Scaur Peak sits in the Sandwich Range Wilderness of White Mountain National Forest near Waterville Valley, a quiet and seldom-visited summit on the NH 100 Highest list. At 3,606 feet, it occupies a forested ridge just northwest of the Tripyramid massif. Views are limited but rewarding for the effort: partial sightlines through the trees reach the North Slide of North Tripyramid, the indent of Carrigain Notch, and on a clear day the distant snowfields of Mt. Washington.
Reaching the summit requires off-trail navigation. Most hikers approach via the Pine Bend Brook Trail, which leaves the Kancamagus Highway roughly a mile west of Sabbaday Falls. The first two miles roll nearly flat through six stream crossings before the trail steepens sharply. At about 2.4 miles and 3,300 feet, a bushwhack of roughly a third of a mile on a northwest bearing reaches the summit. A herd path often materializes near treeline, though it can disappear under winter snowpack. Many hikers combine Scaur with North Tripyramid, Middle Tripyramid, and the Fool Killer into a long but varied loop day.
Winter visits require care: stream crossings become more treacherous, steep rocky sections of the approach trail ice over, and snowshoes are typically needed for the bushwhacking portion.
