Also known as: Owl's Head (Carroll), Cherry Mountain, Owl's Head
Owl's Head sits at 3,258 feet as the northern summit of Cherry Mountain, a ridge in the northern White Mountains of New Hampshire, just east of Route 115 in Carroll. It shares the massif with Mount Martha (3,563 ft) to the south. The ridge stands apart from the main Presidential peaks, offering an oblique but sweeping view of the range from its open ledges.
The standard route follows the Cherry Mountain Trail from a trailhead on Route 115. The trail begins on an old woods road before steepening considerably over 1.7 miles and roughly 1,700 feet of gain to reach the Mount Martha ridgeline. From there, hikers can visit Mount Martha's summit, where the clearing and foundations of an old fire tower survive, before continuing north on Martha's Mile, a 0.8-mile ridge connector with some rocky scrambling before Owl's Head. The full out-and-back runs about 5.5 miles with around 2,400 feet of total gain.
The Owl's Head summit features open ledges with panoramic views of the Presidential Range, with the high peaks of Adams, Jefferson, and Washington spread across the horizon. Cherry Mountain sees far fewer visitors than nearby celebrated trailheads, and the small parking area on Route 115 is rarely crowded. Snow and ice persist into spring on the descent from Martha's Mile, and afternoon thunderstorms are a concern on the exposed ridge from late spring through summer.
