Mt. Cardigan – 360 degrees of views in New Hampshire
We recently discovered one of our new favorite hikes – Mt. Cardigan. The views are amazing and the hike was so fun!! The top of the mountain is treeless, so you have 360 degree views; you can see Vermont, the White Mountains, Mt. Kearsarge, Mt. Monadnock, and more! The best part of it is that the hike doesn’t feel long. The trail changes throughout the hike and as you approach the summit (just when you might think your legs are tired), the views start.
We started our hike from Cardigan Mountain State Park in Orange, NH. There are other ways up, but they are much longer and start from different sides of the mountain (so make sure that you take the correct trail back down – otherwise you will end up VERY far from your car!!). From the State Park, we took the West Ridge Trail up. This trail starts out wooded, with some rocky parts.
There are a few wooden bridges to cross,
which were certainly helpful!
As you go up, the rock becomes more significant…
I really enjoy this type of trail, as it makes me think about where I am stepping, versus whether or not my legs are tired! 🙂 As we got closer to the summit, the trail became more solid granite ledge and a bit steeper.
Soon, the trees opened up and the views began!
Oh the views. They are soooo beautiful! The best part is that they continue as you make your final push to the summit! And what a final push it is…
The ledge becomes a bit steep at this point. I did lean forward and scramble a bit with Little Man on my back, as did L, but Dad was fine standing the whole time. I was never nervous or uncomfortable during this part; in fact we all thought it was quite fun!! Here’s a little video of L scrambling up – she was 7 here.
It was really cool when I could see the fire tower up at the summit, as it gave me that last bit of motivation to get up to the top!
Once we made it up, we embraced the amazing views!
Because there are no trees at the top, you can see forever!
The open top also meant that it was windy and quite a bit chillier at the summit. We all layered up once we got up there, so make sure that you have some extra layers with you when you hike (like you always should)!
After having a snack and enjoying the views, we headed back down. We chose to take a little loop so we could hit the South Peak and come down the South Ridge Trail.
The trail over to the South Peak is pretty flat once you get back down to the tree line.
The views from South Peak are not nearly as expansive and grand as the summit, but still pretty nice.
From there we headed down the South Peak Trail. This intersects with the Skyland Trail at one point, so make sure you stay on the correct trail – otherwise you will end up nowhere near your car!
At one point, the South Peak Trail became VERY steep. It was so steep that we almost took Little Man out of the carrier; Dad made it down okay, but we definitely were a bit nervous!
This trail eventually reconnects with the West Ridge Trail which then leads you back to you car.
On the map below, we took the yellow route up and the green down. You can find this map here.
This is a super fun hike and L, at 7 years old, handled it just fine! We definitely needed to carry 3 year old Little Man, and are so happy that we had our Osprey! (You can read more about our carrier choice here.)
It is definitely a hike that we will do again when Little Man is old enough to handle it on his own. Until then, we will just admire the views from our pictures!
I hope that your family enjoys this adventure as much as mine did!
40 Comments
Cindy
Looks like a great hike!
Melissa
It is a fun one!!
Carey
Beautiful pictures of your hike! Seems like you went during the right time of year!
Melissa
Thank you! The best part was that there were no bugs!
Pam
This looks so beautiful! As soon as it warms up, I’ll be out hiking for sure.
Melissa
We are just waiting for that warm weather to arrive! Hopefully it will be soon!
Holly
This looks like such a great park. The unobstructed views at the top are amazing!!
Melissa
The unobstructed views definitely make the hike worth it!
jen
Stunning. I didn’t know vistas like this still existed. absolutely stunning….
Melissa
Come to NH! There are lots of places like this!! 🙂
Taquia
This looks like an amazing experience and the views are breathtaking!
Melissa
The view are amazing…even better in person than in the pictures!
Eva
Great photos! Looks like a fun time 🙂
Melissa
Thank you! It is definitely a fun adventure!
Stacey
You’re such a nice wife to share carrying your son with your husband… I wouldn’t be so nice, LOL… Thanks for sharing all of your adventures with us all.
Melissa
hahaha… he get’s the harder part of going down.. there is no way I could do that!
Jordin
What a view! Your children will have so many great memories from hiking as a family!
Melissa
I’m so happy that they enjoy it! I hope they enjoy their memories, as well!
Lisa Manderino
New Hampshire is beautiful! Love to visit one day!
Melissa
It is worth a trip, for sure!
Vessy Smith
Soooo beautiful! There is hardly anything I enjoy more than a great nature hike. When I finally visit New Hampshire, this would be one of the very first places I go. Thanks for this fun post and lovely photos! 🙂
Melissa
There a million beautiful hikes in NH, so make sure you plan lots of hiking time when you visit!
heather J jandrue
This looks like a great time. We are not too far away. I will have to plan something this summer.
Melissa
I definitely recommend it! We live about an hour away and it was a very manageable day trip; I’m sure you could do it as a day trip, even if you lived further away.
Missy
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing we enjoy hikes that have a 360 degree view.
Melissa
They are the best – guaranteed views after all that work hiking up!
Jennifer
Looks like a fun time with the family hiking.
Melissa
It was – and there was minimal whining which made it even better!
kmf
Those views! Love! I used to live in Vermont but never went hiking in New Hampshire. Need to fix that!
Melissa
Yes!! We’ve actually never hiked in Vermont, so we need to hike there!
Trisha
Wow! That view is absolutely breathtaking! I could stay up there all day just taking it all in!
Melissa
It definitely crossed my mind to stay up there!!
Hera
I love hiking and would totally hike this for those Wow! Views. Never been to NH but will for sure hike this when we visit
Melissa
I hope you make it up here sometime! There are lots of great hikes with amazing views!
Amanda
We visited New Hampshire for the first time last summer. We hiked in the White Mountains and it was amazing. This is one of the most beautiful parts of the country I have ever seen. So peaceful. When we go back we will check out Mt. Cardigan for sure. Thanks for sharing.
Melissa
The Whites are amazing… being among them is definitely one of my happy places!! I’m so glad you enjoy them as well!
Wendy Robinson
There is something fulfilling about getting to the top and seeing how far you made it. The reward is the view.
Melissa
Absolutely – I always feel a sense of accomplishment at the top!
Shirley
Super fun! I’ve done a hike or two in my lifetime and this one looks fantastic! I’m definitely adding it to my hiking wish list.
Melissa
Yay! It’s definitely a great one to add!