North Carter Mountain (4,520 ft) sits at the northern end of the Carter-Moriah Range in the White Mountains, tucked between Imp Mountain to the northeast and Middle Carter to the southwest. The summit itself is forested with no open views, but a rocky outcrop just below the top provides a sweeping look east over the Wild River Wilderness, a low-traffic corner of the White Mountain National Forest. The Appalachian Trail runs along the crest here via the Carter-Moriah Trail, linking North Carter to the broader Carter Range traverse.
The standard approach combines the Imp Trail with the North Carter and Carter-Moriah trails for a 9.4-mile loop with roughly 3,200 feet of elevation gain. The route first climbs to Imp Face, a dramatic cliff edge with views of Mount Washington and the Northern Presidentials, then continues along the North Carter Trail to the ridge. From there, the Carter-Moriah Trail runs south over North Carter's summit to Middle Carter before looping back via a different descent. The Imp Trail alone forms a 6.4-mile loop that most hikers treat as a rewarding objective in its own right.
North Carter is most often visited as part of a longer traverse rather than a standalone objective. The forested ridge provides some shelter in foul weather, but the exposed Imp Face section demands care in wet or icy conditions, which can persist well into spring.
