Cannon via Hi-Cannon and Lonesome Lake Loop (White Mountain National Forest)
Hike Type: Lollipop Loopty Loop
Distance: 6.77 miles
Elevation: 2,418 feet
Time: 6 hours, 13 minutes (4 hours, 25 minutes moving)
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2025; New Hampshire 4000 Footers; Terrifying 25
The Hike
I am SO back... temporarily! After a quiet November, I soft-launched my reentry to the outdoors with the Ethan Pond hike. I was up at Jay Peak the past two days for my first ski days of the season (and to celebrate Emma's birthday), and now it was time to drive partway home to Cannon to hike and finish out Sarah's 48! We stayed at the Stateside Hotel for Emma's birthday, so it was nice to be leaving from Jay. I was up at 6:00am (Sarah was in charge of logistics... I would have started earlier...) and on the road just before 6:30am. I caught a shooting start driving down VT-242 and stopped for breakfast at my favorite Maplefields in Orleans before continuing down. Roads were thankfully in good shape minus 242, which was expected.
I was about 18 minutes ahead of schedule, which did me good since the parking lot was unplowed and... I got stuck. I made it about 40 feet into the lot before my car wouldn't go any further because I tried to turn. My tires managed to scoop out the top layer of snow and revealed a THICK layer of boilerplace ice, which was... a bummer! There was an older couple at the trailhead watching me and passively offered me help, which I declined. I did wiggle my car back some by using normal wiggling techniques, including floor mats, but it just got stuck again (and almost skidded into a tree). I called Sarah and Alec and told them "soooo I'm having a bad time! I'm stuck in the parking lot!" - apparently the call dropped right after I said "bad time!" - which is a little funny. They pulled in and parked at the PLOWED trailhead down by the Pemi Trail before coming to my rescue. Sarah drove while Alec and I pushed, and we eventually got it out. It really was quite the workout BEFORE a hike!
Sarah drove my car to the plowed lot, I got suited up, and we were only 37 minutes behind schedule, which really isn't too bad! Thankfully, it was a beautiful morning with low winds and overcast skies - all the surrounding peaks were open! Sarah packed her Veuve Cliquot into her backpack, and we were off!
[9:07am - Start of Hike]
We FINALLY got started at 9:07am with a nice walk from the car to the trailhead proper. Spikes were on from the get-go and we took some photos with the boilerplate ice I had dug my tired into - I'm grateful to have friends that 1) will help me get out of a dumb situation and also 2) be in a good enough mood to make jokes about it!
[9:13am - Lonesome Lake Trail]
The Lonesome Lake Trail proper started near the end of the parking lot I failed to park in, marked with a trail sign, a sign from Cannon Mountain Ski Area saying "we won't save you!," and an iron ranger accepting donations. The trail immedaitely crossed the scenic Pemigewasset River on a snowy footbridge and then wiggled through the Lafayette Place Campground, easily gaining a little bit of elevation.
[9:17am - Lonesome Lake Trail/AMC Hut Sign]
After crossing a few rows of campsites we passed the sign for the AMC Lonesome Lake Hut, which is now open on a caretaker basis. I do want to do another winter hut stay - the one in Carter Notch was one of my favorite hikes to date! From the sign, the snowy Lonesome Lake Trail continued to climb at easy grades, eventually crossing a bridge over a freezing creek and landing at the junction with the Hi-Cannon Trail!
[9:29am - Hi-Cannon Trail]
To our delight, the Hi-Cannon Trail was well-broken out with a firm monorail (and about a foot of unconsolidated snow on either side. It started off with a nice meander through the woods before increasing in grade to the steepness that I "fondly" remember. It was MUCH nicer doing this stretch in the snow - the loose gravel was brutal in the summer! The other perk of hiking in the winter are the tree views over to Franconia Ridge - we particularly loved seeing the white slides scarring the mountains, including shining rock.
[10:09am - Hi Cannon Trail/Dodge Cut-Off]
We had a quick standing break at the Dodge Cut-Off junction, but I was down to my base layers and needed to keep moving to stay warm (especially since I knew we'd be climbing again shortly). We hiked through a winter wonderland with early-stage marshmallow trees that sometimes made the trail a little more narrow than we wanted. We also spent some time discussing the difference between rocks and stones (we LOVE a nonsensical question to power us through climbs) - we landed on that stones are somehow crafted by humans while rocks are nature's creations.
I started to get excited when the trail began to level out, which meant we'd be getting some views! The first peek-a-view was over to Mt. Liberty, which was looking incredibly moody in the wintry light. Just a bit further down the trail I did a classic "WOAH," followed by similar "WOAH"s from Sarah and Alec, respectively. We had a great view of the snow-capped Franconia Ridge, from Mt. Lafayette to Little Haystack, which really just looked incredible.
