Mount Anderson sits at 3,740 feet in the White Mountain National Forest, rising above Carrigain Notch between Vose Spur to the south and the ridge leading toward Mount Lowell. The summit itself is heavily wooded, but an adjacent open ledge delivers a wide Pemigewasset Wilderness perspective taking in the Bonds, Franconias, Mount Carrigain, and Mount Washington. Named for an AMC founding member, it appears on the NH 100 Highest list but receives only occasional traffic.
Reaching the summit requires off-trail navigation throughout. The most common approach follows the Nancy Pond Trail from the Notchland area up to Nancy and Norcross Ponds, which occupy a high plateau around 3,100 feet, then a roughly 600-foot bushwhack up Anderson's eastern ridge. Forest quality varies considerably along the way: stretches of semi-open mixed hardwood give way to pockets of thick spruce, especially in the cols. An alternate loop links the Signal Ridge and Carrigain Notch Trails with the bushwhack, covering around 8 miles and close to 3,000 feet of gain. From the summit, descending slightly north before trending west avoids the cliff bands above Carrigain Notch.
Map, compass, and GPS are essential. Dense spruce and cliff bands on several aspects demand careful route-finding; winter trips add several feet of snowpack and significantly reduce terrain visibility.
