South Carter Mountain

"A long and satisfying climb. The weather was perfect and the foliage just past peak. We took 19 Mile Brook Trail to Carter Dome Trail, and then the Carter-Moriah Trail over both peaks and back again. The vivid colors and crisp air more than made up for the long wait for views. When we did draw near to the South Carter summit, we were able to find a high boulder just off the trail where we could stop and eat lunch long enough for the feathery clouds to part. 19 Mile Brook Trail is very pleasant and forgiving, a great way to start and end a climb." — gooner • Oct 13, 2019

"Nice sunny day with little wind. Temps around 15. Was shooting for Middle Carter too but going was slow. A back country skier obliterated the monorail on the upper section of Carter Dome Trail near Zeta Pass. Also going over to So. Carter the snow is so high you constantly have your head in the trees. Trail to Middle Carter looked iffy, we headed back." — Alohabuffy • Feb 28, 2019

"Katie V needed the Carters towards her NH48 and I needed them for my Grid. So we agreed to team up. The weather wasn't the greatest for most of the hike. But at least Katie go to see something from Carter Dome. We went up Middle Carter first and Carter Dome last. We bypassed Mt Hight. " — newenglandwarrior • Sep 22, 2018

"After Middle Carter, I went over and did S. Carter. Still plenty of blowdowns around. There was knee deep snow in Zeta Pass. Good to get these two out of the way for the Grid. My only Grid gains for May as I focus back on red-lining." — newenglandwarrior • May 10, 2018

"Perfectly clear day up in the Carter Range, beautiful views from Imp Face, North Carter and leading up to Middle Carter. Went up the Imp Trail (Northern Section) to Imp Face then North Carter, Mt Lethe, Middle Carter and South Carter. Descended to Zeta Pass then down the Carter Dome Trail and Nineteen Mile Brook Trail. Blowdowns started once I started the descent from South Carter to Zeta Pass. Tons of blowdowns to avoid, very difficult section of trail to pass right now until the chainsaws are able to take care of them. I lost count but there was probably 15-20 huge blowdowns to climb over, crawl under or bushwack around." — kpreston21 • Nov 18, 2017

"Perfect hiking weather. Hiked up Nineteen Mile Trail to summit, then across Carter Moriah to Mt. Hight (very steep, short climb, and incredible 360 degree views) and Carter Dome (very steep down to Carter Notch Hut). Next day up Wildcat Ridge Trail to Wildcat A, B, C, D and down ski trails to base. 7 hours to Hut from parking lot. Left at 9:15AM - arrived at hut at 4:15. Took our time and had lunch atop Mt. Hight at 1:30 PM. " — Lester37 • Aug 26, 2017

"The Quick and Dirty Trail Report: Trails: 19 Mile Brook Trail, Carter Dome Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, North Carter Trail, Imp Trail, Camp Dodge Bushwhack, Road Walk Parking: about 6-8 cars when we started and one left when we returned Trails clear up to about 3700 feet. Thin monorail for the remainder of the hike with soft snow off the monorail. Trails were streams on the way down after 3300 feet. Water crossings: The trails were streams on the Imp Trail, but other than that only one or two small crossings. Nothing major. Dogs…none Traction: Bare boot and then Spikes from 3700…could have used snow shoes if desired. Lost & Found: None " — shay-shay • May 7, 2017

"Fourth & final peak of the day on a 4 peak, 11.5 mile hike through a section of the Moriah Range. Our chosen route was rather eroded so there was a lot of roots & rocks but I'd expect nothing else here. There was really nothing hard about the trail, the trip up was gradual & once on the ridge quite pleasant & easy going. The trip down was more or less the same as up but a lot of this was accompanied by Nineteen Mile Brook which looked rather beautiful with it's moss covered rocks in contrast to all the leaves that had fallen into the water around them. Another grand day spent in the whites! Thanks Jeremy!" — PJSelmer • Oct 17, 2016

