Also known as: Wildcat C
Wildcat Mountain (C Peak) is the middle summit of the five-peaked Wildcat Ridge in the Carter-Moriah Range, rising to 4,298 feet on the east side of Pinkham Notch. The Appalachian Trail threads across all five Wildcat summits, and C Peak sits between D and B in a rolling sequence of highpoints that demand steady effort throughout, with nearly continuous climbing and descending along the ridge.
The summit itself is wooded with no view, a quiet pause in a traverse that otherwise rewards hikers with wide-open perspectives. The main approach follows the Wildcat Ridge Trail, which leaves NH Route 16 at the Glen Ellis Falls parking area south of the AMC's Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch. The trail crosses the Ellis River before a steep sustained climb to Wildcat D, then continues across E and into the col before ascending to C, then B, and finally to A, the highest point at 4,422 feet. Dropping from A to Carter Notch and out via the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail makes for a roughly 10-mile point-to-point traverse. The cumulative elevation gain across the ridge's ups and downs is significantly greater than any single peak's statistics suggest.
Open ledges near Wildcat D and along the upper ridge deliver sweeping views of Mount Washington and Tuckerman Ravine across Pinkham Notch, with Carter Dome rising to the northeast. Wildcat Mountain Ski Area operates from the D summit, providing a useful reference for winter snowpack; the ridge itself demands ice axe and crampons in cold-season conditions.
