Mt. Cardigan – New Hampshire
Mt. Cardigan falls in the same category as Mt. Monadnock, Mt. Kearsarge, and Mt. Sunapee, in that it is a relatively family-friendly, sub-4,000 foot peak south of the White Mountains. Despite being just 3,155 feet, the exposed rocky summit provides dramatic 360-degree views of the surrounding Lakes Region as well as the White Mountains to the north. There are several trails to the summit of Mt. Cardigan of varying length and difficulty, but given that we were hiking in the winter and it was our dog’s first true winter mountain hike, we decided to climb via the popular West Ridge Trail.
Trail Summary – West Ridge Trail
Distance: 2.6 miles (3.6 miles when road closed in winter)
Summit Elevation: 3,155 feet
Elevation Gain: 1,194 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Map: Alltrails
Blazes: Orange
Required Gear: Microspikes (snowshoes if the snow is deep enough)
Peakbagging Checklist: NH 52 With a View
Getting There
The trailhead to the West Ridge Trail is located within Cardigan Mountain State Park in the town of Orange, NH. It is about 40 minutes east of Hanover, an hour north of Concord, and an hour south of Lincoln in the White Mountains. The trail ascends via the west side of the mountain, so you will likely be approaching from Route 4. Cardigan Mountain Road will take you from Canaan all the way to the trailhead; however, in the winter, the last half-mile of Cardigan Mountain Road leading to the trailhead will be blocked off. There is a small parking area at the road block right where Burnt Hill Road begins. You’ll have to walk about an extra half mile each way on the road, but it’s not difficult and it goes by quickly.
Read More: Best Winter Hikes in NH
After walking uphill along Cardigan Mountain Road for about a half mile, you will come to a clearing with a shelter and a bathroom. The trailhead is located to the left just beyond the shelter. After about 0.4 miles from the trailhead, you’ll reach a sign marking the junction with the South Ridge Trail. Many people choose to hike Mt. Cardigan as a loop with the South Ridge Trail and the West Ridge Trail, but on this particular day we decided to ascend and descend via the West Ridge Trail.
The beginning of the trail was partially covered in well-packed snow, ideal conditions for microspikes but definitely not enough snow to warrant snowshoes. As we continued along the moderately steep trail, it became significantly more icy. Since the weather had recently whipsawed from well below freezing to 60-degrees back to below freezing, the thawing and freezing had resulted in large sections of the trail becoming completely covered in a thick layer of ice. Without microspikes it would have been extremely difficult if not impassable.
After 1.0 miles, the West Ridge Trail crosses the Skyland Trail and then crosses over a stream via a footbridge called “Cliffs Bridge”. Shortly after crossing Cliffs Bridge, the trail emerges above the treeline. On this particular day, the extremely icy sections of the trail stopped shortly after we broke above the treeline and the remainder of the climb (~0.2 miles) to the summit was bare rock. At this point we were greeted with unobstructed views to the west, but since we were completely exposed and the wind was so strong, we didn’t stop long to enjoy the views. While the temperature was in the high-twenties at the trailhead, it was almost certainly below zero with windchill once we got close to the summit. It was too cold to even take our gloves off to take photos on the final approach to the summit.
The scramble up the smooth rock face towards the fire tower was almost unbearable due to the strong wind. Several people we met along the trail turned back once the wind started picking up. This was unfortunate since it was such a clear day, and we weren’t able to fully enjoy the views. From the summit (and the fire tower) you can see the Presidentials, Lake Winnipesaukee, and the Green Mountains of Vermont. We’ll have to come back in the summer when we can appreciate the views without risking frostbite.
Do you mind if I use one of your photos in a hike posting for AMC?
Sorry for the very slow response. That’s fine!
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