NewEnglandTrailConditions.com
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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Wildcat D, Wildcat C, Wildcat B, Wildcat A, Carter Dome, NH
Trails
Trails: Halls Ledge Trail, Wildcat Valley XC ski trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Rainbow Trail, Wild River Trail, Bog Brook Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Room for about half a dozen cars at the Bog Brook/Halls Ledge parking area. There was only one other vehicle there today.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: All crossings (Wildcat River, Bog Brook, etc.) are easily rock hoppable as our drought continues.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: All maintained trails are in great condition - lots of blowdown cutting maintenance looks to have been done this summer. Halls Ledge Trail is an old road/XC trail all the way up to its height of land and each junction with other XC trails helpfully has a sign and map. Wildcat Valley XC trail has a big tree across it just up from the Halls Ledge Trail and a few smaller blowdowns. It's easy to follow overall and has a faint tread through the birch glades at about 3,000 feet. The trail becomes a wide cut through the balsams higher up. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: A strong dog could handle these trails, since the Wildcat Ridge Trails and Carter-Moriah Trail are staircasey in their steep sections with almost no true scrambling. 
Bugs
Bugs: A few non-biting ones here and there. Picked off one tick at the trailhead upon my return. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: It's peak foliage up there - so take the journey as soon as you can!

I have had my eyes on a Wildcat-Carter Dome loop from the south for a while, utilizing the Wildcat Valley XC trail, which I've seen a few trip reports about online, to connect Halls Ledge Trail and Wildcat Ridge Trail. It's about a 14 mile hike and took me 11 hours. Gorgeous day, with a cloudless cold front passing through and keeping temps pleasant - the summits did get a bit cooler as the day went on.

I took the time to visit the nice viewpoint (with picnic table) a couple hundred yards south on Halls Ledge Trail from the junction with Wildcat Valley XC Trail - definitely recommended. As noted above, the XC trail is pretty easy to follow, with blue blazes. Higher up it slabs the SE side of the ridge and is normally pretty damp, but the drought has firmed up things a lot. It reaches the ridge at the col between Wildcats E and D.

Stunning views, particularly from Wildcat A, Carter Notch, and the side of Carter Dome. Foliage in the areas I traversed is primarily yellows to oranges, with an occasional red here and there. The best view on Carter Dome (the true summit is completely wooded) is a little spur about 150 yards north along the Carter-Moriah Trail from the summit - it overlooks the exposed scrubby N side of the mountain.

Rainbow Trail is very quiet, a must do if you like solitude. The SE spur of Carter Dome ("Rainbow Ridge"?) is a very idyllic location. Although the trail forks left at the crest of the spur, you can keep going ahead across the open areas to gorgeous views W and SW. The best fall foliage I saw up close was in the birch glades above Perkins Notch.

Bog Brook Trail has a reputation for being muddy, but for now the drought has made what muddy areas that remain pretty manageable - so now's the time to do it if you don't like mud or difficult water crossings.

I saw one person on Halls Ledge Trail, a smattering of people on the Wildcat Ridge Trail, a bunch of people at Carter Notch Hut, and one person on the way up Carter Dome, but was completely by myself the rest of the hike. If you like solitude on the ways up and down, this is how to do these peaks!
 
Name
Name: Dan Saxton 
E-Mail
E-Mail: daniel.saxton7@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2025-09-30 
Link
Link: https:// 
Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense.

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