Wildcat Ridge Trail (Route 16 to Wildcat E Peak)
Hike date: 09/01/2018
Description: The Wildcat Ridge Trail (to E Peak) is very steep and rough, with many sections that make it difficult and time consuming. You will climb rock steps, ladders, and wood steps while doing plenty of rock scrambling! This trail can be one of the five elective trails needed for the patch.
Trails Used: The parking for this hike is at Glen Ellis Falls parking lot. Ascend via Wildcat Ridge Trail to the summit of E Peak, then follow the Wildcat Ridge Trail over the summit of Wildcat D, C, B, and A. From the summit of Wildcat A, take the Wildcat Ridge Trail down to the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail which is what you will take back to Route 16. Note that doing it this way will require a car spot or a short hitch hike (which is what we did) to get back to Glen Ellis Falls.
Trail Summary: The hike we will describe starts out at Glen Ellis Falls parking off Route 16 and end at the Nineteen Mile Brook Trailhead. Note that if you do this, you will need a second car at the ending trailhead or you can hitch hike (which is what we did and easy enough to do along this road). The section of the Wildcat Ridge Trail from Glen Ellis Falls up to E Peak is very steep and there are several sketchy parts on it, making it very dangerous, especially in the snow/ice. Soon after you cross the Ellis River, you’ll immediately begin the steep climb up the ridge where care is needed on all ledge areas. The first steep pitch up a series of rock steps and a ladder puts you at an outlook with great views across Pinkham Notch. When you traverse and scramble up a rock chimney, you will cross a ledge with awesome views looking towards Mount Washington. The trail continues climbing steeply, while also passing some nice outlooks along the way. The views from the outlooks make all the hard hiking up this trail worth it! After you pass by the short path that leads to a spring, you’ll have gone about 1.2 miles so far. Shortly after this, you will climb more rock wood steps to the top of a steep ledge that has more amazing views of Mount Washington. The Wildcat Ridge Trail continues up and down for a bit until you reach the wooded summit of Wildcat E peak. From here, the trail descends to the summit station of the Wildcat Ski Area. That portion of the Wildcat Ridge Trail is what qualifies this trail as an elective on The Terrifying 25.
From the top of the ski mountain (near where the chairlift drops skiers off), it is a quick jaunt to the summit of Wildcat D. When you reach the top, you will be at an observation tower that offers amazing 360-degree views and looks towards the Presidential Range. After enjoying the phenomenal views from the tower, it’s time to hike across the Wildcat Ridge Trail to get to Wildcat A. This is an exhausting route as you actually have to go over Wildcat C and Wildcat B before finally getting to Wildcat A - there is lots of up and down. This makes the route much more challenging and time-consuming than you may think. After enjoying the views, you will descend Wildcat D at a fairly steep grade. The col in between D and C is the deepest, so expect lots of elevation loss. The trail up to Wildcat C also climbs steeply to the summit, which is wooded. From Wildcat C, you will descend deep into another col at moderate-to-steep grades, before climbing up to Wildcat B. After Wildcat B, you will descend moderately to yet another col before climbing moderately to Wildcat A. There is a small spur path near the summit that leads to a lookout point where you can see into Carter Notch. From Wildcat A, the descent into Carter Notch is extremely steep and rough. This section of trail drops over 1,100 feet in just 0.7 miles! There are numerous switchbacks, which are helpful for descending. Eventually, you will come to the junction with the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail. Here you can take a short detour to the Carter Notch Hut (0.2 miles away and open year round) if you want to warm up and take a break. From the Nineteen Mile Brook junction, it is 3.6 miles back to the road. You will descend roughly 1,800 feet during this time. This trail offers a very moderate descent. We were able to fly down this trail and did not have to work too hard, which was nice after dealing with the Wildcat Ridge Trail. Once we got back to the trailhead, we were lucky enough to catch a ride back to the Wildcat Ski Area (which is ~10 minutes down the road) from some friendly hikers since we did not have a second car with us.
STAY TUNED FOR PHOTOS! WE WILL DO THIS HIKE AGAIN AND GET MORE PHOTOS OF THE TRAIL ITSELF THIS TIME!
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As experienced hikers, we always make sure that we are hiking with The Ten Essentials which include navigation, a headlamp, sun protection, first aid, a knife, shelter, extra food, water and clothes. Overtime, we have discovered some items that we always bring on our hikes and consider them to be our personal, expanded ten essentials.