Cannon Mountain Observation Tower

Cannon Mountain’s observation tower is a small wooden lookout deck at the exposed summit above Franconia Notch. The payoff is a broad White Mountain panorama, especially toward Franconia Ridge and Mount Lafayette. On a clear day, the view can stretch across four states and into Canada.

The old aerial tram has been retired. Current visitor access to the deck by hikers is unclear, so check before making this tower your reason for the trip.

The documented foot approach from Lafayette Place follows the Lonesome Lake Trail and Hi-Cannon to the summit: about six miles round trip. Hi-Cannon is a strenuous climb with worn blue blazes, slippery rock after rain, and a ladder followed by a steep boulder section near the top. Hiker lots fill early.

The AMC Lonesome Lake Hut is a separate optional stop by the lake, where hikers can get food, use a restroom, and refill water bottles. At the tower, the upper deck is reached by several flights of stairs; it is not step-free.

From the rail, look toward Franconia Ridge and Mount Lafayette. The deck railings make a useful foreground for a wide summit photo, while a clear horizon is what brings the farthest peaks into view. This is an exposed, windy summit, so the deck is no shelter when the weather turns cool.

Cannon was officially called Profile Mountain until 1972. That earlier name came from the Old Man of the Mountain, a granite profile on the cliff above Profile Lake. Five blocks of granite formed a face roughly 40 feet high and 25 feet wide, about 1,200 feet over the lake. The profile collapsed on May 3, 2003. The name Cannon refers to boulders on the mountain that resemble an old cannon when seen from below.

Cannon opened the first passenger aerial tramway in the United States in 1938, carrying skiers uphill. The mountain also hosted North America’s first Alpine Skiing World Cup races in 1967.