Mount Field, Mount Tom, and Mount Avalon
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Mount Field, Mount Tom, and Mount Avalon Hike Overview
Mount Field (4,331’) and Mount Tom (4,052’) are two 4,000-footers in the Crawford Notch area in the White Mountains. Although both have limited views, you can easily add Mount Avalon (3,442’) to the loop and get awesome views of Crawford Notch! Mount Avalon is also on the 52 With a View List!
Trail: Avalon Trail > A-Z Trail > Willey Ridge Trail > Avalon Trai
Length: 7.3
Elevation Gain: 2,800 feet
My Trail Time: 4:15 hours hiking; 5:30 hours total
Hike Overview
Mount Field and Mount Tom are often hiked together either as a loop with Mount Avalon or a longer hike with Mount Willey. This guide goes over hiking it as a loop with Mount Avalon via the Avalon Trail. The trail gains over 2,700 feet of elevation in 3.5 miles, so there are some steep sections, but overall this is not a strenuous or overly technical hike hike.
The Avalon Trail begins behind the Crawford Notch Depot, and it may be hard to find if you do not know where to look. Once you cross over the tracks near the depot, you will see the small trailhead sign.
Mount Field, Mount Tom, and Mount Avalon Hike via Avalon Trail Guide
October 7, 2017
**Always remember to leave no trace. It is crucial to pack out what you pack in and throw away your trash properly.
Alex and I began the hike to Mount Tom, Mount Field, and Mount Avalon on a misty October morning around 9:00 AM. The hike started on Avalon Trail, and the first mile gained elevation gradually. There were stream crossings on the trail (about 4 or 5), but none of them were difficult. These could be an issue in the spring after the snow begins to melt, but the rocks are big enough that you may be okay rock hopping!
After being on the Avalon Trail for a mile, we came to an intersection with the A-Z Trail. We could have continued on the Avalon Trail to go to Mount Avalon first, but we wanted to enjoy the beautiful views last, so we switched to the A-Z Trail to head to Mount Field. This was where we gained most of the elevation, but it never became too difficult. There were a few steep sections, but the A-Z Trail had rock staircases that helped and gave us great footing. The loop to Mount Tom, Mount Field, and Mount Avalon was below the treeline in densely packed woods, so even if it was raining, we still would have had good footing.
After one mile of some butt-burning climbing on the A-Z Trail, we reached another intersection with Willey Ridge Trail. We followed the Willey Ridge Trail to the right to reach Mount Tom’s summit.
We reached Mount Tom’s summit around 10:30 AM; not too shabby on time! The summit lacked a sign, so it was somewhat difficult to tell when we were officially on Mount Tom’s summit. However, once we found the rock cairn, we knew we made it. Most summits in the treeline lack summit signs but always have rock cairns marking the summit. Even though Mount Tom’s summit is below the treeline, there were a few trails that veered off to small clearings with awesome views! On the west side, we could see Bond, Hale, Zealand, and the Twins while on the east we could see the Presidentials.
Once we were done playing with the Grey Jays on Mount Tom’s summit, we began to head back down the Willey Ridge Trail to continue to Mount Field. The hike to Mount Field was a fairly easy one-mile hike. We gained some elevation but nothing too strenuous. Alex may or may not have tripped and hit his head on a fallen tree… He’s okay though! Phew!
Mount Field also did not have a summit sign, but don’t you worry! There was a rock cairn marking the summit. I personally think all summits should have summit signs, but hey, it may only be me. Mount Field’s summit was also below the treeline, but there was a clearing that gave us views of the Presidentials. We were making good time and reached Mount Field’s summit by 11:45 AM, so we decided to eat our lunch here and enjoy the peacefulness. There were few people on this trail, so it was very peaceful. I think we passed 2 groups of hikers before getting to Mount Avalon.
If you want to add Mount Willey as well, this is where you would continue on the Willey Ridge Trail. We opted to skip Mount Willey, so we began to head down the Avalon Trail to Mount Avalon. The hike descended quite steeply with large rocks, and there were many times it was too steep to step from one rock to another, so we were on our butts. After a mile of butt scooching, we saw a small sign (and I mean a very small that can easily be missed sign) pointing to the summit of Mount Avalon. From the sign, there was about 100 feet of rock scrambling to Mount Avalon’s summit. Some hikers opted to leave their packs at the sign, but we brought ours and didn’t have any issues.
We arrived at Mount Avalon around 1:00 PM and sat on the summit for a bit to take pictures and chat with other hikers. Mount Avalon gets more attention than Mount Tom and Mount Field because it offers beautiful views of Crawford Notch, so the summit was more crowded than the others. Because we hiked it in October, we were offered with beautiful foliage, too! I would definitely recommend hiking to Mount Avalon during fall to see the foliage.
Once we were done taking in the views and chatting it up with other hikers on Mount Avalon’s summit, it was time to scramble back down the trail. It was a bit tricky going down, but we only had to use our hands, feet, knees, elbows, stomach, left kidney to get done! The next half-mile of the Mount Avalon Trail was steep, but after that, we were home free!! We reached our car around 2:30 PM.
As I said before, there were few people on the trail probably because there are limited views, and unless you are completing the 4,000-footers, why would you hike to a summit with no view? Overall, it was a great hike to Mount Tom, Mount Field, and Mount Avalon!
Have you hiked Mount Tom and Mount Field or others that don’t have views? Did you hike it willingly or are you completing a list, such as the 4,000-Footer List?
Hey, I’m Nichole!
I am the creator behind Nichole the Nomad, the home of my explorations around the world, mountain hikes, and beautiful pictures taken along the way. I have a deep passion for capturing the world in a beautiful light and sharing my experiences.
I created this blog to share my travels, show how beautiful the world is, provide tips and tricks for traveling, and encourage you to explore. Whether you want to travel across the world or explore what’s in your backyard, I hope this blog inspires you to get outside and find your adventure!