Trail Report for Mount Cabot and Waumbek, the Northern Most Peaks of the NH48
If you are unfamiliar, the New Hampshire 48 is a hiking challenge that includes hiking all the 4,000 feet mountains that stand at either 4,000ft or higher. Mount Cabot and Waumbek are the two most northern peaks of this challenge, being located in Groveton and Jefferson, New Hampshire. For most people, these two peaks are the farthest you will have to travel for this challenge.
This two peaks are wooded summits and don’t have views. However, they do have views just not on the summits. Although, when my friend and I hiked them, we were snubbed out of both views. One day due to clouds/rain and another due to haze. That being said, Waumbek is by far the easier hike. Both have hard elevation gains in the beginning however, while Waumbek eases after 1.5-2 miles Cabot just keeps going with the elevation gain until you get to the summit.
In this report, you will read about Mount Cabot, Mount Waumbek, Mount Cabot cabin, Mount Cabot trail conditions, Mount Cabot parking, Mount Cabot trail, Mount Cabot weather, Mount Cabot Maple, Mount Cabot hike, Mount Cabot winter hike, and more.
This post is all about Mount Cabot.
Mount Cabot:
Mount Cabot Trail and Mount Cabot Parking
Okay, to start off, I will talk about Mount Cabot. My friend and I hiked it via Bunnell Notch. It was a little over 9 miles and just under 3,000ft of elevation gain. We arrived at the trailhead just before 9am and ended a little after 3pm. I would allow yourself 5 and a half to 6 hours to complete this hike. You want to MAKE SURE you finish this hike before 4pm because the Bunnell Notch trail has a gate that is only open from 7:30am until 4pm. The gate will close at 4pm, so plan accordingly and account for this.
Mount Cabot Hike
Cabot is the most northern and one of the most remote hikes to drive too, apart of the NH 48. Here are directions for this trail, via Bunnell Notch, just click, get directions, and it will bring you to Google or Apple Maps. My friend and I got to the trailhead a little bit before 9am on a weekday in the summer and the parking lot was full. Thus, we parked on the road. However, I don’t think Cabot is usually this crowded, there was a tour/wilderness course going on the day we hiked.
This trail is pretty easy to follow, just follow what looks like a trail and you will get to the summit. I followed the downloadable offline AllTrails map of Mount Cabot via Bunnel Notch and had no problems. Fairly early on, you will continue right onto the Bunnell Notch Trail NOT the York Pond Trail. For the next 3ish miles you will continue on the Bunnell Notch Trail. Then you will go right to the Kill Kenny Ridge Trail. Quickly, you will come to the Bunnell Rock where on a sunny day there are some nice views. However, when my friend and I hiked it, there were no views due to clouds and rain. Then you will continue on the Kill Kenny Ridge Trail and in about half a mile you will come across the Mount Cabot cabin.
The cabin is pretty cool to look at. I’m not sure if you can stay there, but it’s cool to look around, as it’s still in decent condition. Also, I’m not sure what this cabin was used for in the past, but you can go into the cabin and look around.
Mount Cabot Summit
After the cabin, you will continue to your right to the footpath trail for Mount Cabot. You will hike for another .3 of a mile then reach the summit. You will come upon a sign, then just past that sign to the left, is the official summit at the tree. Again, is no view at the summit. However, about .8 of a mile before the summit, the Bunnell Rock has a nice view. Again, you can follow the AllTrails downloadable map and follow it to see where you turn right for Bunnell Rock. You can make it out without the map, but it’s easier with the map.
To get back down, you will just retrace your steps. This hike was alright, it was not one of my favorites because there was no view. Also, this trail has a continual incline until you get to the summit. In addition, it was cloudy the whole day, and on our way down, my friend and I got caught in a downpour and we got absolutely drenched. I think Mount Cabot is a good hike to do when you’re still at the beginning to almost half way through your NH 48 journey. It’s not super difficult but it’s definitely not one of the easiest New Hampshire 48. Thus, I would have some 48s under your belt before you climb Cabot.
Mount Cabot Maple
There is a maple syrup shop about 8 minutes from the Bunnell Notch trail of Mount Cabot. Here is where the shop is located in Lancaster, New Hampshire. They offer sap house tours and tastings, however, it looks like you do have to reserve them in advance, you cannot just show up.
Mount Waumbek : The Second Most Northern Peak
Okay, moving onto the second most northern peak, Mount Waumbek. Waumbek and Mount Tecumseh are the best beginner hikes to climb first on your New Hampshire 48 journey. Again, my friend and I hiked this on a Tuesday in the summer and got to the Starr King Trailhead about 11am. There was still parking available, but it was pretty filled. Also, I will say, the last bit of the road to the parking area is ROUGH. It was difficult for my 4 wheel, Honda CRV to get through the potholes on this road. Literally, the last part of the road has about 10 potholes that are all dispersed along the road, you literally can’t avoid them. You will hit one of them and hope that your car is strong enough to pull out of them.
This being said, my car did make it and it’s only the last part of the road you have to worry about. If you have 4 wheel drive and a decent clearing under your car you will be fine. Also, it’s only coming in you have to worry about this, because the road is slightly inclined. Once you park, you will walk forward, straight to the Starr King Trailhead. The first 1.5-2 miles of this hike is all uphill, it has good elevation gain. Then, the last mile and a halfish is very gentle in terms of elevation gain, it’s pretty much flat after the first 1.5-2 miles. Once you get to Starr King Mountain (about 2.6 miles in), you will see a little bit of a view. Unfortunately, when we hiked the haze made it too cloudy to see anything. So, we trekked onto Mount Waumbek, which is about a mile away from Starr King.
Mount Waumbek Summit
Again, Waumbek is a wooded summit and has no view. There isn’t even a view along the way to the summit, the only possible view is at Starr King. So, this is another one you kind of just have to get over with. This is a good peak to hike if it’s cloudy and you just want to cross another peak off the NH48 list.
To get back down, you just retrace your steps. This trail is very easy to follow, you can always follow the AllTrails downloadable offline map. Although, I really don’t think you’ll need this. The trail is super easy to follow and worn in.
Overall Thoughts and Trail Conditions
Both trails are in good condition and are fairly easy to follow. While these are not the infamous Presidential Range and beautiful Franconia Ridge trails, these are great peaks to get you in shape, so you can really enjoy the more famous and breathtaking loops/peaks apart of this challenge. Also, in my opinion, it feels good just to scratch off another peak off the list.
Actually, I keep track of all the peaks I’ve hiked by using scratch offs. These, by Peak Quest, are a great way to keep track of the peaks you’ve hiked and still have left. On their website, they have many northeast hiking challenges available in the form of scratch offs. Anyways, thank you so much for reading, I hope this article/trail report was helpful to you, get hiking and take care.
