Caribou Mountain, In Evans Notch

Before Caribou Mountain, the closest I've ever gotten to the White Mountains of Maine and Evans Notch was The Baldfaces and Shelburne Moriah, which were both amazing hikes. I don't see many blogs on Caribou Mountain, a peak that sits northeast of Evans Notch, and one of the major peaks of the Caribou-Speckled Wilderness. The mountain, along with Kees Falls, are sights that deserve some respect.

Looking south from Caribou Mountain.

Caribou Mountain may be short, at 2,850 feet, but it's views and scenery are far better than many 4,000 footers in New England. The mountain can be done in a loop, and I would recommend going up Mud Brook Trail and down Caribou Trail. Doing this, we got to experience more views. The first views can be found at a series of ledges looking southeast.

The first of many views.

The trail emerges onto lower ledges that look up to the summit. It then winds up to the summit, through scattered ledges. The best spot on the south peak can be found by going over the summit and down through a meadow to a large square ledge. From here, Albany Mountain, Red Rock Mountain, Pleasant Mountain, Speckled Mountain, The Baldfaces, The Royces, and the Carter-Moriah Range can be seen when looking south.

Looking directly west, towards the Carter-Moriah Range and The Royces.

When looking east, Mt.Abram, Mt.Zircon, Spruce Mountain, Buck and Lapham Ledge, and Speckled Mountain (in Peru) can be seen. The Presidentials can be seen to the west as well, but on this day, only Mt.Madison was visible, with some of Mt.Adams and Boott Spur.

Looking northeast from the south summit, towards Mt.Zircon and Spruce Mountain.

Continuing past the south summit, the trail drops and rides atop a very large, flat ledge with views to Mt.Success and North Bald Cap. The north summit had amazing views, in nearly every direction. This summit also includes a large ledge, but there was a few more people than the other peak, as it's common for people to only hike to this summit.

Looking towards the south summit and the Carter-Moriah Range.

The Mahoosuc Range is visible, with views of Mt.Hayes, Cascade Mountain, Bald Cap, North Bald Cap, Mt.Success, Mt.Ingalls, Mt.Carlo, Goose Eye Mountain, Fulling Mill Mountain, Mahoosuc Arm, Old Speck, Baldpate Mountain, and Elephant Mountain. The same peaks to the south can be seen.

The Mahoosuc Range, from North Bald Cap to distant Elephant Mountain.

Directly west, Mt.Waumbek, Black Crescent Mountain, The Weeks, Terrace Mountain, Mt.Cabot, The Bulge, and The Horn can be seen, to name a few. Limited views to the northwest can be found on both peaks, and Saddleback Wind Mountain and Mt.Blue are the only major peaks that can be seen that way.

Looking toward Gorham and the Pilot-Pliny Range in the distance.

We continued down the Mud Brook Trail, past Caribou Springs (which did have water) and to the junction. The Caribou Trail is easy, and water is plentiful. There are several small cascades, but the biggest one is Kees Falls. The trail passes just above the falls, and a steep herd path leads down to the bottom. The rest of the trail was gentle.

GALLERY

Mt.Abram and others from the first few ledges.

Bella posing, with Red Rock and Butters Mountains in the background.

Bella on a ledge. Why not?

Now that I look back, there are a lot of photos of her. This one has Albany Mountain in the background.

Speckled Mountain, Kearsarge North, Eastman Mountain, The Baldfaces, The Royces, and more.

A path to Speckled Mountain?

The north summit, and other peaks of Maine.

The Mahoosucs from the completely open col.

Mt.Moriah, Middle Moriah, Shelburne Moriah, Mt.Waumbek, The Weeks, and more can all be seen.

Looking south from the north summit. This summit had the benchmark.

A closer look at the Mahoosuc Range and Bear and Elephant Mountains.

The big attraction, Kees Falls! Definitely deep enough to swim.

Another unnamed waterfall. I'll nickname it "Mossy Shelf Falls".

Caribou Mountain is a great peak, with amazing views of many notable peaks. This peak is on my 42 With A View list, which has been renamed to Views Of Maine for now, as a few more peaks where added to the list. I will soon have a new page out for the list, that is fully up to date. So far, Caribou Mountain is the best mountain on the list in the White Mountains.

A Hike To Mt.Cube

Looking at my remaining peaks on 52 With a View, I figured that Mt.Cube would be a good choice for a hot Monday. Both ways too ascend Mt.Cube include long distance trails. Of course, the Appalachian Trail passes over the peak, while Mt.Cube is the eastern terminus of the Cross Rivendell Trail, which begins in Vershire, VT. This trail is the quickest, and most scenic route. Being shorter, we took the Cross Rivendell Trail.

Looking across the northern summit ledges.

The trail is skillfully put together, utilizing switchbacks and bog bridges. Two descent lookouts can be found along the trail. The Spruce Lookout includes a good view looking into Vermont and towards Sunday Mountain. Ledge Lookout is nicer, and includes a large ledge with views in the same direction, but much vaster.

The view from Spruce Lookout.

The view from Spruce Lookout.

Once the trail reached the Appalachian Trail, it emerges onto a large bald area, with views over to Smarts Mountain, Mt.Cardigan, Moose Mountain and the Dartmouth Skiway. On a clear day, we probably would've been able to see the Green Mountains, but the haze was too thick, and we could only very faintly make them out.

Smarts Mountain, with Moose Mountain and the Dartmouth Skiway to the right.

We continued north on the Appalachian Trail, and soon found the spur trail to the north summit. If your thru-hiking, this side trail is worth the little effort, as the trail emerges onto northern ledges, that look west into the White Mountains, including Mt.Moosilauke Carr Mountain, Piermont Mountain, Mt.Stinson and Webster Slide Mountain.

Piermont Mountain and Mt.Moosilauke from Mt.Cube.

The view is truly amazing, and it takes little effort to achieve them. The Cross Rivendell Trail is pleasant, and the views are delightful. Much like the views, blueberries are plentiful. We also came across a few thru-hikers, but it still wasn't that busy.

GALLERY

The view looking at Sunday Mountain, from the Appalachian Trail junction.

Smarts Mountain, with Mt.Cardigan in the distance to the left.

Piermont Mountain from the northern summit ledges.

Carr Mountain and Mt.Stinson sit to the left, with Black Hill to the right.

Mt.Cube is one of the better peaks in southern New Hampshire, but it in no way compares to mountains like Mt.Cardigan and Mt.Monadnock. It's still worth the trip, and the views are truly incredible. I would also recommend swimming at Sculptured Rocks in Groton on a hot day. That's what we did, and besides the crowds, it's a very exciting place.