King Ravine Trail cuts through one of the most dramatic glacial cirques in the Presidential Range, ascending the north flank of Mount Adams across nearly 2.4 miles and 2,700 feet of vertical gain. The trail earns its place on the Terrifying 25 through the headwall: a relentless 0.6-mile boulder scramble gaining 1,250 feet where hikers stow their poles and move on all fours across massive talus blocks. The floor of the ravine itself is a field of enormous boulders, some as large as small houses, demanding constant route-finding even before the headwall begins.
Partway up the ravine, a spur branches to the Subway, a 220-yard passage through boulder caves with tight tunnels and gaps large enough to swallow a dog, where ice lingers well into summer. The main route bypasses the Subway on an elevated line that is still technical; both options reconverge before the headwall, where cairns guide a scramble up stacked blocks that demands careful limb placement and comfort with exposure. There is no easy line through the upper ravine.
The trail should only be attempted in clear, dry weather; wet rock dramatically increases the hazard across the entire boulder field. In winter and early spring, avalanche risk in the cirque is serious, and the headwall requires technical mountaineering experience and gear.
