Wildcat Mountain, D Peak

Wildcat Mountain's D Peak is a 4000-footer northern New Hampshire.
The Wildcat Mountain Ski Area has lifts up to the D summit.
Part of the Carter-Moriah Range of the White Mountains on the east side of Pinkham Notch.
Faces Carter Dome across Carter Notch to the northeast and Mount Washington across Pinkham Notch to the west.
Has five summits: A, B, C, D, and E Ñ along Wildcat Ridge, which curves 2 miles to the south and west. Only A and D are included in the official list of 4000 footers due to the 200 ft prominence criterion.

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Routes

Wildcat Ridge Trail

36 summits • 10.2 mi • 3,077 ft gain • 4 hr 51 min

Latest summits

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"An out and back on the Wildcats via 19 Mile Brook Tr. Some gridding in action and to visit Kate. Tagged both A and D peak. Stopped in at the hut but Kate wasn't in yet. On the way back down 19 Mile Brook, our paths met. She just drove up from PA to start her shift at Carter Notch Hut. A good day." — newenglandwarrior • Oct 4, 2018

"Went up to get the Wildcats. Paid my $10 fee, then went up the ski slope. Did it 30 min faster then the time back in Dec. Denise C. saw me while skiing and spoke with me. Eventually reached the summit of D peak. Beautiful day." — newenglandwarrior • Apr 28, 2018

"Epic and sort of disappointing hike... we had decided to head up the ridge trail instead of the ski trails which took more time due to careful footing...but it was well worth it for views and sense of accomplishment. We had wanted to do all of wildcat AND carter dome AND the carters...but on the descent from wildcat A to the col between carter dome we all had some sketchy falls....I wanted to keep going but my two hiking buds said it was a no go...they didn't have the strength or mental state to continue. So just the 5 Wildcats for the day. Actually using my ice axe and crampons was pretty exciting though....especially when I had to self arrest due to a slide and while sliding a crampon popped off...so quite of bit of dangerous excitement. " — shay-shay • Apr 21, 2018

"Grid day. Went up Polecat ski trail to Wildcat D first. Took 2 hours, 10 min to get up. Took lots of pauses. First hike with snowshoes so had to adjust to the extra weight. Great views from the summit." — newenglandwarrior • Dec 15, 2017

"With no hiking partner for the day I chose Wildcat since I would be safely surrounded by skiers on a solo climb. I hiked around the river at the bottom and came up the side of a cliff to the Polecat trail. Once on the ski trail, I tended to take the closed paths in order to stay out of the way of the skiers. I crossed all of the peaks to A and then on my way back also grabbed E and then returned via the ski trail. With cloudless skies and 40 degrees at the summit, it couldn't have been a more perfect day to hike the Cats!" — shay-shay • Mar 6, 2017

"NoBo AT Thru Hike 2016. On Friday, I slack packed Kim for a 19 mile section. She took the gondola up to Wildcat D since she had already hiked the 3 miles on the wildcat ridge from Pinkham Notch. She hiked from D peak all the way to US2, over the wildcats, carters, and moriah. Long day but rewarding to slack pack a big section of the Whites . " — Kim-Stilson • Sep 2, 2016

"Wildcat Ridge Trail from Pinkham Notch is the toughest trail I've been on so far in the White Mountains. It was a great day (a little hot & humid) for a hike - but this trail took a lot out of us in 2.1 miles! " — PJSelmer • Jul 25, 2016

"Began the day by smashing into a deer at 55mph on the way to meet Bruce. This was going to be my first NH hike - so might as well start off on the wrong foot. We took his car instead, leaving my at the gas station nearby. The hike was hard - despite having tons of miles in my legs, I was tired and the climb was steep af. It was also hot and I didn't drink enough, which made for a rough descent. We made up for it by having beer and pretzels at Schilling, where I met Tom Rossner. It was like a 46r reunion, as four of us happened to be in the same bar, in the same town. This hike definitely left me wanting more NH peaks. " — ne4kclimber • Jun 18, 2016

"Socked in by clouds. No view at the observation stand. Went back to Wildcat A. The cloud cover had burned off by then. Also walked around the Ramparts in Carter Notch while heading back to my car." — newenglandwarrior • Jun 2, 2016

"Second time up here. First summit of my first WCM Traverse! I've been looking to do this for a long time, but I could never get it to work out logistically. Finally I decided to just go for it and hoof it back the 8 miles to my car if need be. I got an early start, 6:45 am, from Pinkham Notch as Glen Ellis is closed. I cruised down Lost Pond to the junction with Wildcat Ridge; from there it was its usual steep, PUD-filled self. I got some GREAT sunrise views and some cool shots of the clouds streaming over the Presi's. Got up to the summit much more quickly than I anticipated, 1:25." — npweeks • Dec 12, 2015

"Started out my two day thanksgiving trip at the nineteen mile brook trailhead. Headed up to the wildcat ridge trail from there and summited peaks A,B,C, and D. Then headed back along the ridge and down to Carter Notch hut where I spent the night. Weather was perfect, mid 40's, no wind, and excellent visibility." — LGH-Tom • Nov 25, 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

"This was my first time climbing the Wildcats. Due to some heavy thunderstorms the night before I decided to forgo the river crossing on the Ridge Trail and instead decided to take the longer but drier Lost Pond Trail. The Ridge trail was impressive, as it still is to this day. The ledges are so much fun! It was cool to look into the ravines across the way an still see so much snow." — npweeks • Jun 13, 2015

"I snowshoed up the ski touring trail from the backside on a beautiful quiet sunny weekday. I met only a couple of skiers coming down and managed to find a half dozen Boreal Chickadees, which made my day. The view of Washington from the summit was stunning." — maniac286 • Feb 11, 2015

"Summit D is right after where the ski lifts are. It is marked by a platform and not by any other signs. Very steep, rocky trail. High impact! Beautiful day; great view of Mt. Washington and could see the summit/tower. " — kaylajean • Aug 30, 2014

"it was a gorgeous day. i hiked solo up the ski run to wildcat d, then up and down and up and down, across c and b to a. kinda felt like there were a few more up and downs in there too. stopped at the hut and bought a delicious piece of left over cake since i'd left my food bag at home, oops. hiked down the 19 mile brook trail and hitched back to wildcat ski resort to my car. my knees are not happy with me, but otherwise it was a fun day." — Hufflepuff • Sep 15, 2013

"Did an overnighter on Wildcat Ridge to test some winter gear. 0 F that night, wind chills were less the following day. Beautiful views, stopped at Carter Notch Hut on the way out." — chrisr00d • Jan 25, 2013

"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

"Was going to do Wildcats, Carter Dome & Hight and back - did that, but after going down Wildcat and up Carter Dome - decided to hike down Carter Dome Trail to 19 Mile Brook Trail. Ended up walking Rt 16 back to car." — markst-john • Jun 9, 2012

"Beautiful day to grab a new peak. Looked at the map and thought, "Gee, just over a 2 mile quick run up Wildcat Ridge Trail!" LOL... UP is the key word. Wonderful challenging trail! Took the ski route down for spectacular views of the Rock Pile." — TheKiltedHiker • Sep 18, 2011