Region
Highlights
- Mount Cardigan is a prominent bare-rock summit in western New Hampshire.
- Extensive areas of bare granite ledges and alpine scrub giving it the feel of a much higher mountain.
- Most of the summit area was denuded by devastating forest fires in 1855.
- The Civilian Conservation Corps helped to develop the alpine ski trail network still in use today on the east side of the mountain.
- The mountain is set in the 5,000-acre Cardigan Mountain State Forest.
- The Cardigan Lodge, operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club since 1934, is located to the east at the foot of the mountain, and is often used as a base for day hikes in and around the mountain.
Routes
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44 summits • 3.0 mi • 1,190 ft gain • 2 hr 44 min
7 summits • 4.7 mi • 1,631 ft gain • 2 hr 36 min
1 summit • 5.0 mi • 1,680 ft gain • 4 hr 6 min
Latest summits
"Fall hike to Cardigan summit. Crowded at summit and on trail. Took the less travelled trail over to South peak and then Rim Rock. South Ridge Trail back down to West Ridge." — dmcosker • Oct 5, 2019
"This one was a adventure! I should have known better then to think the Holt trail would be dry up high. That last section before hitting summit was a heart pounder! Views on Cardigan and Gilman were nice and had some nice ridge walking along the three peaks! Lots of mud and running water everywhere and taking the woodland trail out was a tick check heaven!" — blackwolf_03278 • May 26, 2019
"Foggy ride to mountain. Temp just above freezing at 8 a.m. Some water on trail from recent rains. Top was windy, about 20 mph and cold. Could see all the way to Mt. Washington!" — rjnick • Oct 28, 2017
"Il y a encore aujourd'hui un vent très puissant. Mais wow! Quelle belle montagne agréable à gravir. Une ascension très smooth avec une finale sur la pierre. J'ai adoré Cardigan! Un coup de coeur pour moi cet été. La vue au sommet est splendide. Il me reste même de l'énergie pour visiter 3 autres sommets tout près... " — mlaniel • Aug 6, 2017
"First hike up Mt Cardigan, doubled as an anniversary hike with my wife, Kerrin! Sunny day with a light wind. Impressive rock face hiking near the summit. Excellent views in all directions at the top." — gullyhiker • Jul 30, 2017
"Hiked from the Lodge side for first time. Made trip first out to the Wilson falls, then back to start hike up mountain. Took Holt trail, one of the steepest hikes I have done with dogs, then took Clark trail down. Was a great day really enjoy this mountain." — blackwolf_03278 • Jul 9, 2017
"Nice day with many people on the trail. Very windy on top with a gust knocking my cell phone out of my hand & into
a puddle @ my feet. A woman next to me fished out the phone & long story short it turned out okay." — billsussdorff • Jun 20, 2017
"Awesomely, Hilarious hiking day today! Had a great time hiking Rimrock, South Peak and Mt. Cardigan with Kiki and Shay! Trails were packed, and in great conditions. A few icy spots, but nothing micros couldn't handle. Snow tomorrow and Friday will change that." — Remy1 • Dec 28, 2016
"Loop hike with Kiki & Remy....we hit South Peak & Rimrock on our travels...luckily we were able to get the view on Rimrock before the heavy snow and wind began. Extremely windy on the summit but all in all a (fun) adventure. " — shay-shay • Dec 28, 2016
"Having done the west side in June, I decided to give the east side a try. It's a little more challenging! Especially with a thin coat of ice on the rocks near the summit. But the view was totally worth it." — RSperling • Oct 31, 2015
"Some soggy spots on the trail from our heavy rains earlier in the week, but other than that a great hike. It was an extremely windy day on the summit, but the sunny skies offered great views." — HikeLikeMike • Oct 3, 2015
"I think this is my favorite mountain so far, even though it wasn't that challenging. It was just a beautiful, gentle hike with very few people on the trail. I'd started late in the afternoon and got to the summit - which I had all to myself for a little while - around 5pm. After clambering up exposed ledges, the breeze was delightful, and the 360 degree view was phenomenal." — RSperling • Jun 20, 2015
"Turned out to be a beautiful day in the mountains. It didn't get as warm as the forecast and it stayed breezy which kept the black flies and mosquitoes at bay. Went ot Cardigan first, then picked up Firescrew, S. Peak., Rimrock and Orange (Mt. Gilman) before calling it a day." — StoneMan • May 30, 2015
"Final summit of the day on our Skyland traverse. Bagged Brown, Church, Crane, Orange, Rimrock, and the South peak before this. Very windy at the top. Took the clark trail which is ridiculously steep." — Selrahc2nd • Apr 19, 2014
"I started this hike a lot later than I expected to, but it worked out perfectly. The parking lot was pretty full when I arrived (which I typically dislike. I go to the mountains to get away from people). I passed a bunch of people heading down the trail while I was heading up. That just meant that I had the whole summit to myself. It was incredible! The weather was perfect, and the views were AMAZING from Rimrock, South peak and the summit.Complete 360 degree views. If I wasn't so hungry, I would have stayed a lot longer! I am trying not to hike a mountain I've hiked before (with so many options, why would you?!) but I definitely want to visit again, and soon.
The trail is moderate, and the only really steep part is when you reach the granite rock towards the summit. An amazing hike on an amazing day. " — KeepCalmClimbOn • Aug 23, 2013
"Busy trail for a Wednesday afternoon. Lots of families. Got to the top and sat for a moment, then headed over toward Firescrew. Nice view looking back toward Cardigan. Made our way back after hanging out for a bit and the summit of Cardigan was cleared out. Very nice 360 degree views. Perfect weather! " — sockmonkey145 • Aug 7, 2013
"Quick easy climb to summit. Very windy at the top, but had wonderful views as well. The trails were still quite wet and muddy for this late in the summer, and some of the rockier parts of the trail were slick. " — dreafied83079 • Aug 3, 2013
"Took the most traveled trail straight up. Nothing out of the ordinary to report. Drove a pretty heavy pace, and managed to peak it in just under an hour with a couple short stops. Tried to find Grotto cave with a sharp descent to the valley between Firescrew and Cardigan. Dug around on some B-trails and unmarked openings. Couldn't find anything. Hiked back up to the peak, and went straight back down." — nickwheeler • Jun 15, 2013
"Still a lot of snow on the trails...postholed up to my hip a few times! Saw a group of skiers tackling some pretty intense trails. Nice sunny day. Hiked with John & his dad. Went the Holt Trail down. I found this website during 2011. Had been hiking over 20 yrs but never kept track before, so starting to now..." — SteveM_StickMan • Apr 5, 2008
"A group of us from Adirondack Mt. Club were spending a few days at Cardigan Lodge. We climbed Cardigan in small groups. I helped a first time climber to reach the summit and within a few months she outstripped me easily in her climbing ability." — barbaratraver • Aug 15, 1998
Photos
Awards
Challenges
About peakery awards
Log successful summits on peakery to earn awards:
Peak Badges: Earn a special badge for each unique peak you summit. See all of your badges on your Badges page.
First Ascent Award: Only 1 available per peak. Goes to the first peakery member to log a successful summit of a peak. Snag this award and the peak will forever bear your name.
King of the Mountain Award: Only 1 available per peak. Summit a peak more times than any other member. Beware: this award can be lost!
Summit Steward: Summit a peak at least 5 times to become one of its Summit Stewards. As Steward of a peak, you’re encouraged to keep that peak’s info up-to-date on peakery and spread goodwill on your future climbs up the peak.