From north to south, the highest summits of the range include: The summits marked with an asterisk (*) are included on the Appalachian Mountain Club's peak-bagging list of "Four-thousand footers" in New Hampshire.

The Franconia Range hosts the third largest connected area of alpine tundra in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, only surpassed by the Presidential Range and the Katahdin massif.

[2] Approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) along the crest of the ridge is in the alpine zone.

Known as the Franconia Ridge Loop[3][4] or Franconia Ridge Traverse,[5] the loop is strenuous, with a cumulative gain of over 3,900 feet (1,200 m), and traverses the rocky cones of Little Haystack Mountain, Mount Lincoln, and Mount Lafayette.

The exposed nature of the ridge and the changeable weather of the White Mountains make it a more dangerous hike than it may appear.