Mount Garfield is a 4,500-foot mountain in Grafton County, New Hampshire. It is part of the Franconia Range and sits at the northern end of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The summit of Mount Garfield has the stone foundations of an old fire lookout tower and provides outstanding views, especially of the Franconia Ridge (including nearby Mount Lafayette and Mount Lincoln) and down into the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The mountain is typically accessed by the Garfield Trail and is a popular destination for hikers seeking a moderately challenging climb with great payoff in views. Mount Garfield is a prominent peak at the northwestern end of the Franconia Range, overlooking the Pemigewasset Wilderness. It was named for James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, who served in 1881. This naming likely occurred in the late 19th century, following President Garfield’s assassination, as part of a trend of honoring American leaders in the White Mountains. The summit of Mount Garfield has the stone foundations of an old fire lookout tower – a wooden tower operated here from 1940 to 1948. Forest service personnel once staffed it to watch for wildfires across the remote Pemi region. Even earlier, in the 1910s, Garfield’s summit was used as a survey point when the U.S. Geological Survey was mapping the White Mountains (there’s a benchmark from 1913 on top). The foundations hikers see today were part of the second tower (1942) which was removed in the 1970s. Garfield has long been popular with hikers seeking a moderately challenging climb with a great payoff. The classic Garfield Trail follows an old firewarden’s route (and before that, possibly a logging road from the 1870s when the area to the north, in Gale River valley, was logged). From the summit’s remains of the tower, one enjoys outstanding views – especially of the Franconia Ridge (Lafayette, Lincoln, etc.) across the valley and deep into the wild heart of the Whites.
