Mount Pierce is a mountain in the Presidential Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire that is approximately 4,310 feet (1,310 m) high. Formerly called Mount Clinton for 19th-century governor DeWitt Clinton of New York,[4] in 1913 it was renamed after President Franklin Pierce (1804–1869), the only president born in New Hampshire, although it was several decades before the name was widely recognized.[5] Its summit offers a wide view of New Hampshire's mountains.
| Mount Pierce | |
|---|---|
 Mount Pierce as seen from Mount Jackson | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 4,310 ft (1,310 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 230 ft (70 m)[2] |
| Listing | New England 4000-foot Peaks[2] |
| Coordinates | 44°13′35″N 71°21′58″W / 44.2265226°N 71.3659732°W[3] |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Parent range | Presidential Range |
| Topo map | USGS Stairs Mountain |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Hike (Crawford Path) |
The shortest trail route to the summit of Pierce is from a parking lot to the west of the mountain on Mount Clinton Road just off Route 302. The trail primarily follows the Crawford Path,[6] the oldest continually used hiking trail in the United States. Crawford Path was established in 1819 by Abel and Ethan Crawford, who referred to the mountain as Bald Mountain.[7] The Appalachian Trail and Webster Cliff Trail approach from Mount Jackson in the south and meet Crawford Path just north of the summit before continuing to the northeast. Mount Eisenhower and Mount Monroe lie on the ridge northeast of Mount Pierce. All three of these peaks are included on the peak-bagging list of four-thousand footers in New Hampshire.
Notes
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- ^ "Mt. Pierce (4310)". U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute topographic maps. ACME Mapper. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ a b "Mount Pierce, New Hampshire". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
- ^ "Mount Pierce". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
- ^ "Mountains of the Presidential Range". Mount Washington Observatory. Archived from the original on September 29, 2006. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
- ^ Place Names of the White Mountains (1993) listing for "Mount Pierce"
- ^ "Mount Pierce". SummitPost. April 4, 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
- ^ Dickerman, Mike (2013). White Mountains Hiking History: Trailblazers of the Granite State. Arcadia Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-62584-533-7.