Back in the Whites: Hedgehog Mountain

As much as I enjoy trying different places, or returning to locations I haven't been to in a while, there's no doubt that it always feels good to go back to the White Mountains, the most well known hiking region in New England. All of the 4,000 footers of New Hampshire can be found here, which is one of the main reasons for the regions popularity. The other being the number of short, yet beautiful hikes, one of which being Hedgehog Mountain.

The summit of Hedgehog Mountain as seen from the lower ledges.

This short mountain can be found along the Kancamagus Highway, along a short loop trail. We arrived at the trailhead early on an extremely hot day. After finding the trailhead, we started up the UNH Trail. It was set in a pleasant forest, at an easy grade. It took no time until we reached the loop junction, where we continued toward the east ledges.

The path to the loop junction.

The loop junction.
Most of the signs were recently replaced.

The path never got steep, and continued at a constant easy grade. It passed through some large boulders, until it arrived at some wooded ledges. Even though the day was very hot, water was plentiful, mostly at spots you wouldn't expect. We soon found the east ledges, which offered beautiful views out toward Mt.Chocorua, Mt.Paugus, and Mt.Passaconaway.

Going up the trail.

From the east ledges: Mt.Chocorua can be seen over the first ridge.

The view northeast toward Bear Mountain, Table Mountain,
and the Moat Range.

A prominent view of Mt.Passaconaway.
Square Ledge is visible in the front to the left.

At this point, the trail lead to a large cliff area, with great views looking up to the summit, which wasn't far from here. I need to mention once again how unbearable the heat was, and also how hazy the skies were. This mountain is truly beautiful, you just need the right day for the best experience. Either way, this cliff had an excellent view looking toward Mt.Passaconaway and Square Ledge.

The summit visible from the lower ledges.

Mt.Paugus (right) with Mt.Chocorua in the far distance.

Another great view over toward Mt.Passaconaway and Square Ledge.

We reentered the trees, then climbed beneath the summit cliffs for a ways until the trail found a spot to climb easily up to the summit. It climbed somewhat more abruptly until it reached a long spine of rock, which the trail followed closely. It continued to go in and out of the trees for a while, with occasional views to Mt.Passaconaway.

Some of the cliffs along the trail.

The view from one of the ledges.

The summit area is marked with a yellow "X" atop a rock.  There are a few clusters of trees atop the summit, but there is a great viewpoint looking west. Many iconic peaks in the White Mountains can be seen from here, including the Tripyramids, the Hancocks, and even an excellent view into Carrigain Notch.

The vast view from the summit.

Mt.Potash is visible in the foreground, with Mt.Huntington
in center shot. The Hancocks are seen to the right.

The Tripyramids as seen from the summit ledges.
The Fool Killer (that's a mountain) can be seen behind the ridge in the foreground.

Green Cliff with Mt.Carrigain (tallest) and Carrigain Notch in the background.

The Sandwich Range

After taking in the scenery for a while, we continued down the trail to Allen's Ledge, which can be found at the end of a short side trail. The ledge rose out of the treeline to give great views looking over the Swift River valley. The ledge had a great view of Bear Mountain, and Mt.Washington could just barely be seen through the haze.

The trail down the mountain.

Brand new sign for Allen's Ledge.

Mt.Tremont, Bartlett Haystack, and Bear Mountain from Allen's Ledge.

Mt.Chocorua as seen from the ledges.

The Moat Range

While bigger mountains that don't get much attention are always a delight, smaller hikes like Hedgehog Mountain can't be ignored. It's great to know about secret peaks, or hikes that nobody knows about, but hiking popular mountains like this are always scenic and easy. No wonder they're so popular.

An Overlooked Summit: Black Cat Mountain

Climbing a mountain and observing a mountain are two different stories. A summit may appear different from the ground than it does if climbed. There is no better example of this than Black Cat Mountain, a summit on South Branch Mountain in northern Baxter State Park. The mountain as a whole is often overlooked. When seen from below, it appears as a big forested peak, but in reality, the summit area is like a meadow in the sky.

Looking south from one of many meadows atop Black Cat Mountain.

The peak is very unique, and this fact is evident just by looking at the trailhead, which immediately begins by crossing South Branch Brook. There is no bridge, and there are no rocks to hop across, which means you must ford the stream. After the crossing, the trail follows the shore for a short while, until reaching the junction with the remote campsites.

The trailhead for Black Cat Mountain.

We're going right!

The path wound through the forest easily for a while, until reaching a rocky protuberance. It then climbed steeper until reaching a small rocky knob with a minor view directly north. It then climbed even steeper until reaching a second rocky knob just below the summit, with  a great view looking toward The Traveler massif.

Looking north from the first knob.
Peaks Visible: Willard Mountain, Norway Bluff, Mooseleuk Mountain, Peaked Mountain

Looking up the steep trail.

North Traveler, The Traveler, and Peak Of The Ridges
from the second viewpoint.

Once again, the trail climbed higher, at an easy grade this time. The forests were pleasant, and there was a ton of moose scat along the trail. I'm very surprised we didn't run into one while we were up there. Eventually we were lead to the summit of South Branch Mountain. The signs on both summits are a little short of the true elevation. There are no views from this summit.

