Wildcat Mountain is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

located in Coos County, northern

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The mountain is part of the

Carter-Moriah Range The Carter-Moriah Range of mountains is located in the White Mountains, in Coos County, New Hampshire. The range forms the northern east side of Pinkham Notch, opposite the northern Presidential Range. The range is also referred to as the Carter ...

of the White Mountains, on the east side of

Pinkham Notch Pinkham Notch (elevation 2032 ft. / 619 m) is a mountain pass in the White Mountains of north-central New Hampshire, United States. The notch is a result of extensive erosion by the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Wisconsinian ice age. Pin ...

. Wildcat Mountain faces

Carter Dome Carter Dome, or simply The Dome, is a mountain located in Coos County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Carter-Moriah Range of the White Mountains, which runs along the northern east side of Pinkham Notch. Carter Dome is flanked to t ...

across

Carter Notch Carter Notch is a high mountain pass through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is traversed only by hiking trails. The notch is located in the Carter-Moriah Range within the White Mountain National Forest, in Bean's Purchase, Coos Cou ...

to the northeast, and

Mount Washington Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, ...

across Pinkham Notch to the west. Wildcat Mountain has five summits — A, B, C, D, and E — along Wildcat Ridge, which curves two miles (3 km) to the south and west. Both A, at , and D, at , are considered "

four-thousand footers Four-thousand footers (sometimes abbreviated 4ks) are a group of forty-eight mountains in New Hampshire at least above sea level. To qualify for inclusion a peak must also meet the more technical criterion of topographic prominence important in t ...

". B, with an elevation of , and C, at , lack the

topographic prominence In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...

to be considered more than subpeaks of Wildcat A. Likewise, the E peak, at , is considered to be a subpeak of the higher D peak (the E peak was formerly believed to be the higher of the two, and used to appear on the official list of four-thousand footers, but current topographic maps reveal the D peak to be the higher summit). The

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...

, which extends over from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, climbs up from the

Appalachian Mountain Club Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is the oldest outdoor group in the United States. Created in 1876 to explore and preserve the White Mountains in New Hampshire, it has expanded throughout the northeastern U.S., with 12 chapters stretching from Ma ...

's Joe Dodge Lodge in Pinkham Notch and traverses the summits of the Wildcat Ridge, continuing on to Carter Dome. The

Wildcat Mountain Ski Area Wildcat Mountain Ski Area is a ski area located on Wildcat Mountain near Jackson, New Hampshire, United States, in the Mount Washington Valley. Its vertical drop of is the second largest in New Hampshire and the ninth largest in New England. ...

is one of the best-known

alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

resorts in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

, with lifts from the base on

NH Route 16 New Hampshire Route 16 (NH 16) is a , north–south state highway in New Hampshire, United States, the main road connecting the Seacoast region to the Lakes Region and the White Mountains. Much of its length is close to the border with Maine. ...

up to the D summit. The area has 49 trails on , including Polecat Trail—the longest ski trail in New Hampshire. The Wildcat Valley Trail, an ungroomed

cross-country Cross country or cross-country may refer to: Places * Cross Country, Baltimore, a neighborhood in northwest Baltimore, Maryland * Cross County Parkway, an east–west parkway in Westchester County, NY * Cross County Shopping Center, a mall in Yo ...

ski trail, leads from the summit down to

Jackson, New Hampshire Jackson is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,028 at the 2020 census, up from 816 at the 2010 census. Jackson is a resort area in the White Mountains. Parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in ...

, dropping in . Cut in 1972, it is one of the best-known routes in the extensive trail system maintained by the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation.

External links

*
Peakbagger.com: Wildcat Mountain

Peakbagger.com: Wildcat “D”

AMC: Hiking Wildcat Mountain

Wildcat Mountain Ski Area

TrailBlazersNE Wildcat Mountain Trail Profile

Jackson Ski Touring Foundation: Wildcat Valley Trail

Wildcat Mountain - New England's Alpine CCC Ski Trails
{{NE 4k ft Wildcat Mountain Wildcat Mountain New England Four-thousand footers Mountains on the Appalachian Trail

See also

External links