Mount Success caps the southern end of the Mahoosuc Range in Coos County, sitting just inside the New Hampshire border as the final Granite State summit on the northbound Appalachian Trail before the route crosses into Maine. The peak, formerly called Ingalls Mountain until renamed in 1936, rises to 3,592 feet above the Androscoggin River valley and draws far fewer visitors than the more accessible White Mountain summits to the south. Its open, bald top delivers a 360-degree panorama taking in the northern Presidentials, the Carter Range, the Dixville Notch hills, and the folded ridges of western Maine.
The standard Success Trail begins off a rough logging road in the town of Success, ascending roughly 2,000 feet over three miles. After a steady climb through northern hardwood forest, a short Outlook Loop detours to The Outlook, a rocky ledge with views of Berlin and the Presidential peaks. Back on the main trail, the ridge levels briefly over bog bridges and wet ground before reaching the Mahoosuc Trail (AT) junction, where a right turn leads through steep, eroded rock slabs to the open summit. A lesser-used approach comes from the north via the Carlo Col Trail; overnight options include tent platforms at Carlo Col Shelter and Gentian Pond Shelter, each within 3 miles of the summit. Off-trail south of the top, remnants of a 1954 airliner crash draw curious visitors. Snow and ice linger on the north-facing slabs well into spring, so carry traction devices on early-season visits.
