The New Hampshire mountain that burned in 1855 and now shows you half of New England

Four states from one bare summit

Mount Cardigan rises 3,121 feet in west-central New Hampshire, and the top is nothing but exposed granite. No trees, no brush, just rock and sky.

Locals call it “Old Baldy,” and when you stand up there, you can see why.

The view stretches in every direction, from the White Mountains to the north all the way to Pleasant Mountain in Maine.

It’s one peak with four states in the frame, and how it ended up this bare is a story that starts with fire.

A wildfire stripped the peak bare in 1855

In 1855, a wildfire tore across the summit and burned every tree off the top.

The flames hit so hard that spiraling fire rose from a neighboring peak, which people started calling Firescrew. More than 170 years later, the trees still have not come back.

What the fire left behind are smooth granite ledges that make a 3,121-foot mountain feel like something twice its size. That bare dome is the whole reason the views reach so far today.

Climb a steel fire tower from 1924

A wooden fire lookout first went up on the summit back in 1904. State crews replaced it with a 15-foot steel tower in 1924, and it still stands today.

The tower is one of 15 fire lookouts in New Hampshire that stay active on a seasonal basis, and it holds a spot on the National Historic Lookout Register.

You can climb the first flight of stairs for a slightly higher look across the granite dome and the ridgeline beyond.

The easiest route climbs through sugar maples

The West Ridge Trail is the most popular way up from the state park side.

It covers 1.5 miles and gains 1,200 vertical feet, winding through northern hardwood forest full of sugar maple, beech and yellow birch. Log staircases and wooden bridges keep your footing steady on the steeper sections.

Near the top, the forest falls away and you step onto bare granite slabs that lead straight to the summit. The whole feel of the hike changes in that last stretch.

Three peaks sit on one connected ridge

Mount Cardigan is actually three peaks in a row. The main summit sits between South Peak and Firescrew Mountain, and connecting ridge trails let you hit all three in a single outing.

From Firescrew, you look out over the Lakes Region and Newfound Lake spread below. Between the peaks, the ridge passes through an alpine wetland area where the terrain goes soft and green.

One ridgeline, three summits, and a different view from each one.

A 3-mile loop crosses open granite slabs

The Mount Cardigan Loop Trail runs about three miles from the state park parking area. You follow the South Ridge Trail up and the West Ridge Trail down, or flip it around.

Along the way, you pass the fire tower, South Peak and a rock formation called Cardigan Rimrock. Much of the upper section puts you on open granite with wide views in every direction.

Most hikers finish the loop in two to three hours, and the trail rates as moderately challenging.

The CCC built trails here in 1933

New Hampshire first set aside 700 acres here in 1918 to form the Mount Cardigan State Reservation. Then in 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps showed up and got to work.

CCC crews cut new hiking trails, built the road to the park entrance and ran a telephone line up to the fire tower.

They also carved ski trails on the east side of the mountain that people still use today for backcountry skiing. Those runs rank among the most historic in New England.

Stay at the AMC lodge on the east side

The Appalachian Mountain Club runs Cardigan Lodge on the mountain’s east side, sitting on a 1,200-acre reservation with more than 50 miles of hiking and ski trails. AMC bought the land and a barn here back in 1934.

The lodge has bunk rooms and private rooms, and during full-service season, they serve family-style meals. If you’re coming from Boston, the drive takes about two hours, which makes it an easy weekend trip.

A trail built so everyone can use it

In 2023, AMC opened the Cardigan All Persons Trail near the lodge.

The one-mile path follows federal Forest Service accessibility guidelines, built for visitors in wheelchairs, people using walkers and families with strollers.

The surface is smooth crushed stone and dirt with gentle grades and drainage that keeps the path dry. Benches line the route, along with illustrated signs from a children’s book called “Granite Baby.”

You don’t need to summit Old Baldy to enjoy this mountain.

The Holt Trail scrambles over steep boulders

If you want a tougher climb, the Holt Trail on the east side gains nearly 1,000 feet in less than a mile over large boulders and steep granite slabs.

The Clark Trail splits the difference and passes through a stretch called Cathedral Forest. East-side trails tend to run longer and steeper than the ones on the west.

Color-coded blazes keep you on track: orange marks west-side trails, white marks ridge trails and yellow marks the east side.

Swim in a glacial gorge and a freshwater beach

Sculptured Rocks Natural Area in Groton sits about 272 acres where the Cockermouth River carved a narrow canyon into bedrock at the end of the last ice age.

The gorge has smooth, curved rock formations and swimming holes.

Wellington State Park on Newfound Lake has the largest freshwater swimming beach in the New Hampshire state park system, and Newfound Lake is one of the deepest and clearest lakes in the state.

Welton Falls, a short walk from the AMC lodge, has wading pools in summer.

Pack your own water and watch for wet granite

Cardigan Mountain State Park is free and unstaffed, so you carry in everything you need and carry it all back out. There is no drinking water on the mountain.

You can bring your dog as long as it stays on a leash.

The gate on Cardigan Mountain Road typically closes from late fall through spring, which adds extra distance on foot to reach the trailhead.

Up top, exposed granite gets slippery when wet and catches high winds, so check the forecast before you go.

Explore Cardigan Mountain State Park in New Hampshire

You’ll find Cardigan Mountain State Park at 658 Cardigan Mountain Road in Orange, N.H. The park is free to visit and open year-round, though the road gate closes seasonally.

It’s part of the New Hampshire State Parks system, which manages 94 properties across the state. Nearby, Newfound Lake, Sculptured Rocks Natural Area and Wellington State Park give you more reasons to stay a while.

For overnight options, AMC Cardigan Lodge and Campsites sit on the mountain’s east side in Alexandria.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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