"Fourth & final peak of the day on a 4 peak, 11.5 mile hike through a section of the Moriah Range. Our chosen route was rather eroded so there was a lot of roots & rocks but I'd expect nothing else here. There was really nothing hard about the trail, the trip up was gradual & once on the ridge quite pleasant & easy going. The trip down was more or less the same as up but a lot of this was accompanied by Nineteen Mile Brook which looked rater beautiful with it's moss covered rocks in contrast to all the leaves that had fallen into the water around them. Another grand day spent in the whites!" — VonSelmer • Oct 17, 2016

"Warmer than normal for a January day in the Whites, although the summits were fogged in and cold. Some glimpses of the sun, but an overall cloudy day. http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/3159213 " — markst-john • Jan 9, 2016

"4K number four of WCM Traverse. After enjoying the views on Mt. Hight, I made my way down the snowy and icy section of Carter-Moriah to Zeta Pass. The climb back up from the col was fairly uneventful, but enjoyable none-the-less. This really is a nice ridge for it being so densely wooded. " — npweeks • Dec 12, 2015

"After descending from Mount Hight down to Zeta pass I continued on and headed up to South Carter where again I just stopped long enough to take a picture and have a snack and then continued on the Middle Carter." — LGH-Tom • Nov 26, 2015

"Lucked out and got a hitch from Joe Dodge to our starting point at South Imp trail. Got a preview of the AT SOBO hiking over the Carters and the Wildcats! Great to get a taste for what I'll be in for next year! Beautiful and sunny the first half of the day, then the fogged rolled in passing over the Wildcats. But what a fantastic day!" — matt-beard • Oct 24, 2015

"See my Summit Log for Middle Carter for full trip report. For something special just on South Carter- See below: THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR DAY: We crossed paths with Randy Pierce-- the blind hiker Famous for his Four More Feet documentary. We met him on South Carter Mountain, where we learned he has less than 5 Mtns to go to complete his all-season summiting of the 48 four-thousand footers in the White Mountains! Randy is currently raising funds to empower the visually-impaired. If you'd like to learn more about how to help him with that and/or want to follow his progress thru the White Mtns, you may do so via this link: https://www.facebook.com/2020VQ" — CiccheMariti • Jul 14, 2013

"First summit of the day on our South and Middle Carter loop. I had been wanting to get up here for a long time so it was great to finally do it. Used 19 mile brook trail head and looped around and down the Imp. Used the Dodge cutoff which saved us a ton of time. Couldnt find any summit post, which was weird because we went eveywhere that it was broken out. Ton of snow up there so I just figured it was buried and snapped our summit pics." — Selrahc2nd • Mar 31, 2013

"Very cold - Camelbak froze - even with the insulated sleeve. Ice was forming in the nalgene bottle. Still had a good hike though. http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1906659 " — markst-john • Nov 29, 2012

"Solo hiked the Carter-Moriah range, it was in the clouds the whole time but very mild weather in general. Bits of gusty wind on the bald tops and faces, and plenty of drizzle, with moisture that stuck the whole time. Despite that, it was beautiful and a great experience up there. Wish I could have caught some views of the Pressies, but oh well!" — chrisr00d • Jun 27, 2012

"Leftover corn snow monorail above 3000 ft. Watery trail from lots of snow runoff. Some blowdowns, but overall pretty clear cruising once you dial in your balance beam legs for the sloppy monorail! Clouds stayed below 2000 feet - too much humidity to lift. Sunny and clear above that most of the day. Was the right thing to do, as the weather had been cloudy and rainy for days on end, and flatlanders were PROMISED sun on Sunday, and it never happened for them. Sometimes you need to climb to find the sun. " — hipeaks • May 22, 2011

"7.4 mile backpack from Carter Notch Hut to Imp Shelter with Frank. Carter Dome ascent 1600' or more. Tough descent from North Carter also. Bypassed Mt. Hight (despite reputation for great views.) Rain was forecast for both 7/30 and 7/31, but none came. Drought continued--good for us backpacking, of course." — barbaratraver • Jul 31, 1991