Trails / New Hampshire / Moosilauke and the Upper Valley

Appalachian Trail: Hanover to Glencliff (Smarts Mountain and Mount Cube)

Dartmouth Outing Club section of the AT, White Mountain National Forest and private land (Connecticut River at Hanover to NH 25 at Glencliff)

From the Connecticut River at Hanover, the Appalachian Trail runs about 44 miles to Glencliff, at the foot of Mount Moosilauke. It is the Dartmouth Outing Club’s section of the AT, which Dartmouth Library says the club has maintained since 1929.

The trail crosses low ridges at first, then climbs over Moose Mountain, Holts Ledge, Smarts Mountain with its fire tower, and the open ledges of Mount Cube. SectionHiker picked the section for a May trip because it is snow-free earlier than the high peaks.

The hike

Backpacker’s 2013 trip listing starts at the Ledyard Bridge, where a marker shows the Vermont-New Hampshire line, and follows the AT through Hanover past the Dartmouth Outing Club office. Velvet Rocks Shelter sits on a loop off the main trail just outside town: 0.8 mile from downtown in a 2010 trip log, or about 2 miles out by a side trail in SectionHiker’s 2009 report. SectionHiker calls it heavily used.

The next shelter, Moose Mountain, is about 9.5 miles farther in the 2010 log, past wetlands bridges and Mink Brook. Beyond the north and south peaks of Moose Mountain, Holts Ledge has a view of Smarts Mountain. Trapper John Shelter is a short distance off the trail, with a large stone fireplace and a small tent area behind it, according to SectionHiker.

After the Lyme-Dorchester Road, the AT climbs Lambert Ridge, whose ledges have views, then makes a steep climb with iron ladders near the top of Smarts Mountain. The summit has a fire tower and a restored former fire warden’s cabin, which the Dartmouth Outing Club maintains and Outdoorithm says sleeps up to eight. The 2010 log puts it about 22.7 miles from Hanover.

North of Smarts, the trail crosses South Jacobs Brook on a sturdy bridge (SectionHiker calls it good for swimming) and climbs toward Mount Cube. The Forest Service places Hexacuba Shelter, a six-sided shelter for eight, on a 0.2-mile spur about 1.6 miles south of Cube’s south peak. SectionHiker describes Cube’s open ledges and wide views, followed by North Cube and the descent to NH 25A.

The final stretch passes Mount Mist and the Ore Hill Tentsite, where the Forest Service says the shelter burned in 2011, and crosses NH 25C and NH 25. Jeffers Brook Shelter is about 1.1 miles north of NH 25 on the climb toward Mount Moosilauke.

Tips

Carry extra water between sources; several shelter water sources are weak in dry weather.
Treat everything. Sources include ponds, streams, and springs.
Bring bug protection in late spring and summer, as SectionHiker advises.
Check the Oliverian Brook crossing near NH 25C before committing.
Plan a shuttle. SectionHiker calls shuttles costly here.

Camping

No permit is needed, and the shelters, cabin, and tentsites are free and first come, first served. The Forest Service lists the AT corridor from the summit of Mount Moosilauke to the Connecticut River as a Forest Protection Area: camping is banned within 200 feet of the trail except at designated sites, and within a quarter mile of shelters, cabins, and trailheads except at the sites themselves. Stick to the shelters and designated sites.

Sites from south to north: Velvet Rocks Shelter (tent clearing; privy a walk away), Moose Mountain Shelter (tent sites, privy), Trapper John Shelter (tent area), the Smarts Mountain cabin and tent sites (privy; nearest water a spring on the Daniel Doan Trail), Hexacuba Shelter (privy), Ore Hill Tentsite (tent sites, privy; water about 250 feet south on a side trail), and Jeffers Brook Shelter.

Inside Intel: SectionHiker’s 2018 report found only a weak trickle at Moose Mountain Shelter and says he wished he had camped by a good stream east of North Moose Mountain instead. At Hexacuba, he had trouble finding a hammock site because of dead branches left by winter. His 2009 report describes tent spots behind Trapper John Shelter and a bare patch of ground beside the Smarts Mountain cabin.

Trail facts

Distance: About 43.7 miles, Hanover to Jeffers Brook Shelter (2010 trip log)
Route type: Point to point
Difficulty: Strenuous
Campsites: Velvet Rocks, Moose Mountain (about mile 10.3), Trapper John, Smarts Mountain cabin and tent sites (about mile 22.7), Hexacuba, Ore Hill Tentsite (about mile 35.1), Jeffers Brook (mile 43.7); mileages from the 2010 log
Water: Streams, brooks, and springs; several are unreliable in dry weather
Permits: None
Food storage: Outside wilderness areas, the Forest Service lists canisters, food lockers, or a hang 12 feet up and 6 feet out
Dogs: No official rule found; SectionHiker suggests conditioning dogs to granite and carrying extra water for them
Trailheads: Hanover (downtown or Ledyard Bridge); NH 25 at Glencliff
Last verified: October 11, 2026

The Lowdown

A cushion for the Smarts Mountain cabin floor:

The old fire warden's cabin on Smarts Mountain is a hard floor shared with other hikers, so the pad decides how well you sleep. See the sleeping pads testers rate.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.