5.9 mi of trail, end to end · about 3,700 ft of climbing · 1,241 ft–4,936 ft · native material surface · trail No. 31446 · trail class 3 · typical grade 10-12% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, bike
TrailheadHowker Ridge / Randolph Path Trailhead 1,243 ft Drive there
Howker Ridge / Randolph Path Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up
The Howker Ridge Trail is a strenuous and exposed, but highly scenic route to the summit of Mount Madison. The Randolph Path, which also departs from this trailhead, travels in a Southwest direction, crosses many other trails in the Northern Presidentials, and ends in the saddle between Mount Adams and Mount Jefferson.
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.
