Trails Used

Polecat Ski trails, Wildcat Ridge Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

I needed something QUICK for my calendar day grid before my children all descended on my house for our weekly visit and dinner so this was perfect. The ski trails were wet and muddy in some areas but I prefer that because I feel like the traction on the gravel is better. Snow started around 3800 feet but was just off to the sides of the ski trails. The WRT has a little snow here and there but was totally avoidable. The platform had snow on it but with the rain and warm temps, it should be melted out quickly. I bumped into only 3 people today and knew all of them. I love that! :)

Parking

Plenty of room at the ski area. I was the second car in the lot.

Water Crossings

N/A

Wildlife

They were just hanging around a little on my way back to my car.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, Lost Pond Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

My route was up 19 Mile Brook to Carter Notch, then the Wildcat Ridge traverse, then back to Pinkham Notch via Lost Pond Trail. I used my bike to get back to the car at 19 Mile Brook -- coasting all the way. I think most people do the traverse northbound to avoid descending the steep part of Wildcat Ridge Trail on tired legs. A southbound traverse is the better option when spotting a bike, and the steep descent wasn't too bad. At least the ledges were dry and free of ice. Time for me to put away the spikes for a bit. Great views of Washington and the eastern slopes from Wildcat Ridge.

Parking

Left a bike at Pinkham Notch. Parked my car at the 19 Mile Brook trailhead. Plenty of room for the weekday crowd.

Water Crossings

All significant crossings on this route have good bridges.

Wildlife

Not bad for late May. There was a steady breeze on the ridge.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Ski Trails, Wildcat Ridge

Trail Conditions

Notes

Wildcats are in great shape. Enjoy the amazing spring conditions.

Parking

Plenty at the ski area all day.

Water Crossings

A couple big puddles had bog bridges across them.

Wildlife

A few that mostly left me alone

Also on this trip

Trails Used

wildcat ridge, carter moriah, stony brook, route 16

Trail Conditions

Notes

It was an amazing weekend to backpack the wildcat carter moriah traverse. The only snow i encountered was between carter dome and hight. Otherwise there was wet rock slab and running water on trail. I had the imp campsite all to myself. No traction was needed.

Water Crossings

All crossable

Wildlife

none

Also on this trip

Trails Used

19 Mile Brook, Wildcat Ridge Trails, ski area

Trail Conditions

Notes

19 Mile Brook Trail had some sloppy spots above the Carter Dome Trail intersection and a short segment on snow near the top, not bad. The Wildcat Ridge Trail to Wildcat A included white ice to be negotiated in the steeps at the top, all avoidable with care. There were a few tricky sections with white ice and intermittent monorails on the Wildcat Ridge Trail from A to D, particularly on the final ascent to D, but spikes wouldn't have helped. Ski slopes were generally dry and easy going. Cold, windy day for this fun hike with Chris and Renee. We chatted with Half-and-Half and William who are currently at the front of the 2026 AT NOBOs. Just a few red trillium and nothing else flowering on this route today.

Parking

Two cars parked at 19 Mile Brook Trailhead at 7:30. Several spaces available there at 2:30. Plenty of parking for the car spot at the ski area.

Water Crossings

Major crossings are bridged on this route.

Wildlife

Not a one.

Trails Used

Polecat, Wildcat ridge trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

The ski slope is 99% clear of snow. The trail has a few very small patches of ice and snow that are easily bypassed if needed with some rock hopping. There were a few small patches of stable snow that will quickly soften on a warmer day, so I would rock hop on those days. The only challenging ice was coming down the north side of D. Enough had melted that I could carefully step on dry rock, but thought was needed. Other than that is was a quick easy hike!

