Cardigan Mountain State Park — Attraction in Orange

I went up West Ridge Trail to the summit late in the afternoon on a Friday. There weren't a whole lot of people up there so it wasn't too bad. I have to say that when people go hiking in state parks in New Hampshire there is a leash law that you're supposed to keep your dogs on a leash. And it's for the safety of other hikers on the trail as well as wildlife and even for your own dog. If it wasn't for that being an issue, I had two dogs run up to me on a steep mountainside the hike would have been fine. It was muddy and wet from all the rain but other than that the trail was actually not that difficult considering it was a 3000 footer. The water made it kind of slick in spots but the view from the top especially at this time of year when the leaves are changing was beautiful. If you don't mind crowds or you don't mind hiking with people in the woods and you don't mind loose dogs running up to you then it's a good hike. And worth the view. I would have given it a 5-star rating except for...

An amazing hike. Complete 360 degree view from the top which is amazing. HOWEVER, the actual spot where you would park to begin a hike to the top is closed for the winter months. Indeed, even in late March its still closed. The entire trail is an ice patch. You can navigate this oK with spikes, but without them its darn hard! With the parking lot closed, the hike that is usually about 1.5 miles each way becomes about 2.25 miles each way. And right now its pure ice the whole way. At the very peak its all granite rock and there isn't ice, so if you can trek up that far it becomes easy and with a truly world class view. But I would advise this as a very late spring thru mid fall hike, unless you have and plan to...

Beautiful! The views at the top are absolutely worth the investment. Depending on your fitness, it'll take anywhere between 45 mins to 1h 15mins to climb up (on the West trail)! The terrain changes are beautiful (you'll slowly get over the tree line and get into a rocky terrain out of the forest trail and have the first few glimpses of the beauty around you) and the panoramic view at the summit is just worth it! If you wanna see great views but don't wanna spend 4-5hours on a 4000er, hike Cardigan! PS: there's trail maps and portable toilets at the parking lot. The tower was closed when we hiked (around 7pm on a...