The Middle & South Carter is a 9.9-mile point-to-point with 3,528 ft of elevation gain.
Submitted by shamuswilkie
9.9 mi • 3,528 ft gain • 5-9 hours • Joe Dodge Imp Trail
Feels like 36°F
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Today Sep 11 | Tomorrow Sep 12 | Sunday Sep 13 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | fog | sunny | sunny | cloudy | cloudy | drizzle | drizzle | fog | drizzle |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 48° 45° | 50° 48° | 53° 50° | 53° 50° | 55° 51° | 55° 54° | 55° 54° | 57° 55° | 57° 44° |
| Chill °F | 35° | 39° | 42° | 46° | — | — | — | — | 35° |
| Wind mph | 34 | 30 | 29 | 10 | 23 | 31 | 23 | 12 | 25 |
| Gust mph est. | 54 | 48 | 46 | 16 | 37 | 50 | 37 | 19 | 40 |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.0 | - | 0.1 |
| Freezing ft | 13,460 ft | 14,218 ft | 12,965 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 100% | - | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Vis mi | 0.2 | clear | clear | clear | clear | 0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 |
| UV | 5 | 6 | — | 5 | 6 | — | 1 | 2 | — |
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| Elevation | Today Sep 11 | Tomorrow Sep 12 | Sunday Sep 13 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 4,610 ft | 45/48° 34 | 50/53° 10 | 54/55° 23 |
| 4,100 ft | 45/48° 32 | 51/52° 12 | 55/56° 22 |
| 3,300 ft | 46/49° 24 | 51/53° 14 | 55/56° 21 |
| 2,500 ft | 47/51° 17 | 53/55° 12 | 56/57° 13 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 49/53° 15 | 54/56° 10 | 57/58° 10 |
4 more days of forecast — plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Full hourly summit forecasts: Middle Carter Mountain weather · South Carter Mountain weather
Starts with a road walk
Distance
9.9 mi
Elevation Gain
3,528 ft
Duration
5-9 hours
Trailhead
Joe Dodge Imp Trail
The Middle & South Carter is 9.9 miles point to point, starting at Joe Dodge Imp Trail. At AMC book time — half the distance in hours plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing — that works out to roughly 5-9 hours. Most parties take longer than book time on rough or above-treeline terrain, in winter, or with a heavy pack.
The Middle & South Carter climbs about 3,528 ft over 9.9 miles — an average of roughly 356 ft of gain per mile. That figure is cumulative ascent across the whole point-to-point, not the difference between the trailhead and the high point.
HikerNerd rates the Middle & South Carter Difficult, scored with the Shenandoah difficulty formula — √(elevation gain × 2 × distance) — applied to its 9.9 miles and 3,528 ft of gain. The score measures physical effort only. Above-treeline exposure, water crossings, and winter conditions can make a moderate-rated route the hardest day of your year, so check current conditions before committing.
The Middle & South Carter summits 2 named peaks: Middle Carter Mountain, South Carter Mountain.
The Middle & South Carter starts at Joe Dodge Imp Trail and finishes at Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, so it needs a car spot or shuttle. Check the trail alerts on this page before you drive — trailhead access and parking in the White Mountains change with closures and construction.
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