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Ski Area Uphill Route, Wildcat Ridge

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Ski Trails have some patchy snow, particularly Upper Polecat, but are an easy bare boot at this point. Rock spikes are need on the Ridge. If you only have good spikes you will be taking them on and off many times. The trail is a mix of bare ground, ice, and narrow (but fairly stable) monorail. The monorail is more consistent on the north side of B, C, and D, but far from continuous. The south side is generally less snowy, but still has icy patches in places. Heading north from D the first steep pitch is basically an icy luge track for about 30 feet that was very challenging to get down. It was easier to get back up, but this is the spot that might give a dog, not to mention a human trouble until it melts out. Views were terrific today!

Parking

No issues

Water Crossings

No issues

Wildlife

Some flying, but not biting.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

19 Mile Brook Trail, Carter Notch, Wildcat Ridge Trail (AT)

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Saw one other hiker (Jackie) who was leap frogged on trail. Sunny and comfortable temps in morning, cloudy, windy and cooler in afternoon. 3 mile road walk back to car.

Parking

19 Mile Brook trailhead parking

Trails Used

Polecat, Wildcat Ridge Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Out and back from the ski area. Polecat has patchy snow that is mostly avoidable. I spiked up just after the Wildcat D summit. Icy monorail and sections of blue ice with a trace of new snow on the ridge, especially coming off Wildcat D. Monorail was solid and easy to navigate. Most scrambles are clear. There are some bare sections but not long enough for me to remove my spikes.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

19MB trail, WRT, Polecat

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Went up 19MB trail then WRT up to A then across and down Polecat. Thicker ice in spots between the peaks but grip was solid.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Imp Trail, North Carter Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, Ski Trails

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Started up the Imp stream which was barebootable all the way up save for one or two short sections. I wanted to get Moriah too today and there was so little snow on Imp I figured I’d give the out-and-back a try rather than climbing all the way back up later. I knew it would be rough in there. Sketchy descent down N Carter, lots of post holing, especially into running water below on the bog bridge sections. This section needs a few more weeks to be enjoyable. Past the campsite was better, and up the Moriah ledges was mostly bare. Once back to the Carters it was narrow monorail until past S Carter where the trail was mostly bare until past Black Angel. Lots of snow up to Carter Dome still. Narrow monorail tough to stay on top of. Same for going down to the notch. Must have taken my spikes on and off a dozen times on the Wildcat Ridge trail. Some cruisy sections, others tricky monorail, and sometimes bare trail. Managed to get a hitch back to 19 mile pretty easily from a Tucks skier. This was a rough day but it felt good to get all these for April and make it halfway to the grid.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Polecat, Wildcat ridge, 19MB, Carter Dome, Carter- Moriah, North Carter, Imp

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Traverse from Wildcat D to Middle Carter. Started polecat and across the ridge, there was some hard/greyish ice past the summit.. rock spikes pretty much went & stayed on from here. Could get through it with holding on to some friendly trees & taking it slow. Ridge itself was mostly hard monorail. Then coming down Wildcat A had minimal ice in a few sections, just handled similarly to coming from Wildcat D, otherwise hard monorail. Coming up Carter dome was surprisingly bare in a lot of parts, the rock spikes took a good beating here but better than on/ off. Nothing notable, there’s obviously some steep sections, at the time it was hardpacked & firm grip with spikes. Headed to South Carter from the dome, the section between on the way to zeta pass, is your usually ugly section.. there’s stuff to grip onto, that lil monorail may breakdown soon on some warm days/ with rain. Some bare trail between ice.. from zeta pass lots of dry earth, some ice but not as memorable. Ridge between South / middle was a solid grip of hard monorail, then down north Carter/ imp trail was a mess of ice on/off but grey ice so traction was solid.. lower elevation towards camp dodge is a knee beating of bare earth & rock. Thought to carry full crampons & may have used if anything got too soft, snowshoes would have been useless. Long day, but always big bang for buck. Saw other 3 couples out there in spikes. Happy hiking 🥾

Water Crossings

Most of water related business was on imp & it was all iced over

Trails Used

Wildcat Range (Pole Cat to D to A), 19 Mile Brook Trail

Notes

Hiker pursuing Grid completion (all 4000-footers in every month). Guided by Redline Guide Chase Hall. Spring conditions noted. Clear weather with sunshine.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Camp Dodge Cutoff, Imp Trail, North Carter Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, Ski Trails

