Wildcats Mountains A & D Hike

Nine GO members and Bailey [Black Lab] hiked the Wildcats today. The forecast called for partly sunny skies, a high temp near 40 degrees and windy.

The Wildcats are a cluster of mountains tied into the Carter-Moriah range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. There are 5 Wildcat peaks with the super unoriginal names of A, B, C, D, and E. Only two of these peaks, A and D count as "4,000 Footers," due to the low prominence differences between the others. Wildcat A stands at 4,422 feet tall, and D just below that at 4,070 feet.

After spotting cards at our ending point on the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, we drove to our starting point at the Pinkham Notch parking lot. We hiked .9 miles on the Lost Pond Trail to reach the Wildcat Ridge Trail so not to risk falling into the Ellis River by rock hopping over icy rocks. However on a day like today, we probably could have crossed without incident due to the unseasonal temperature.

Once on the Wildcat Ridge trail it continues on fairly easy terrain for about 1/4 of a mile. After the easy section the trail steepens dramatically. Ascending several rock scrambles and chimney climbs we rapidly gained elevation.

The trail climbs over bald rock faces along with sections of man made ladder steps. We did not have to use MicroSpikes the entire day.

After a few steep sections and about 0.3 mile we reached a rocky ledge outlook and was rewarded with an incredible view of the Presidential Range and Pinkham Notch! From here we could see our cars wayyyy down in the parking lot below. The wind had picked up, so I put on my shell jacket. With windchill we figured it was down to 30 degrees.

The trail weaves through some really cool ramparts and erratic boulders, one of which was a small cave that Brian decided to explore.

After climbing to the top of the initial steep section the trail flattened out and continued on. This section of the trail was really pleasant. Loving it!

A short walk later, we arrived at the summit of Wildcat E, the top of the Wildcat Ski area. It was very windy here so we huddled behind a summit building for wind protection, have a snack and layer up some more. The trail continued behind this summit building.

The section of trail that continues over to Wildcat D is pleasant and moderate. A short walk later we arrived at the relatively new observation deck. From the observation deck we could see the socked in Presi's. Within a few minutes we were on top of Wildcat D. Our first official 4000 footer of the day!

Continuing on we dropped a little elevation and started climbing up to Wildcat C and B, these peaks are so low in prominence that they're hard to notice. The trail is very pleasant as we walked over bog bridges and by an occasional erratic boulder. Up until this point, we had encountered two hikers the entire day! However we could tell we were getting close to Carter Notch as we began to see more hikers. 

We had lunch probably somewhere between C and B. We arrived at Wildcat A, the second 4000 footer of the day. There's a FANTASTIC outlook here that allows us to look down from a ledge into Carter Notch. Carter Dome is in view and it's rocky ramparts at the base. We hung around for quite a while here to take it all in.

From here the descent into Carter Notch is abrupt and steep. Dropping over 1000 feet elevation in 0.7 mile. The trail has plenty of footholds and isn't terribly scary to descend. We moved quickly here to make up time...at this point we were already thinking about getting back to our cars and having a beer at Red Fox Grill!

Soon we arrived at the intersection of Nineteen Mile Brook trail. The Carter Notch hut was close by, but we had no reason to stop. We continued on to Nineteen Mile Brook trail.

Nineteen Mile Brook trail from here is 3.5 miles of VERY easy hiking. There was a couple of wet sections. The trail crosses several brooks and rivers that all have sturdy man made bridges in place.

A short while later we crossed the final bridge. This bridge is new. The bridge appeared to be super strong and well built...however we could not help wonder why it was needed. This river crossing was extremely easy last time I was here. It definitely didn't need a bridge as a safety factor...maybe it was an environmental reason?

Just a few minutes later we arrived at the Nineteen Mile Brook trailhead on Route 16 where we jumped into the cars we left there, hopped in our vehicles at Pinkham Notch, and drove to the Red Fox grille where we had a celebratory dinner.

The Wildcats is always a pleasant hike! It's a lot of fun going up Wildcat Ridge, and the views were awesome! All in all...it was a great day in the mountains. Can't wait to do it again!

Total mileage with Lost Pond, Wildcat Ridge and Nineteen Mile Brook trail was 9.4 miles with a little over 3,150 gain. It took us 8 hours including breaks from trailhead to trailhead at a leisurely pace.  

~ Mike Boisvert
[Pictures by Mike and Jon Normand]

Bag two 4,000 footers and with spectacular views of the glacial cirques of Mt. Washington!

Distance: 9.3 Miles

Elevation Gain: 3250 feet

Time Duration: Approximately 8 Hours

We're going to do an 9.3 mile loop via the Wildcat Ridge Trail that will carry us across Wildcats A, B, C, D and E. We will start hiking on the Lost Pond Trail however we will meet at the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail first to drop off a few vehicles. Please note that the start of the Wildcat Ridge Trail begins with an exceptionally steep, rocky and rugged climb featuring rock steps, a small ladder and challenging scramble through a chimney that provides anxiety for some hikers.  

Wildcat Mountain is a long ridge consisting of five subpeaks named, from north to south:

Wildcat A (4422 feet)
Wildcat B (4330 feet)
Wildcat C (4298 feet)
Wildcat D (4062 feet) and
Wildcat E (4046 feet)

For peak baggers, the two that count on the New Hampshire 4,000 footer list are Wildcat A and Wildcat D.

The mountain provides some interesting and challenging hiking, but what it has to offer more than anything else is the spectacular view of the Presidential Range. Just a few miles to the west lies Mt. Washington, and the view from Wildcat is straight into Tuckerman Ravine and Huntington Ravine. Several other lesser New Hampshire and Maine ranges are also visible from the many lookouts along the Wildcat Ridge Trail, which is also the Appalachian Trail. Sebago Lake in Maine and the Atlantic Ocean are visible on the clearest days. The mountain is a good day hike. 

The primary trail across the Wildcats is the Wildcat Ridge Trail, which, for the most part, is also the Appalachian Trail. We will start from Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and use the Lost Pond Trail to hook up with the Wildcat Ridge Trail. The distance to Wildcat D is approximately 2.9 miles, to A is 5.1 miles, with a total elevation gain of 3250 feet. The distance to the Nineteen-Mile Brook Trail is 5.8 miles. Between the summit of Wildcat A and the Carter Notch, the trail drops about 900 feet in .7 miles over some rugged terrain, which can be tricky.

It is then 3.6 miles of hiking on the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail to return back to our vehicles on Route 16.   

You will need well fitted, broken-in hiking boots and a day pack large enough to carry everything. Since November is into ice season it will be a MUST to bring traction such as MicroSpikes. There will be plenty of ice and traces of snow up high. If you haven't used winter gear before, you should probably test it out and practice before this hike! Bring extra layers for summit conditions which will be windy and COLD. Don't forget tor bring your hat and gloves. 

Bring 2 liters of water minimum, lunch and snacks.

After The Hike: Everyone is welcome to join us for an early dinner at the Red Fox Grill in Jackson, NH. You may want to bring a change of clothing to be more comfortable.

Lodging Option: We have 8 bunks available at our house near Waterville Valley, NH for Friday and/or Saturday night at $20 per night. Coffee/bagels each morning and linen/blankets/towels are provided. We have limited space in the fridge to store your beverages/food so it's best to bring a small cooler. Space is limited so email us ASAP to reserve a bunk!