Mt. Pierce - NH 4,000'er Series #27 of 48

To travel as many trails as possible, all over the world.

New Hampshire, USA has 48 mountains over 4,000' (1,200 m) high. Since 1957, the Appalachian Mountain Club has awarded nearly 10,000 hikers admission to the AMC Four Thousand Footer Club for climbing all 48 peaks in a lifetime.

Mt. Pierce, originally known as Mt. Clinton (4,312' or 1,314 m) is on the famous Crawford Path, the footpath the Crawford family built in the early 1800's up Mt. Washington. The mountain was originally named for NY Governor DeWitt Clinton, but the name was officially changed by the NH Legislature in 1913 to honor NH native Franklin Pierce, who was the nation's 14th President. The Appalachian Mt. Club continued to use the old name for another 70 years, and other mapmakers still use the original name, or include it in parenthesis on present-day maps. Considered one of the Southern Presidentials, it is a relatively easy climb above treeline.

The Crawford Path, which is believed to be the oldest continuously maintained hiking trail in the US, is the most common dayhike route. The Crawford Connector Trail leaves parking on Mt. Clinton Road, and connects to the Crawford Path in short order. Near the summit, the Webster Cliff Trail actually diverges from the Crawford Path to reach the summit. This hike is only 6.4 miles with 2,400' of elevation gain. Mt. Pierce is often combined in a looop hike with Mt. Eisenhower. Often, the Edmunds Path is taken to Mt. Eisenhower, then Crawford Path is followed south to summit Mt. Pierce. The descent requires a hike or a shuttle back up Mt. Clinton road to the Edmunds Path parking. The total loop is 10.4 miles with 3,050' of elevation gain.