Mount Avalon is a rocky spur of Mount Field perched above Crawford Notch in New Hampshire's White Mountains, at 3,461 feet. Despite sitting below the 4,000-foot threshold, its compact summit ledge delivers some of the most open views in the notch: a sweeping panorama down the valley with the southern Presidential Range visible to the north.
The standard route follows the Avalon Trail from the Crawford Depot trailhead, across Route 302 from Saco Lake, covering roughly 3.6 miles round trip with about 1,500 feet of gain. The lower mile-plus tracks alongside Crawford Brook, where a short spur leads to three waterfalls along the Cascade Loop. Beyond the A-Z Trail junction, the trail climbs steadily through typical White Mountain root-and-rock terrain before a brief cutoff reaches the summit.
The summit is a compact open ledge with enough flat rock for a handful of hikers. Early arrivals on clear mornings may find cloud inversions filling the notch below, and a short walk through the trees on the far side opens an even wider view. Bugs can be persistent through June. Avalon also sits at the doorstep of a longer loop connecting Mount Field, Willey, and Tom, three of New Hampshire's 4,000-footers, adding roughly 6 miles and 2,000 feet of gain.
