At 5, 249 feet, the view from Mount Lafayette is undeniably spectacular. The highest point of the Franconia Range in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, the summit is above the treeline, the clouds, and the famously sheer face of Cannon Cliff. Blue peaks dotted with waterfalls extend in every direction. In late September, colorful leaves dot the lip of the valley, suspending hikers between the ground and the sky in a line of yellow and orange.