Mount Major

The Main/Mount Major trail is 1.5 mi one way and is the shortest route to the summit. This trail leaves the right side of the Mt. Major parking lot and follows an old logging road, ascending a steep, eroded section where several paths diverge and rejoin. Stay farthest to the right (ascending) to follow the trail and find slightly better footing. At the top of this steep section, at 0.3 mi., the road becomes nearly level and smooth. At 0.7 mi. is the junction of the Main Trail (blue) and the Brook Trail (yellow). Bear left to stay on the Main Trail to ascend to steeper ledges before reaching the summit. There are three main sections of steep ledges as you climb to the upper slopes of Mt. Major. At several points it is possible to by pass the steepest pitches on alternate paths that rejoin and lead to the summit. The summit, with ruins of a stone hut called "Mr. Phippen's Hut", is 1,786 feet above sea level, a gain of 1,136 feet from the parking lot below.

The Brook Trail is 1.7 mi one way. Take the Main/Mount Major Trail and continue on the logging road where the Main/Mount Major Trail diverges to the left, 0.7 mi from the parking lot. There are other diverging roads along this trail but none are as obvious as the yellow blazes on the Brook Trail. At 0.5 mi. the road appears to end, but a lesser woods road bears right toward a small brook, crosses it, and continues to climb through a hardwood forest, with loose footing on some eroded sections. At 0.9 mi. the trail swings left away from the edge of the valley and climbs to the saddle between Mt. Major and Straightback Mtn. At 1.2 mi, the trail meets the Belknap Range Trail. Here the two trails join together and turn left to climb mostly over open ledges with good views to the summit. Reach the old stone hut and summit at 1.7 mi.

The Boulder Loop Trail is 1.6 mi one way. This trail leaves the left side of the parking lot and provides a route up the south side of the mountain. The lower section follows a snowmobile trail that crosses two plank bridges and in 30 yd. turns right up a bank past a boulder where a woods road continues ahead. It climbs moderately up a woods road also used as a snowmobile trail to a T-juntion at 0.4 mi. Here it turns right, then in 40 yd. bears left a a fork, where orange blazes begin, and ascends south along the woods road. The trail leads to a boulder field and continues between and under boulders until it climbes to a steep gravelly pitch. At the top of the pitch the trail turns right, then left and runs at easy grades through an oak and pine forest. The trail ascends gradually over open ledges with increasing views east and south, to the summit. To use this trail on the descent, walk south across the ledges from the stone hut and look for orange blazes on the rock.

Trail descriptions adapted from the Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide 2nd Edition by Gene Daniell and Steven D. Smith, published by the Appalachian Mountain Club in 2005.