Mount Cabot from "The Horn"
Mount Cabot is the furthest north of the White Mountain 4,000 footers. It is a wooded summit with no views. The lower section of the Mount Cabot trail has been closed by a local land owner for more than a decade which means the main route is now via the Bunnel Notch and Kilkenny Ridge Trails. 0.5 miles from the summit is the Cabot Cabin and a small open area just above the cabin where a fire tower once stood with ok views. This is not as exciting as most other 4,000 foot peaks but great for beginners because of the moderate grades and good footing on the trails. The surrounding peaks and ponds around Cabot along the Kilkenny Ridge are a very nice area to hike and explore (The Horn, Unknown Pond, Rogers Ledge)
Trails I've Hiked
Mount Cabot Trail: 3.9 miles, elevation gain of 2,700 feet. Be advised the lower section of the Mount Cabot Trail has been closed by local landowners since the 1990's, if you are able to hike the trail it is becoming more and more overgrown and muddy. The Mount Cabot Trail has moderate grades the whole way but the trail below the Kilkenny Ridge is eroding, muddy, and usually a wet mess from a decade of backed up water bars. Once the Mount Cabot Trail joins the Kilkenny Ridge Trail it becomes a little steeper until passing by Bunnell Rock before gaining the ridge where it passes by Cabot Cabin and gradual makes it's way to the wooded summit. There is a summit sign posted, a hundred feet beyond the sign is the actual high point with a summit stick nailed to the back of a tree.
York Pond Trail / Bunnel Notch Trail / Kilkenny Ridge Trail: 4.8 miles, elevation gain of 2,900 feet. This is the main route to the summit of Mount Cabot. The trail has easy to moderate grades with decent footing and since it now gets more use it has been kept in good shape and is pretty easy to follow. The trails to the summit are very ho-hum but there is a lot of moose activity on the lower end along the old logging roads, so keep your eyes out for them early in the morning or late in the afternoon around dusk.
Trip Reports:
July 4th, 2016: Unknown Pond Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail, The Horn Spur, Kilkenny Ridge Trail, Starr King Trail
May 22nd, 2016: Bunnell Notch Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail, The Horn Spur, Kilkenny Ridge Trail, Unknown Pond Trail
March 13th, 2016: Up and down York Pond, Bunnell Notch, and Kilkenny Ridge Trail
October 23rd, 2015: Up and down the closed Mount Cabot Trail
September 28th, 2015: Up Starr King Trail and across the Kilkenny Ridge Trail (Kilkenny Ridge Traverse)
September 17th, 2015: Up and down the closed Mount Cabot Trail (RUN NH48)
April 25th, 2015: Up and down York Pond, Bunnell Notch, and Kilkenny Ridge Trail
February 27th, 2015: Up and down York Pond, Bunnell Notch, and Kilkenny Ridge Trail
August 31st, 2012: Up and down the closed Mount Cabot Trail
January 2nd, 2011: Up and down York Pond, Bunnell Notch, and Kilkenny Ridge Trail
November 14th, 2010: Up and down the closed Mount Cabot Trail
December 6th, 2009: Up and down Bunnell Notch and Kilkenny Ridge Trail
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