Trails / New Hampshire / Pemigewasset Wilderness

Thirteen Falls Loop (Garfield, Owl's Head, and Galehead)

Pemigewasset Wilderness, White Mountain National Forest (Gale River Loop Road, Bethlehem/Franconia)

This loop drops into the middle of the Pemigewasset Wilderness instead of circling it. SectionHiker’s trip plan starts on the Garfield Trail off Gale River Loop Road, crosses Garfield Ridge, follows Franconia Brook down to the Thirteen Falls cascades, circles Owl’s Head on the Lincoln Brook Trail, and climbs back out past Galehead Hut.

It does not use the Lincoln Woods Trail, so the 2026 closure there doesn’t affect it.

The hike

SectionHiker’s counterclockwise route climbs the Garfield Trail 4.8 miles to Garfield Ridge, with a short side trip to the summit of Mount Garfield. SectionHiker’s 2015 trip report describes fire tower ruins and views on top. The route then descends past the spur to the Garfield Ridge shelter, a stretch the trip plan calls steep and rocky, and leaves the ridge on the Franconia Brook Trail for 2.2 miles to the Thirteen Falls Tentsite (about mile 7.9).

The 2015 report describes Thirteen Falls as a series of cascades, the largest with about a 30-foot drop, with a swimming hole nearby. The trip plan warns that the ledges can be slippery and the current strong after rain.

From Thirteen Falls, the Lincoln Brook Trail heads around the base of Owl’s Head. The side trip to its summit uses the Owl’s Head Path, about 2.2 miles up and back, which SectionHiker calls a steep, loose avalanche slide. The Lincoln Brook Trail continues around the mountain with several brook crossings, and the Franconia Brook Trail leads back north to Thirteen Falls (about mile 20.5).

The Twin Brook Trail then climbs 2.7 miles to Galehead Hut, where SectionHiker says the kitchen sink can be used for water when the hut is open. A one-mile round trip on the Frost Trail reaches the summit of Galehead Mountain. From the hut, the route follows the Garfield Ridge Trail for 0.6 mile and descends the Gale River Trail for 4 miles. About 1.5 miles of gravel road lead back to the Garfield Trail lot, unless a second car is waiting.

The 2015 report, which approached from Lincoln Woods, also mentions an old lumber railroad grade with ties more than 100 years old on the lower trails.

The loop shares Garfield Ridge and Galehead with the Pemi Loop, and the Garfield Ridge Trail continues west to Franconia Ridge.

Tips

Bring a bear canister. It is required for any night inside the Pemigewasset Wilderness.
Plan for wet feet on the Lincoln Brook crossings, and skip the loop when brooks are high.
Treat water. SectionHiker says water is plentiful but recommends treating even the Garfield Ridge source because of heavy use.
Use a topographic map to find water sources, as SectionHiker advises.
Go in season. SectionHiker lists mid-June through October.

Camping

No permit is required. Wilderness groups are limited to 10 people. In the Pemigewasset Wilderness, camping and wood or charcoal fires are banned within 200 feet of any trail except at designated sites, and camping is banned above treeline unless there are two feet of snow. Forest Protection Areas ban camping within a quarter mile of huts, shelters, and developed tentsites except at the designated sites themselves.

AMC’s Thirteen Falls Tentsite sits at the junction of the Franconia Brook, Lincoln Brook, and Twin Brook Trails, with water from Franconia Brook. Garfield Ridge has a shelter plus 2 small and 5 group platforms and a spring. Both are first come, first served, can’t be reserved, have caretakers in season, and charge fees. Galehead Hut takes reservations; AMC lists its 2026 full-service season as June 4 to Oct. 17, and the hut is now closed for the season. AMC lists 2027 full service as June 3 to Oct. 16.

Inside Intel: SectionHiker’s 2015 report recommends the Garfield campsite, just below the summit, over the area around Garfield Pond, saying the pond’s water “is full of algae.” It suggests Thirteen Falls as the second night’s camp for a three-day trip, for the cascades and swimming hole.

Trail facts

Distance: About 30.3 miles with side trips and road walk (SectionHiker)
Route type: Loop
Difficulty: Strenuous
Campsites: Garfield Ridge Shelter and tentsite (roughly 5 to 6 miles in), Thirteen Falls Tentsite (about miles 7.9 and 20.5), Galehead Hut by reservation
Water: Plentiful in the valleys; Garfield Ridge spring; Galehead Hut in season
Permits: None
Food storage: Bear canister required in the wilderness; bear boxes at Thirteen Falls and Garfield Ridge
Dogs: Allowed at AMC campsite platforms leashed or under voice command, not in shelters (AMC)
Trailhead: Garfield Trail parking, Gale River Loop Road (open as of the Forest Service’s 2026 road status)
Last verified: October 17, 2026

The Lowdown

Owl's Head's loose slide near Thirteen Falls:

The Owl's Head Path is a steep, loose avalanche slide, about 2.2 miles up and back, and the descent off Garfield Ridge is steep and rocky. Learn how to choke down and set your poles for both.

See the pole tips →

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.