Carter-Moriah Trail

To Carter Dome, Middle Carter Mountain, South Carter Mountain, Mount Moriah · New Hampshire

Part of the Appalachian TrailUSFS trail #31384

Carter-Moriah Trail is a trail in the Carter, Wildcat and Baldface ranges, climbing about 6,300 ft from Carter/Moriah Trailhead to the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail junction. Part of it is above treeline.

Map length

12.5 mi

Climb from the low end

6,281 ft

Book time up / down (from map miles)

9 h 23 min / 8 h 9 min

High point

4,831 ft

Above treeline

1.9 mi

Steepest ¼ mile

2,627 ft/mi

Stream crossings

0

Low point

795 ft

Measured on the map. The AMC guide and Forest Service figures usually run 5 to 15% longer.

HikerNerd routes on this trail

Carter-Moriah Trail Above treeline

Elevation profile Above treeline Steep (25%+)
500'2,750'5,000'Mount Surprise, mile 2.13Mount Moriah, mile 4.34North Carter Mountain, mile 7.53Mount Lethe, mile 8.02Middle Carter Mountain, mile 8.37South Carter Mountain, mile 9.510 mi12.5 mi

Mile by mile (map miles)

From Carter/Moriah Trailhead (the lower end) to Nineteen Mile Brook Trail junction.

  1. 0.0Carter/Moriah Trailhead
  2. 2.1Mount Surprise
  3. 4.3Junction with Kenduskeag Trail
  4. 4.3Mount Moriah
  5. 5.5Junction with Moriah Brook Trail and Stony Brook Trail
  6. 6.2Junction with Imp Campsite Spur Path
  7. 7.4Leaves the trees: exposed above treeline
  8. 7.5North Carter Mountain
  9. 7.8Junction with North Carter Trail
  10. 8.0Mount Lethe
  11. 8.4Middle Carter Mountain
  12. 8.9Back below treeline
  13. 9.5South Carter Mountain
  14. 10.2Zeta Pass
  15. 10.2Junction with Carter Dome Trail
  16. 10.3Junction with Carter Dome Trail
  17. 10.6Leaves the trees: exposed above treeline
  18. 10.7Mount Hight
  19. 10.9Back below treeline
  20. 11.1Junction with Black Angel Trail and Carter Dome Trail
  21. 11.3Leaves the trees: exposed above treeline
  22. 11.5Carter Dome
  23. 11.5Junction with Carter Dome Trail and Rainbow Trail
  24. 11.5Back below treeline
  25. 12.5Junction with Nineteen Mile Brook Trail

Distances and book times (map miles)

  1. To Mount Surprise

    2.13 mi (total 2.13) · ↑1,401 ↓6 ft · 1 h 46 min / 1 h 4 min

  2. To Mount Moriah

    2.21 mi (total 4.34) · ↑1,876 ↓69 ft · 2 h 2 min / 1 h 8 min

  3. To Moriah Brook Trail junction

    1.19 mi (total 5.53) · ↑27 ↓906 ft · 37 min / 1 h 3 min

  4. To Imp Campsite Spur Path junction

    0.63 mi (total 6.16) · ↑325 ↓101 ft · 29 min / 22 min

  5. To North Carter Mountain

    1.37 mi (total 7.53) · ↑1,208 ↓26 ft · 1 h 17 min / 42 min

  6. To North Carter Trail junction

    0.27 mi (total 7.80) · ↑16 ↓52 ft · 8 min / 10 min

  7. To Mount Lethe

    0.22 mi (total 8.02) · ↑79 ↓0 ft · 9 min / 7 min

  8. To Middle Carter Mountain

    0.35 mi (total 8.37) · ↑75 ↓42 ft · 13 min / 12 min

  9. To South Carter Mountain

    1.14 mi (total 9.51) · ↑210 ↓398 ft · 41 min / 46 min

  10. To Carter Dome Trail junction (mile 10.2)

    0.68 mi (total 10.19) · ↑21 ↓507 ft · 21 min / 35 min

  11. To Carter Dome Trail junction (mile 10.3)

    0.16 mi (total 10.35) · ↑151 ↓0 ft · 10 min / 5 min

  12. To Mount Hight

    0.33 mi (total 10.68) · ↑582 ↓0 ft · 28 min / 10 min

  13. To Carter Dome Trail junction (mile 11.1)

    0.43 mi (total 11.11) · ↑41 ↓126 ft · 14 min / 17 min

  14. To Carter Dome

    0.37 mi (total 11.48) · ↑247 ↓1 ft · 19 min / 11 min

  15. To Nineteen Mile Brook Trail junction

    1.02 mi (total 12.50) · ↑0 ↓1,549 ft · 31 min / 1 h 17 min

↑ walking from Carter/Moriah Trailhead; ↓ the other way. Book time: 2 mph over the map miles plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing.

Trailheads and parking

  • Carter/Moriah Trailhead

    Off Bangor Street

    Weekends (all seasons): Had space in all 6 reports, as late as 1:30 pm.

    Weekdays (all seasons): Full in 2 of 18 reports, as early as 12 pm; others found space as late as 2 pm.

    Latest report, Tue, Sep 8: Nearly empty, then plenty of room.

    All parking reports for Carter/Moriah Trailhead

Summit conditions

Carter DomedifficultOct 9, 8:20 PMMiddle Carter MountaindifficultOct 9, 8:20 PMSouth Carter MountaindifficultOct 9, 8:20 PMMount MoriahdifficultOct 9, 8:20 PM
Today's conditions report

2 incidents recorded on this trail: Mount Moriah safety record

Recent trip reports

3 reports on this trail in the last 30 days: snow or ice in 0, microspikes recommended in 0, mud in 3. From hikers on New England Trail Conditions.

Connecting trails

Kenduskeag TrailMoriah Brook TrailStony Brook TrailImp Campsite Spur PathNorth Carter TrailCarter Dome TrailBlack Angel TrailRainbow TrailNineteen Mile Brook Trail

What to bring

From the summit forecast, Sat to Mon

Paid links. Backcountry.com pays me if you buy. Prices are Backcountry's, checked twice a day.

  • 69 mph

    Summit gusts

    Plan a below-treeline hike

    Daytime gusts near 69 mph above treeline. Pick a sheltered route or another day.

  • 29°F

    Summit low

    Microspikes

    Summit lows near 29°F, so expect ice on rock and the upper trail.

    Kahtoola Microspikes at Backcountry.com ($89.95)

  • 11h 13m

    Daylight

    Headlamp

    Sunset around 6:08 PM, so a late start or a slow descent ends in the dark.

    Headlamps at Backcountry.com

The rest of the list: Winter gear guide · How I pick gear

Trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Elevation: USGS 3DEP. Above-treeline areas from canopy height by Meta and WRI (CC BY 4.0). Distances are measured from the map and can differ from signs and guidebooks. Conditions change: check before you go.