Class 2 5.8 miles 2500 gain 2-4 hrs Out + Back Jul 8, 2023
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Mount Tecumseh GPX Track

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Mount Tecumseh is on the New Hampshire 4000er list, but only by three feet, but this minor distinction pushes the peak to be a pretty popular hike for those looking to complete the list. I met up with friends Evan and Tony who, in the past, had reached the summit from the east side using the Waterville Valley Ski Area approach. I was content to hike either trail to gain Mount Tecumseh, but this approach from the Tripoli Road Trailhead meant a new hike for them, and so here we were. After completing both directions, they agreed the hikes were comparable, though they admitted it's likely because neither trail is all that memorable. That all said, it's a gorgeous forest walk to Mount Tecumseh, but there's only one view and that's at the summit.

We parked on the side of Tripoli Road, a dirt road passable to any vehicle, since the small parking lot was completely full. After a stream crossing just past the trailhead, the trail ascended in nearly a straight line at a tame grade for the first mile, the ground surprisingly less rocky than most I'd encountered on this trip. I hadn't caught up with these friends in some time, so it was fortunate we barely had to watch our step to avoid kicking a boulder and instead focus on conversation.

The trail climbed a bit more steeply as it ascended into the more lush fern-covered and mossy forest we all love so much about the White Mountains, and landed us on an unexpected false summit. Still about a mile away, Mount Tecumseh's high point required dropping a couple hundred feet east along the trail to the saddle with the false summit. The final few hundred feet to gain the summit was steeper and introduced some light scrambling, much different than the vast majority of the hike. The summit view of Mount Tecumseh has a one-directional view southeast, where you can see the unique north slide scar on Mount Tripyramid, as well as the bulk of Mount Osceola.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Mount Tecumseh
4003 ft
1723 rise

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Mount Tecumseh Trail from Tripoli Road Trailhead.
Mount Tecumseh Trail from Tripoli Road Trailhead.
Initial creek crossing.
Initial creek crossing.
And then a nice gradual hike through the forest on a pretty tame trail, relatively free of rock for its majority.
And then a nice gradual hike through the forest on a pretty tame trail, relatively free of rock for its majority.
Ascending toward Mount Tecumseh.
Ascending toward Mount Tecumseh.
View back.
View back.
Farther along the trail gets a bit more rocky, typical for the White Mountains.
Farther along the trail gets a bit more rocky, typical for the White Mountains.
Gorgeous forest with mosses everywhere as we gain elevation.
Gorgeous forest with mosses everywhere as we gain elevation.
Short spurts of steep, but atypical for the region.
Short spurts of steep, but atypical for the region.
Image 8 from gallery
Nearing a false summit of Mount Tecumseh.
Nearing a false summit of Mount Tecumseh.
Approaching the false summit.
Approaching the false summit.
Heading down from the false summit, onward to the true summit.
Heading down from the false summit, onward to the true summit.
Descending from the false summit.
Descending from the false summit.
View back as we descend from the false summit.
View back as we descend from the false summit.
Image 14 from gallery
Continuing east toward Mount Tecumseh.
Continuing east toward Mount Tecumseh.
Image 16 from gallery
Ascending to Mount Tecumseh.
Ascending to Mount Tecumseh.
A steeper portion for the last few hundred vertical feet, some very light scrambling introduced.
A steeper portion for the last few hundred vertical feet, some very light scrambling introduced.
View back at the steep final ascent to Mount Tecumseh.
View back at the steep final ascent to Mount Tecumseh.
More light scrambling toward the summit.
More light scrambling toward the summit.
Mount Tecumseh summit view.
Mount Tecumseh summit view.
Close-up east.
Close-up east.

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!