North Tripyramid Mountain and Middle Tripyramid Mountain via Livermore Trail
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Mount Tripyramid Hike to North and Middle Peaks Overview
North Tripyramid (4,180′) and Middle Tripyramid (4,140') are two mountains in the Waterville Valley Region that are usually hiked together along with South Tripyramid (4,100’). South Tripyramid is not considered a 4,000 footer because of its low prominence, so only North Tripyramid and Middle Tripyramid count towards the 4,000 footer list. Although North Tripyramid and Middle Tripyramid have wooded summits, there are sections with short trees offering stunning views of the surrounding mountains!
Trail Details
Trail: Livermore Trail > Scaur Trail > Pine Bend Brook Trail
Length: 12.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,200 feet
My Trail Time: 4.5 hours hiking; 5 hours total
Hike Overview
The most popular way to hike to the Tripyramids is as a loop via the slides, which are very steep and rocky. Since I was hiking in late fall and the slides were icy, I wanted to avoid them. The way I hiked to the Tripyramids is not a well-known route, but I enjoyed it!
The trail gains over 3,000 feet of elevation which is similar to the other trails leading to these summits, but the route I took is more gradual. The first 3 miles of Livermore Trail are relatively flat, and most of the elevation is gained in the final 2 miles on Scaur Trail and Pine Bend Brook Trail.
Mount Tripyramid Hike to North and Middle Peaks via Livermore Trail Guide
October 19, 2019
**Always remember to leave no trace. It is crucial to pack out what you pack in and throw away your trash properly.
On a B-E-A-Utiful October morning at 7:00 AM, I began MY FIRST SOLO HIKE!!! It is crazy to think I have been hiking for years and only recently completed my first solo hike. Because it was mid-October, the snow had started falling and trails began to ice over, so I decided to avoid the popular route to North Tripyramid and Middle Tripyramid. The Tripyramid slides were formed from avalanche slides many moons ago and are VERY STEEP. The Tripyramid slides are made of loose rocks and rock slabs and can be VERY slippery when wet. I recommend not attempting these if it has recently rained. Recent trail reports of the Tripyramid slides said they were very wet and icy, so I decided to avoid them altogether. Another popular trail to North Tripyramid and Middle Tripyramid is via Pine Bend Brook Trail and Sabbaday Falls Trail starting on the Kancamagus Highway. I read that these trails are poorly marked, so I decided to avoid them as well.
The trail I hiked starts on Livermore Trail which is just past the Waterville Valley Resort on Tripoli Road. I was one of three cars in the parking lot, so I was excited to have a peaceful hike! To be honest, I was also nervous to be by myself on the trail, but as soon as I got onto the trail, I felt better and excited to be hiking!
The first 3 miles of the hike to North Tripyramid and Middle Tripyramid was on Livermore Trail which is an old logging road. It was a very wide trail with minimal elevation gain, so it is a great warm-up for what was to come! I had a wonderful mix of yellow and orange foliage all around me for the majority of the hike. It was absolutely beautiful, and I was so happy the leaves held up longer than I expected! However, there were plenty of fallen leaves on the trail which made it quite slippery later on.
I hiked Livermore Trail SO FAST. I think it was a combination of not having a hiking partner to steady my pace and being a little nervous on my first solo hike. I flew up Livermore Trail and before I knew it, I was at the slide junction. If I wanted to hike the slides, I could turn right and follow the trail up to North Tripyramid. Because I was avoiding the slides, I continued left on Livermore Trail for a few minutes before turning right onto the Scaur Trail. The Livermore Trail continues to the Kancamagus highway, so it was important to look for the small sign for Scaur Trail. It can be easily missed!
As I turned onto Scaur Trail, the trail became narrow and very wet. Water + fallen leaves = very slippery. I was still hiking fast on this portion of the trail which led to some close calls with falling. I am honestly thankful for them because they helped me slow my pace! The foliage was even BETTER on Scaur Trail, and the sun was hitting the trees just right creating a magical scene. Without the foliage, Scaur Trail would have been pretty uneventful, so I was happy to pass the time taking in the beauty!
At the end of the mile-long Scaur Trail, I came to the Pine Bend Brook Trail junction. I continued right to begin the final ascent to North Tripyramid. As soon as I began hiking on Pine Bend Brook Trail, the temperature dropped significantly, and there was snow on the trail. The trail soon became rocky with a thin layer of ice. Pine Bend Brook Trail was where most of the elevation was gained, so I had to take it slow because it wasn’t enough to use my crampons.
Pine Bend Brook Trail was not well marked AT ALL. The first section is easy to follow since the path is narrow, but after that… it’s a free-for-all, especially with the snow and fallen leaves. There was one point where I got sort of… lost. Luckily, I was using the Gaia app and was able to find my way back to the trail. PHEW. But on a real note, I have been seeing trail reports for the past year saying Pine Bend Brook Trail is poorly marked, so hopefully, that changes soon. I was very glad I didn’t start my hike on that trail!
Soon enough, I made it to North Tripyramid’s summit at 8:15 AM! There is no sign, so I only knew I made it by looking at the Gaia app. The summit was wooded, but there was a small rock I stood on to look over the trees and take in beautiful views. North Tripyramid’s summit was very chilly, so I did not stay long. I had a quick snack and began the journey to Middle Tripyramid.
The hike to Middle Tripyramid was relatively flat but had more snow and ice on the trail, so I made sure to watch my footing. And soon enough, I had my first human interaction! I didn’t see one human on the hike until this moment, so I was happy to know I was not alone! After a quick conversation about the trails, I continued to Middle Tripyramid. The summit does not have a sign, so again I only knew I was at the summit by using Gaia.
Middle Tripyramid had BEAUTIFUL views even though the summit was wooded. There were two small sections on opposite sides of Middle Tripyramid’s summit that offer views. I felt like it was even colder on this summit, so I took a quick selfie and began my descent at 9:30 AM.
The hike down Pine Bend Brook Trail FLEW by. Before I knew it, I was back on Scaur Trail. I was just about to turn the corner when I see a black, fuzzy bum back onto the trail. YUP, you guessed it, a bear. I froze so fast that I sent the leaves around me scattering which spooked the bear enough to take off into the woods. I was SO SCARED. That was the first time I EVER saw a bear on a hike… and I was alone. Luckily, most of the trees only had leaves at the top, so I was able to see pretty far into the woods. I didn’t move until I couldn’t see the bear anymore. I took out my bear spray and slowly walked in a circle for about 10 minutes. After I was sure the bear was gone, I ran. I didn’t care if it was slippery, I wanted to get off of Scaur Trail. Once I was back on the Livermore Trail, I saw more people and took a deep breath.
The rest of the hike on Livermore Trail was uneventful, but it flew by. My adrenaline was rushing, so I was hiking SO fast back to the car. Before I knew it, I made it back to my car at noon. DANG. Talk about a crazy first solo hike experience!!
Besides my encounter with a bear, the North Tripyramid and South Tripyramid was long and uneventful, but I loved it! It was relatively easy, so I would recommend this trail if you want to avoid the slides!
If you hiked to the Tripyramids, which trail did you take?
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.
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