Mount Major stands at 1,786 feet in the Belknap Range, just south of Lake Winnipesaukee in Alton, New Hampshire. Despite its modest elevation, it draws roughly 80,000 visitors a year and ranks among the most-hiked peaks in the state.
Three trails depart from the Route 11 parking area north of Alton Bay. The Main Trail is the shortest at 1.5 miles one-way, following an old logging road before pitching steeply onto open ledges. The Brook Trail (1.7 miles) and Boulder Loop (1.6 miles) offer slightly different terrain and pair well together for a loop. All routes gain roughly 1,100 feet, and the exposed upper mountain is reliably windy.
The rocky open summit delivers views across Lake Winnipesaukee, sweeping from Alton Bay in the southwest to Moultonborough Bay in the north, with the southern White Mountains visible on clear days. Near the top stand the stone walls of a hut built by landowner George Phippen in 1925; successive roofs blew off in winter storms, but the low walls still serve as a windbreak. Conservation land on three sides of the mountain is held by the Forest Society.