Soon after the views, the trail turned a corner and began to climb again, eventually bringing us to the terrifying ladders! They were not terrifying in the slighest over the summer, and even with the snow, they were still not that bad. I can imagine they'd get a little dicey with another foot or two, but in these conditions, it was totally fine.
We enjoyed another view to the ridge from the top of the ladders as the Hi-Cannon Trail skirted the edge of some cliffs, providing additional views down south through Franconia Notch and to Lonesome Lake below.
Eventually, the trail began to climb again, this time at easier grades, as the temperature became noticeably colder. There were tree views to the Kinsmans as we skirted up some ledges that were not nearly as difficult as I anticipated, and we eventually landed at the height-of-land on the trail, which was just a beautiful winter wonderland. From here, the trail descended slightly to the Kinsman Ridge Trail.
[11:22am - Kinsman Ridge Trail]
We did another quick break at the Kinsman Ridge Trail - we were close now! The older couple from the parking lot were also taking a break at this junciton - I don't think they recognized me. The rest of the climb was a DELIGHT. Easy grades, lots of snow, and frosty trees. Plus, nearly endless snowshoe hare tracks! It really was so beautiful - we were all elated.
[11:34am - Rim Trail]
The beautiful forest led us to the White Mountain National Forest sign: "This marks the line between national forest and state park lands. The area in back of this sign is the White Mountain National Forest 724,333 acres. A multiple use area for the enjoyment of the people, protection and management of timber, water, wildlife." We followed the Rim Trail with Sarah in the lead to the top! I went to get my mittens since my hands were cold, but I realized I accidentally left them at home... sad!
[11:40am - Cannon Mountain Summit]
We made it! Sarah finished her 4000 Footers! It was fun to be there on her day, especially after she was there on mine! We first stopped at the actual summit underneath the observation tower, which had a neat coating of rime ice. Sarah took off her pack and made sure to give the top a "boop!" We exchanged congratulations, got some photos, and then threw our packs back on for Veuve Cliquot up top!
The stairs on the tower were pretty snowed-over, but took to spikes well. I forgot how insane the views from the top were! 360 degrees! The Kinsmans, Vermont (no 4000 Footers because of visibility), Willoughby Gap, The Percys, and of course, the Franconia Ridge. Sarah took out her sign for some more photos, we popped the champagne, took even more photos, and then RAN back down underneath the tower to enjoy our break out of the wind - it was COLD up top!
Our break wasn't too long due to the cold (18ish degrees with a slight breeze), but we enjoyed slacks and champagne. We had to drink the champagne a little faster than we would have liked, but it was still delicious! Sarah and I joked that we only have champagne on mountains (which also isn't really a joke...) since we've now had it at the Alpine Cabin at Black Mountain in Jackson, on Mt. Moriah, and now Cannon! We told Alec to get working on his 48 so we can have more! The folks from the parking lot eventually also made it to the top and shared their congratulations with Sarah before we packed it up and headed down on the Short Trail toward the Tram building.
[12:13pm - Short Trail]
We passed a skier hiking up on the Short Trail as we descended through more stunning woods to the top of the ski area. We were pretty sure it was going to be open, but we were ELATED to see the Cafe 4080' was open! We dropped our packs outside and RAN inside to warm up and get some provisions.
[12:20pm - Cafe 4080']
The Cafe was a DREAM. Both the food line and bar were open, and it was WARM. Plus, it was fun to be around skiers. I got a warm cinnamon roll and a hard cider, Alec and Sarah each got a bowl of chili, a hot chocolate, and they shared a warm cinnamon roll. Life was WONDERFUL again. We spent a nice chunk of time here alternating between yapping and staring into the void - we all started to get a little sleepy, and that is when we decided it was time to pack it up and head back out into the cold!
[1:08pm - Rim Trail]
It wasn't super clear where the Rim Trail picked up once we left the Tram building, but it was just to the left of the Short Trail sign, blocked by a blowdown. We carefully skirted around the blowdown and then continued on the wonderful trail.
[1:11pm - Rim Trail & Kinsman Ridge Trail]
Shortly after, the Rim Trail joined the Kinsman Ridge Trail and opneed up some mroe wonderful views towards Franconia Ridge. The tippy top of Lafayette was now in the clouds, and flurries were beginning to fall like a snowglobe. The trees were absolutely caked in snow, and we could see down to Lafayette Place, including both the parking lot I failed to park in, and the parking lot where we did park! We soon dipped back into the woods, made it to the WMNF sign, and continued on the Kinsman Ridge Trail.
[1:17pm - Kinsman Ridge Trail]
The flurries were falling more steadily once back on the Kinsman Ridge Trail, which continued to be a freaking delight and visually stunning. Alec got a ahead for a bit while Sarah and I gabbed about who knows what. The two glasses of champagne and hard cider were definitely feeling good at this point!
