White Mountain National Forest · New Hampshire, Maine

Old Jackson Road

1.9 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 31438 · trail class 3 · typical grade 10-12% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, bike

Trailheads Madison Gulf / Old Jackson Road North Trailhead Drive there · Pinkham Notch Trailhead Drive there

Madison Gulf / Old Jackson Road North Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

The Madison Gulf trail leads through the Great Gulf Wilderness to Madison Gulf, a very steep and rocky area with several ledge outcroppings, bouldery areas and a chimney with loose rock (not recommended for descent). Old Jackson Road, part of the Appalachian Trail, has moderate grades and decent footing as it leads to Pinkham Notch.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Other trails from the same trailheads

All 512 trails in White Mountain National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.