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Parked at Wildcat, rode my bike down to Camp Dodge to start the hike. Monorail was very solid all day, it will take quite a warm up or decent snow storm to need snowshoes at this point, but there is a lot of ice out there lurking under the snow. Bare booted in ~1" of new snow through Camp Dodge and up Imp trail for 1.5 miles. At that point, there started to be significant ice flows under the snow so switched to microspikes, which worked well up to Carter-Moriah Trail. Very narrow monorail under ~2-3" of fresh snow keeps you on your toes but microspikes still the way to go. S facing sections started to get slushy which added to the challenge. Some hard ice under the snow in places, especially coming down from S. Carter. Met another hiker near Zeta pass coming back from Carter Dome, he had started up to Hight but turned around as he felt it was a bit sketchy. I was gridding out the Carters today, and it was a clear/no wind day so I wanted to give it a shot and the climb ended up being not bad...packed monorail but not icy and my microspikes held well. I've been fortunate to have some great days on Hight and it is one of the best peaks in the Whites on a clear day. More elevated monorail from Hight back to Carter Dome trail and up to Carter Dome. Still crazy amounts of snow which means you get views you won't get in the summer as you can see over the scrub. Coming down from Carter Dome to the Notch had a lot of Slushy Side Slope of Doom. Spikes were balling up, but they were necessary with the new snow on top of the side slope. The steep section down into the notch after the lookout had enough rocks that you could mostly downclimb, but there is still enough ice that whatever your best traction is, you will be glad you have it. Crampons and an ice axe wouldn't be crazy. Heading up Wildcat Ridge Trail from the Notch was more Side Slope Shenanigans...mostly grippy with microspikes but you would not be sad with crampons...there are sections with solid ice under the snow which could become very exciting quickly if not careful. Once I got to A I was glad to see a lot of people had done an out/back from the ski area and the trail was pretty broken in (the ski area was closed Mon-Thurs this week, so people could climb/descend the trails all day as opposed to the usual "not when the lifts are operating". I didn't get to the ski trails until 4:15pm, so it didn't help me. Remembered to retrieve my bike down at Camp Dodge, one of these days I'm going to forget!

Parking

Parked at Wildcat, road a bike down to Camp Dodge. Shoulders a bit icy this AM so rode in travel lane and pulled over whenever a car came by...still beats walking.

Water Crossings

Walked across the pond in Carter Notch if that counts...

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Nineteen Mile Brook, Wildcat Ridge Trail, Ski trails

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Snowshoes from the start at 19 mile, bareboots had churned the new snow and two pairs of snowshoes on a traverse did little to help. Beyond the carter dome junction trail, only one pair of ski tracks(the caretaker had skied down from the hut earlier in the day). There was no indication that anyone had recently turned onto the wildcat ridge trail, and that should have been enough to call it for another day, but as luck would have it (or lack thereof) we continued, after all it's only .7 miles. We broke trail through 18 to 24" of drifted unconsolidated snow on the steep hillside. Snowshoes were useless, one step forward, 2 steps slipping back, crampons weren't much better. Try changing foot gear in 2ft of snow on a hill slide, soul sucking, doesn't do it justice. Two hours later for .7 miles, we summited Wildcat A. Snowshoes back on, the traverse hadn't seen any traffic either, there is no packed monorail, but the snow depth was more manageable at a foot. On the steep sections of the traverse, the unconsolidated snow just slid off the solid ice, along with anyone standing on it. The best part of the hike was the well groomed ski trail. Coming weather conditions won't improve this trail! So many other to choose from!

Parking

Parked at Wildcat ski parking lot, with only one car, decided to do the 3 mile road walk to 19 mile at the start of the day rather than the end of the day. Using up the only luck we had of the day, we were picked up by the Carter Notch hut caretaker, who had finished up his day. Thanks you!

Water Crossings

Last water crossing snow bridged

Wildlife

None