The Carter Dome/Wildcat A is a 11.3-mile point-to-point with 4,462 ft of elevation gain.
Submitted by shamuswilkie
11.3 mi • 4,462 ft gain • 6-10 hours • Nineteen Mile Brook Trail
Feels like 32°F
Best Hiking Window
Tuesday early morning before conditions deteriorate in the afternoon. Plan to be off exposed terrain and descending well before mid-afternoon Tuesday when the cold front arrives and winds ramp significantly. Wednesday is not recommended due to high winds persisting through mid-morning.
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.
Summit-level conditions by time of day at 4,832' elevation
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 | fog | sunny | sunny | cloudy |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 47° 47° | 52° 49° | 54° 52° | 53° 52° | 54° 53° | 53° 51° | 51° 50° | 55° 53° | 54° 53° |
| Chill °F | 41° | 43° | — | — | — | — | 46° | — | — |
| Wind mph | 13 | 18 | 38 | 41 | 33 | 29 | 11 | 8 | 5 |
| Gust mph est. | 21 | 29 | 61 | 57 | 53 | 46 | 17 | — | — |
| 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% | - | 5% | 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 4,832 ft | 47/47° 13 | 52/53° 41 | 50/51° 11 |
| 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.
Full hourly summit forecasts: Carter Dome weather · Wildcat Mountain (A Peak) weather
The Carter Dome/Wildcat A is a 11.3-mile point-to-point in New Hampshire's White Mountains, starting at Nineteen Mile Brook Trail. It climbs about 4,462 ft — an average of 395 ft per mile — which works out to roughly 6-10 hours at AMC book time. It summits 2 named peaks, topping out on Carter Dome at 4,832 ft: Carter Dome (4,832 ft), Wildcat Mountain (A Peak) (4,422 ft). HikerNerd rates it Difficult on effort alone — check the current conditions above before committing, since weather above treeline changes the day far more than the numbers do.
Distance
11.3 mi
Elevation Gain
4,462 ft
Duration
6-10 hours
Trailhead
Nineteen Mile Brook Trail
The Carter Dome/Wildcat A is 11.3 miles point to point, starting at Nineteen Mile Brook Trail. At AMC book time — half the distance in hours plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing — that works out to roughly 6-10 hours. Most parties take longer than book time on rough or above-treeline terrain, in winter, or with a heavy pack.
The Carter Dome/Wildcat A climbs about 4,462 ft over 11.3 miles — an average of roughly 395 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 Carter Dome/Wildcat A Difficult, scored with the Shenandoah difficulty formula — √(elevation gain × 2 × distance) — applied to its 11.3 miles and 4,462 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 Carter Dome/Wildcat A summits 2 named peaks: Carter Dome, Wildcat Mountain (A Peak).
The Carter Dome/Wildcat A starts at Nineteen Mile Brook Trail. 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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