads down some granite slabs.
View back up.
View back up.
A small cave that might be easy to miss, despite the blazes leading to it.
A small cave that might be easy to miss, despite the blazes leading to it.
The small cave opens up and leads to a ladder (behind me).
The small cave opens up and leads to a ladder (behind me).
Looking up at the ladder.
Looking up at the ladder.
A junction with the Mount Morgan Trail, which I took down to complete the loop.
A junction with the Mount Morgan Trail, which I took down to complete the loop.
Along the Mount Morgan Trail, a straightforward and wide trail back.
Along the Mount Morgan Trail, a straightforward and wide trail back.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!