Mount Jackson

Mount Jackson – White Mountains, NH

Elevation: 4,052 feet 

Mount Jackson was a truly enjoyable hike for both me and my pup. We didn’t find it too difficult, and the views were spectacular. To reach the trailhead, I entered “Webster – Jackson Trailhead, Crawford Notch Road, Hart’s Location, NH” into my GPS, and it led us right there. We parked across the street near the train tracks and had no trouble finding the trail.

The hike up was relatively easy. I tackled this trail on Memorial Day weekend, and the most challenging part was navigating the monorail of snow still on the path, which made footing a bit tricky. The only section that could potentially be difficult for a dog is the final steep climb before the summit. Java didn’t have any issues scaling the boulders, but I could see smaller or older dogs struggling on this part.

We reached the summit in just under three hours. Mount Jackson offers stunning 360-degree views, including an impressive vista of Mount Washington. We spent about 30 minutes at the top, enjoying our lunch. Afterward, we decided to head over to Mount Webster to make the hike into a loop. The trail between Jackson and Webster was well-marked and relatively easy, with minimal elevation changes.

Mount Webster also provided beautiful views and was well worth the 1.3-mile trek to reach the peak. The Webster Brook Trail didn’t seem as steep going down as the Jackson Brook Trail going up, which was a relief on our knees. By the end of the hike, our GPS recorded a total of 6.5 miles, and it took us five hours to complete.

Overall, this is a very dog-friendly hike. The only area where a dog might struggle is the final summit section on the Jackson Brook Trail up to Jackson’s summit. Java managed the hike without any issues. Additionally, the trail has plenty of running water if your pup drinks from streams.