New Hampshire · Trail 31856

Black Angel

Black Angel Trail is a 7.7 miles trail in White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. It is open to hiking and horse and pack stock. It enters Wild River Wilderness.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The White Mountain National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end44.2834, -71.0491 · Directions ↗
Other end44.2714, -71.1755 · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.

The trail

Length7.7 miles
Trail class3, developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade12-20 percent
Typical tread width18-24 inches
Motor vehiclesClosed to all motorized use year-round
AccessibilityEvaluated and does not meet accessibility guidelines
Trail numbers31856
ForestWhite Mountain National Forest (unit 0922)
StatesNew Hampshire
Detail publishedmanagement level, with uses

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Black Angel Trail10°20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 5.31 inches of precipitation, 28.5 inches of snowFebruary: 4.28 inches of precipitation, 27.6 inches of snowMarch: 4.87 inches of precipitation, 26.4 inches of snowApril: 5.75 inches of precipitation, 9.4 inches of snowMay: 5.48 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowJune: 5.88 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 5.48 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 5.12 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 4.99 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 7.82 inches of precipitation, 1.7 inches of snowNovember: 5.83 inches of precipitation, 12.7 inches of snowDecember: 5.98 inches of precipitation, 28.9 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 16.1°F averageFebruary: 17.9°F averageMarch: 25.6°F averageApril: 37.9°F averageMay: 50.2°F averageJune: 58.9°F averageJuly: 64.0°F averageAugust: 62.8°F averageSeptember: 56.3°F averageOctober: 44.6°F averageNovember: 33.1°F averageDecember: 22.6°F average0 in10 in20 in30 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Pinkham Notch, 7 miles from the trail midpoint at 2,025 feet, station USC00276818 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 67 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 136 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed year-round
Horse and pack stockAllowed

A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.

Wilderness

Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.

Trailheads

The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Tnc W Branch 3 Rx

    30 mi from the trail midpoint · 59 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.

Explore

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Black Angel Trail?

7.7 miles, the sum of the 1 segment the Forest Service records under this name in White Mountain National Forest.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Black Angel Trail?

hiking and horse and pack stock. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Black Angel Trail start?

The line begins at 44.2834, -71.0491 and ends at 44.2714, -71.1755. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Black Angel Trail in a wilderness area?

Yes. It enters Wild River Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.

Source: Wild River Wilderness Wilderness

Where can I camp near the Black Angel Trail?

Basin Campground (1.7 mi), Wild River Campground (1.7 mi) and Cold River (2.2 mi) are within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Black Angel Trail?

Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Black Angel Trail?

The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Black Angel Trail accessible?

No. The Forest Service evaluated it and found it does not meet its accessibility guidelines.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Black Angel Trail?

White Mountain National Forest, Forest Service unit 0922. The trail is in New Hampshire.

Source: White Mountain National Forest official page

Is there a fire near the Black Angel Trail?

1 active incident within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Tnc W Branch 3 Rx at 30 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named BLACK ANGEL in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0922. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.