Middle Carter
October 10, 2026

Start/End: Great Gulf Trailhead, Rt. 16

Peaks: Middle Carter (4,610')

Elevation Gain: 3,800 ft

RT Mileage: 10.88 mi

Duration: 6 hours, 5 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

Capturing snowliage (snow + foliage) in the fall has been on my bucket list for a while. A perfect opportunity presented itself conveniently on the first day of fall break this year, with about an inch of snow having coated the Presidentials the previous evening, fall color still peaking in the valley, and summit fog quickly clearing to bluebird skies in the morning. For my route, I originally planned to ascend the Imp Trail up to the ridge and then traverse all the way over to Hight for the best views in the Carter Range, but ended up turning back at Middle Carter, deciding that the views from below the summit and from my short detour to Imp Ledges on the way up were more than enough. Read more...