Trip Reports
5.0 (1 trip report)
4,062 ft | Carter | 1 route
As of October 9, 2026
Trail conditions on Wildcat Mountain (D Peak) are currently rated Moderate. At 3:20 AM ET it was 36°F at the summit (4,062 ft), feeling like 29°F, with ENE winds at 6 mph. The listed route, Wildcat D via Wildcat Ridge Trail, is 4.0 miles round trip with 2,173 ft of elevation gain, taking about 2-4 hours. Wildcat Mountain (D Peak) (4,062 ft) is #37 of 48 on the NH 48 list. See the hour-by-hour Wildcat Mountain (D Peak) weather forecast for summit temps, wind chill, and the best hiking window.
Wildcat Mountain (D Peak) weather forecast
Hourly summit temps, wind chill & freezing level, trailhead to summit
Best time to hike Wildcat Mountain (D Peak)
Month-by-month conditions from our daily records
Feels like 29°F
Recent Precipitation
Rain: 0.08" (24h) · 0.19" (48h)
~3.2°F drop per 1,000ft
Conditions summary as of October 9, 2026
Wildcat D is fully forested with no summit exposure, but strong regional west winds, cold temperatures, and possible rime or glaze ice near the summit make Friday colder and windier than the clear local reading suggests. Conditions improve Saturday as high pressure builds, with lighter winds and clearing skies. Plan around short fall daylight and cold, icy patches on upper slopes.
The trailhead near 2,000 ft is in the 40s with moderate wind, while the summit area drops to the low 30s with a mid-teens wind chill, and the freezing level sits near summit height. Start with a light base layer, carry insulating and windproof layers, and add them at the upper ridge where wind and ice become more likely.
Best Hiking Window
Saturday late morning through early afternoon, after winds ease and skies clear. If hiking Friday, go early morning and finish before afternoon, when winds, snow showers, and wind chill worsen.
Last synthesized Oct 9, 3:20 AM ET
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: Ski trails, Wildcat Ridge Trail, Nineteen Mile Brook Trail
Conditions: Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery
“Ski area very dry, ridge was mostly dry, some mud and puddles. The steep down descending A was dry. Lotsa leaves on the 19 mile brook trail descent made it tedious for wanting to stop thinking about where I was placing my feet at the end of the day. Wobby legged from Saturday made it feel longer”
Trail: Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, ski trails, NH 16
Conditions: Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“Nice loop route this morning. A bit chilly to start but that’s what fall morning hikes are all about! Leaves are starting to accumulate on trail but didn’t really impact travel as quite a bit of foot traffic have ground them down. Trails were dry for the most part. The trail from Carter notch intersection to Wildcat Mountain was dry, which made that section more enjoyable. Saw very few people on this route of travel and I didn’t get hit by leaf peepers filming while they were driving or yanking the car off in the ditch to get a shot of the presidential range on my run back to trailhead so I’ll take that as a sign it was a great day!”
Trail: Camp Dodge Cutoff, Imp Trail, North Carter Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Carter Dome Trail, Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, ski trails, NH Route 16
Conditions: Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable
“Parked at Great gulf so I could actually have a semi-decent spot to set up and get ready for ripping up and across some ridges. There was also a Gorham 10k race starting outta this lot in addition to flags on the 48 and typical weekend 4k madness so simply leaving the lot, crossing the road and getting above camp dodge felt like the first monumental achievement of the day. Pretty basic slog up to the ridge then Middle carter was rather muddy, otherwise very dry, basic and straightforward cross the ridge and down to the hut. Amazing break and then another stiff climb up to Wildcat A and summit mudpits. Pretty dry from B summit over to the ski area and down Polecat. 48x11 on Carter Dome and month 11 gridout on Wildcat D. (OMG I'm gonna finish the grid next month!!!) Walked a couple miles of route 16 before getting a much enjoyed ride the last mile to my car”
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Trail reports across the Whites this week · Trailhead parking
Tap a day header to expand to 3hr or hourly detail
Today Oct 9 | Tomorrow Oct 10 | Sunday Oct 11 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | cloudy | sunny | cloudy | sunny | sunny | cloudy | cloudy | cloudy | drizzle |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 38° 36° | 38° 36° | 35° 28° | 31° 28° | 40° 32° | 49° 42° | 53° 51° | 51° 49° | 50° 44° |
| Chill °F | 22° | 22° | 9° | 11° | 19° | 37° | — | 46° | 41° |
| Wind mph | 37 | 34 | 45 | 34 | 22 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Gust mph est. | 59 | 54 | 63 | 54 | 35 | — | — | 11 | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.1 |
| Chance of precip | 12% | 14% | 20% | 1% | - | - | - | 4% | 60% |
| Freezing ft | 4,688 ft | 7,959 ft | 12,123 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 100% | 48% | 81% | - | 4% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Vis mi | 8 | clear | 8 | clear | clear | clear | clear | clear | 9 |
| UV | 2 | 3 | — | 4 | 5 | — | 3 | 4 | — |
Tap a day header to expand AM/PM/Night detail
| Elevation | Today Oct 9 | Tomorrow Oct 10 | Sunday Oct 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 4,062 ft | 36/38° 37 | 28/31° 34 | 51/53° 8 |
| 3,300 ft | 39/41° 29 | 29/32° 27 | 49/51° 6 |
| 2,500 ft | 43/44° 22 | 32/35° 18 | 46/54° 6 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 45/46° 19 | 33/37° 15 | 43/56° 5 |
4 more days of forecast: plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
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28°F
Summit low
Microspikes
Summit lows near 28°F, so expect ice on rock and the upper trail.
59 mph
Summit gusts
Waterproof shell
Daytime gusts near 59 mph above treeline, and a shell is what blocks it.
11h 16m
Daylight
Headlamp
Sunset around 6:10 PM, so a late start or a slow descent ends in the dark.
The rest of the list: Winter gear guide · How I pick gear
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.
Wildcat Valley Trail (3.7 mi) · Wildcat Ridge Trail (4.0 mi)
Easternmost Wildcat peak, accessible via gondola in summer. Part of Wildcat Ridge traverse.
Elevation
4,062 ft
Range
Carter
Rank
#37 of 48
Difficulty
Moderate
Coordinates
44.2494, -71.2236