East Sleeper (3,860 ft) occupies the heart of the Sandwich Range Wilderness, one of two peaks known collectively as the Sleepers. The summit is forested and viewless, its draw coming from its remote position and its place on the New England Hundred Highest list. The peak honors Katherine "Kate" Sleeper Walden (1862–1949), a Wonalancet innkeeper who spearheaded trail building and land preservation efforts that helped shape the White Mountain National Forest.
The Kate Sleeper Trail passes just below the summit, with a short but easy-to-miss spur leading to the wooded top, marked by a cairn and sign. Hikers reach the Kate Sleeper Trail most commonly via the Downes Brook Trail off the Kancamagus Highway, a route involving roughly a half-dozen stream crossings that can be slippery or impassable in high water. From the Wonalancet side, the Blueberry Ledge Trail offers a longer approach often paired with Mt. Whiteface. Total elevation gain on either approach runs from 4,000 to over 5,000 feet. East Sleeper is frequently combined with West Sleeper, Mt. Tripyramid, or Mt. Whiteface to form longer loops.
The summit spur can be hard to spot, particularly where blowdowns obscure the junction with the Kate Sleeper Trail. Snow and ice linger in this shaded corridor into late spring, and stream crossings on the Downes Brook approach become a serious concern during snowmelt.
