Peak Reviews
5.0 (1 review)
mike
Jan 17, 2026
Hiked on August 1, 1965
Hiked it when I was 17 with friend Gibby McIlvain after taking buses up from Washington DC and spending a night at the AMC Carter Notch Hut. Remember the smell of pine trees.
4,422 ft | Carter | 0 routes
Feels like -12°F
Recent Precipitation
Rain: 0.01" (24h) · 0.02" (48h)
Snow: 0.1" (24h) · 0.2" (48h)
Below freezing at all elevations
~2.2°F drop per 1,000ft
Best Hiking Window
Conditions are dangerous through at least Monday under the Wind Chill Warning. Monday may offer clearer skies as high pressure builds, but temperatures and wind chills will remain extremely low. The earliest marginally safer window may be Tuesday once the warning expires and temperatures begin to moderate slightly, though conditions will still be firmly in difficult winter territory. Monitor forecasts closely before committing to any attempt.
Trail: 19 Mile Brook Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, polecat ski trail
Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular
“Started on 19 MB about 11:15. All trails are in great shape- packed. Timing was perfect as we arrived at the ski area at 3:45, so only waited 15 mins to descend on Polecat. Much lower winds than forecasted!”
Trail: Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail
Conditions: Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular
“Out and back from 19 mile brook trailhead. Trail was super hard packed for fast pace, I had snowshoes from the car so didn’t change until I came back down off the ridge at the hut sign. From there and across ridge I’d def recommend snowshoes. Used microspikes back from that point and still hard packed. Light wind so only needed a base layer and light vest all day even on summits! Surprisily quiet as I didn’t see anyone until going back down not too far from the Carter/wildcat split”
Trail: Camp Dodge Cutoff, Imp Trail, North Carter Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Carter Dome Trail, Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, ski trails
Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Postholes
“The 3.1 miles from Wildcat to Camp Dodge is a long walk, but a 9 minute bike ride with very minimal pedalling. Locked bike to gate. Snowshoes all day for me...saw some snowshoe carriers who did some churning between N. Carter trail and Middle Carter, not sure if they were doing out/back, but from Middle Carter to Zeta was not churned and in good shape. The climb up to Mt. Hight is in good shape and worth it on a clear day like today. There is an insane amount of snow on Carter Dome...some of the drifts are 15' high I think and block the view of the Presis...and fortunately not on the trail which is well broken out. The steep climb down into the notch is not icy, and on the steepest sections I was able to down climb with relatively good grip on the snow with my snowshoe cleats. A combination of tree assists, sliding, and careful foot placement was used. WRT is in the best shape of all but still soft enough that snowshoes were the right call. Made it to the top of the ski area at 4:23...(can't hike down before 4pm). I always enjoy how the views of the Ravines on Washington change as you lose elevation.”
No routes available for this peak.
Highest of the Wildcat peaks with ski area on slopes. Great views of Tuckerman Ravine and Mount Washington.
Elevation
4,422 ft
Range
Carter
Rank
#20 of 48
Difficulty
Moderate
Coordinates
44.2590, -71.2015
mike
Hiked it when I was 17 with friend Gibby McIlvain after taking buses up from Washington DC and spending a night at the AMC Carter Notch Hut. Remember the smell of pine trees.