Trip Reports
5.0 (1 trip report)
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
As of August 29, 2026
Trail conditions on Wildcat Mountain (A Peak) are currently rated Moderate. It's 43°F (feels like 34°F) with NW winds at 15 mph. Wildcat Mountain (A Peak) (4,422 ft) is #20 of 48 on the NH 48 list. See the hour-by-hour Wildcat Mountain (A Peak) weather forecast for summit temps, wind chill, and the best hiking window.
Wildcat Mountain (A Peak) weather forecast
Hourly summit temps, wind chill & freezing level, trailhead to summit
Feels like 34°F
~3.4°F drop per 1,000ft
Conditions summary as of August 29, 2026
Wildcat A is in good late-summer shape with dry-to-minor-mud trail conditions reported recently, but Saturday brings brisk, breezy weather with wind chills in the low 30s to low 40s at summit and gusty NW winds. Conditions are safe for prepared hikers, but be ready for a noticeably colder, windier summit than the trailhead suggests. Sunday's forecast trends toward showers and stronger winds, so an early Saturday start is the better window.
Expect a noticeable cooling and windier trend from trailhead (~53-64°F) to summit (~48-55°F, wind chill near 40°F), roughly a 10-15°F swing—pack a windbreaker or light insulating layer to add at higher elevations, especially near the ridge where minimal treeline exposure still allows wind chill to bite.
Best Hiking Window
Saturday morning through early afternoon, starting near sunrise (6:03 AM) to take advantage of calmer winds and sunny skies before afternoon clouds and Sunday's deteriorating weather arrive
Last synthesized Aug 29, 7:20 AM
Planning a hike here this week?
Trailblazer adds the full 7-day summit forecast, the best day to go for every peak, and conditions for each route up.
Trail: Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, ski trails
Conditions: Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“Beautiful morning to be out! Temperatures were perfect for hiking. Ran into quite a few people coming down from the hut along 19 MBT. I ran into a few thru hikers along the WRT. I had a great conversation with Vegabond on Wildcat A viewpoint. This day was sorta special for me. 10 years ago when I attempted to get the Wildcat's. I was so close to the summit of A when both legs severely cramped up on me and locked up. My buddy and I called it and turned around. The whole way up on this second attempt I was thinking about that day. When I reached the summit of A the feeling of emotion (elite joy) and accomplishment set in (which carried with me the entire way across the ridge). The Wildcats were #46 and #47 for me. I am reaching the completion of the 48. It is finally starting to sink in now, of the accomplishment. Okay, so one with the trail report. 19 mile was in great condition it had a little bit of mud here and there all manageable as were the brook crossings were all bridged. WRT had a few muddy sections but it was manageable. Polecat was lame and long (haha). The ski area was doing some work along it and there was a closed off section along with a little re-route. Be AWARE there is heavy equipment traveling along the route. I had to road walk back to my car that was an entertaining 2.5 miles. At least it was all down hill.”
Trail: Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, ski trails
Conditions: Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“Trek over the Wildcats starting at Nineteen Mile Tr, with a side trip to the Carter Notch Hut (where there were some yummy tahini chocolate chip cookie bars made by Croo). Trails in good shape, saw some blue bead lily, some red trillium that has gone by, hobblebush ready to fruit, bunchberry and some asters, along with some funky mushrooms. Carter Ponds had lots of tadpoles and some giant dragonflies zooming around. It's been a good 11 years or more since I did this trek, nice to see the recovery of a section of Wildcat Ridge Tr going up Wildcat A, last time I was through there, there was a fresh washout/slide from a hurricane or tropical storm. With some trail work and vegetation growth it wasn't nearly as sketchy as I remember. Hot and humid with no reprieve with elevation or breeze.Fairly quiet trails other than a couple of kid groups heading to and from hut.”
Trail: Ski trails, Wildcat Ridge Trail, Nineteen Mile Brook Trail
Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“Thanks to Steve and Joe for the very kind car spot so I could start at the ski trails and walk back to my car. The dampness and humidity was helpful in making the ski trails a little less gravelly and provided a bit more traction. It was lovely to bump into Lynda and Becky and walk up to the summit together. They headed back down and I continued on. The rocks on the WRT were sweaty from the humidity and there were more areas of mud than last month. Most of the mud was avoidable but it was not supportive if I walked through it. The descent from Wildcat A was tedious due to the wettish rocks. The hike out 19 Mile Brook was pleasant and I had the chance to talk to several NOBOS, one of whom I have been following on her YouTube channel since she started. That totally made my day! I saw many happy hikers on their way to the hut as well. Everyone seemed to really be enjoying the day!”
Tap a day header to expand to 3hr or hourly detail
Today Aug 29 | Tomorrow Aug 30 | Monday Aug 31 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | sunny | sunny | cloudy | cloudy | drizzle | drizzle | sunny | sunny | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 48° 48° | 54° 50° | 56° 54° | 55° 53° | 56° 54° | 54° 52° | 53° 52° | 57° 55° | 56° 54° |
| Chill °F | 43° | 44° | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wind mph | 13 | 17 | 37 | 40 | 31 | 25 | 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Gust mph est. | 21 | 27 | 59 | 56 | 50 | 40 | 15 | — | — |
| Storm risk | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Freezing ft | 12,413 ft | 11,723 ft | 13,201 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | - | 2% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | - | - | 100% |
| Vis mi | clear | clear | clear | clear | 8 | clear | clear | clear | clear |
| UV | 5 | 7 | — | 4 | 6 | — | 5 | 7 | — |
Tap a day header to expand AM/PM/Night detail
| Elevation | Today Aug 29 | Tomorrow Aug 30 | Monday Aug 31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 4,422 ft | 48/48° 13 | 53/55° 40 | 52/53° 10 |
| 4,100 ft | 49/49° 13 | 54/56° 39 | 53/54° 9 |
| 3,300 ft | 50/52° 14 | 57/59° 33 | 55/59° 7 |
| 2,500 ft | 52/56° 12 | 60/62° 23 | 53/63° 6 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 53/58° 10 | 62/64° 19 | 54/65° 5 |
4 more days of forecast — plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Conditions synthesized from: NWS Higher Summits Forecast, NOAA Open-Meteo, Mount Washington Observatory, NETC Trip Reports, NOHRSC Snow Depth, Mt. Washington Avalanche Center, USGS Stream Levels, OpenWeather Air Quality.
AI-generated from public data. Always verify conditions before heading out — backcountry weather can change quickly.
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.