The summit of South Branch Mountain.

The trail descended easily until it began to climb yet again. The distance between the two summits is only half a mile, so it didn't take long to reach the summit of Black Cat Mountain. The trail started to open up into a meadow, that had a small rock outcropping in the center, with a sign sitting atop the peak. The views from the meadow were stunning. Almost every mountain in Baxter State Park can be seen from here, even some peaks around Moosehead Lake.

Emerging into the summit area.

On the summit.

The Traveler from the summit of Black Cat Mountain.

The view from the summit toward North Turner Mountain.

Mt.Fort and North Brother from the summit.

Katahdin from the summit of Black Cat Mountain.

It was evident that most people stop at the summit, then go back the same way, but that's a big mistake, as there are much better views beyond. The trail continued through the meadow, which lead down further and further, with the occasional cairn. It opened up more, with better views toward Katahdin and North Brother.

Leaving the summit.

The view toward North Turner, Katahdin, and North Brother.

Doubletop Mountain can be seen prominently in the center.
North Brother and Mt.Fort sit high to the left.

Center Mountain and Strickland Mountain, as seen from the meadows.
Big Spencer Mountain can be seen just right of Center Mountain.

Looking southeast toward North Turner Mountain.

After the meadow, the trail descended through some large talus slopes, which offered incredible views looking west. The path continued to go in and out of trees until it reached a few wooded fields with no views. The path continued down the mountain steeply, with plenty of rocks. It can be hard to follow in some spots.

Looking east from the talus slopes.

The view facing northwest.

The overgrown trail heading down the mountain.

Soon, the trail brought us down to Upper South Branch Pond, where we crossed the stream and enjoyed views up to Center Ridge from the water. After a few bog bridges, we ended up at Pogy Notch Trail, then the day use site, which offered a great view looking up to South Branch and Black Cat Mountains. The meadow was hidden from here, almost as if the mountain is trying to conceal it's beauty.

The stream crossing.

An expansive view over Upper South Branch Pond.

One of many bogs.

Black Cat Mountain from the pond.

Black Cat Mountain is a breathtaking summit, where almost all the peaks of Baxter State Park are visible. Just looking at the mountain doesn't show it's true beauty, unlike peaks like Katahdin and The Traveler. With those summits, you know what you're getting into for the most part, but with Black Cat, it's astonishing summit area is disguised by the endless forests along it's slopes, and maybe that's for the better.

Barrell Ridge: A Hidden Gem

Tucked away in the wilderness of Baxter State Park can be found many hidden gems. It's difficult enough to get into the park, and even harder to find the best kept secrets there. One such sight is Barrell Ridge, which lies just north of The Traveler. Most people staying at South Branch Campground go canoeing, or hike The Traveler. It's as if nobody knows this place exists, even though the views are truly remarkable.

Bald Mountain from Barrell Ridge.

To access Barrell Ridge, we had to walk down Ledges Trail for a while. The trail was beautiful as it wound through yellow flowers and tall grass. We eventually reached the junction, and continued down Middle Fowler Trail, which when followed to it's end, reaches Middle Fowler Pond.

Ledges Trail

Looking up the path.

Continuing down Middle Fowler Pond Trail.

The trail climbed higher and higher until it reached the col between Little and Big Peaked Mountains. The path became rockier. Here, the trail opened up onto a few ledges, with views looking north to Norway Bluff and Willard Mountain. From here, the path continued back into the trees.

Looking north from the first few ledges.

We started going down for a while, but the trail passed several ledges looking up to Barrell Ridge, our destination. The trail came across a brook with a few waterfalls. The area was very beautiful, and the forests were thick and wild. Clearly, this trail doesn't get much use. We eventually arrived at the junction for Barrell Ridge.

The view up to Barrell Ridge.

One of the waterfalls.

Barrell Ridge
What an accurate sign!

After a few steep sections of trail, we reached the first few ledges, which had excellent views looking out to Bald Mountain and North Traveler. We went in and out of trees until we reached the summit, which was marked with a sign. There were great views looking out to other nearby peaks, like Trout Brook Mountain, Horse Mountain, and Bald Mountain.

Bald Mountain from Barrell Ridge. Mt.Chase with Sugarloaf Mountain
directly in front of it can be seen beyond to the left.

Looking northeast toward Trout Brook Mountain
and Billfish Mountain to the right.

Bald Mountain, with Lunksoos and Deasey Mountains visible in the distance.

The summit of Barrell Ridge.

Even though we had reached the summit, our hike wasn't over. We bushwhacked westward along the ledges until we came to a large rocky area with incredible views looking south and west. There was an especially good view looking over to Little Peaked Mountain from here.

Looking down Barrell Ridge.

North Traveler from Barrell Ridge.

Looking toward Little Peaked Mountain.
South Branch Mountain can be seen above the ridge to the left.

Looking back toward Bald Mountain.

It always feels great to explore new areas. While Barrell Ridge isn't too far from The Traveler, a mountain I've climbed before, I still got that sense, something reminding me that this is the most northern mountain I've climbed, and the farthest north I've been in general. It's far away from any signs of civilization, and very remote. I'm happy to know there are still places like this is New England.