[1:25pm - Kinsman Ridge Trail/Hi-Cannon Trail]
We continued on past the Hi-Cannon Trail junction and started our descent do the first col between Cannon and the Cannon Balls. The woods were STILL beautiful and thankfully the trail was still well-traveled and packed down. I stopped for a quick potty break, and between the etherial "you" and I, I love winter becuase I can pee right on the side of the trail and cover it up without question. Eventually, though, I heard Alec and Sarah go "oh." This marked the STEEP section.
The Kinsman Ridge Trail absolutely plummeted down, which in fairness, is what it's known for doing! We took a while in this stretch, which was not long, but we wanted to be safe. We crossed paths with two teenage-looking boys who were carrying snowshoes and said "we didn't think we'd need spikes on this one!" - which was confusing. Why bring snowshoes but not spikes? Who knows! I assume they made it out safely since I did not see anything on the Search and Rescue pages.
We caught some views from the trail, which signaled that the steep stretch was almost over. It was Sarah's time to blast off ahead of us while Alec and I enjoyed the again beautiful woods.
[1:51pm - Lonesome Lake Trail]
We were equally thrilled and relieved when we made it to the Lonesome Lake Trail junction. The flurries had increased to what I would call "snowing," so I asked Sarah to get my sunglasses out of my pack, only to find that I also didn't bring those! I have no idea where they could be... Strange that both my sunglasses and mittens are missing from the Ethan Pond hike? Hopefully I'll find them again!
The Lonesome Lake Trail continued through beautiful woods at easy grades before descending again, but never getting nearly as steep as before. The steepest stretch was down what appeared to be a drainage of some sort, but it was mostly snow-covered sans a few open, wet spots. The trail soon bottomed out and followed a series of mostly-covered boardwalks with an occasional view back to Cannon through the trees.
[2:22pm - Around-Lonesome-Lake Trail]
The flats led us to the Around-Lonesome-Lake Trail and the lake proper. We could have turned left for a shorter way out, but I wanted to hit the hut and walk across the dam (and get the views), so we turned right. The trail led us through an absolutely beautiful snow-covered wetland that required a little bit of brain power to make sure we were stepping on the boardwalks and not into the pond inflows. Behind us was a great view to Cannon and the lake was on the left. This stretch was simply delightful!
We eventually began to catch some views over to the mostly-hidden Franconia Ridge on the far side of the lake.
[2:34pm - Fishin' Jimmy Trail & Lonesome Lake Hut]
[2:42pm - Cascade Brook Trail]
We went back and forth about visiting the hut, and the fact that the sun was going to be setting soon was enough to keep us away from the main building, but we did do a quick bathroom break. We heard the caretaker splitting wood as we walked back down to the lake, and I reminisced about the time I was panic-sending sub plans from the dock on the lake a couple autumns ago!
We admired the view to Cannon from the dam and I tried to recreate a photo I got a little over a year ago of the lake before we continued onto the Cascade Brook Trail, which featured long boardwalks (the nice kind, not the rotting plank kind) that we walked along until we were back at the Lonesome Lake Trail.
[2:48pm - Lonesome Lake Trail]
The Lonesome Lake Trail rose gently for a short bit before starting the mile-long, gradual descent. The snow was back to flurries at this point, and we were cruising! We kept asking Sarah how it felt to be done and she was just so happy and proud! We did hit the delusional part of the hike where we were just splattering out anything that came to mind, which made conversations comical and nonsensical.
[3:11pm - Lonesome Lake Trail/Hi-Cannon Trail]
[3:17pm - Lonesome Lake Trail/AMC Hut Sign]
We were thrilled to see the Hi-Cannon Trail sign, and even more thrilled to reach the AMC Hut sign! I picked up a forgotten car mat that I left in the unplowed lot, and soon we were back at our cars!
[3:23pm - End of Hike]
We exchanged a ground of cheers and hugs, changed our clothes, and then it was time for the pilgrimage back to Boston! I had a lovely cheese steak from the Common Man at the Hooksett Rest Area, and to my delight, was in bed nice and early! What a FANTASTIC weekend, and I'm feeling sad that I won't be able to get up there again until after Christmas!
Step-by-Step
- Park at Lafayette Place
- Start hike following signs to Lonesome Lake Trail.
- At trail sign, continue onto Lonesome Lake Trail.
- At jct., turn right onto Hi-Cannon Trail.
- At terminus, turn right onto Kinsman Ridge Trail.
- At jct., turn left onto Rim Trail.
- Summit Cannon Mountain.
- From summit, continue onto Short Trail.
- From tram building, continue onto Rim Trail (Kinsman Ridge Trail joins later).
- From jct., turn left onto Kinsman Ridge Trail.
- At jct., turn left onto Lonesome Lake Trail.
- At jct., turn right onto Around-Lonesome-Lake Trail.
- At jct., turn right onto Fishin' Jimmy Trail to hut.
- Turn around at hut.
- Continue onto Fishin' Jimmy Trail, then Cascade Brook Trail.
- At terminus, turn right onto Lonesome Lake Trail.
- Return to car.
