# Mount Cardigan

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Mountain in New Hampshire, United States

Mount Cardigan Mount Cardigan from the south Highest point Elevation 3,155 ft (962 m)[1] Prominence 1,925 ft (587 m)[1] Coordinates 43°38′59″N 71°54′53″W / 43.6497949°N 71.9148048°W / 43.6497949; -71.9148048[2] Geography Mount Cardigan Location in New Hampshire Location Orange / Alexandria, New Hampshire, U.S. Topo map USGS Mount Cardigan Climbing Easiest route West Ridge Trail

**Mount Cardigan** is a prominent bare-rock summit in the towns of [Orange](/source/Orange%2C_New_Hampshire) and [Alexandria](/source/Alexandria%2C_New_Hampshire) in western [New Hampshire](/source/New_Hampshire), United States. While its peak is only 3,155 feet (962 m) above [sea level](/source/Sea_level), it has extensive areas of bare granite ledges and alpine scrub, giving it the feel to hikers of a much higher mountain. Most of the summit area was denuded by devastating forest fires in 1855.

The [Civilian Conservation Corps](/source/Civilian_Conservation_Corps) helped develop the alpine ski trail network, still used today on the mountain's east side.

The mountain is in the 5,655-acre (22.88 km2) [Cardigan Mountain State Park](/source/Cardigan_Mountain_State_Park).

The Cardigan Lodge, operated by the [Appalachian Mountain Club](/source/Appalachian_Mountain_Club) since 1934, is located to the east at the foot of the mountain and is often used as a base for day hikes in and around the mountain.[3] Many schools from around New England have overnight field trips to the mountain during the autumn and spring.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]. The mountain is also a popular destination for Boy Scout troops.[4]

## Geology

The bedrock of Mount Cardigan is the upper member of the Lower [Devonian](/source/Devonian) [Littleton Formation](/source/Littleton_Formation) (a light grey meta-[turbidite](/source/Turbidite)) on its west flank (seen on lower parts of the West Ridge Trail). On the summit and to the east on the Clark Trail, the bedrock is the Kinsman Granodiorite of the Early Devonian [Cardigan Pluton](/source/Cardigan_Pluton) (a foliated granitic body with large [megacrysts](/source/Megacryst) of [potassium feldspar](/source/Orthoclase)).[5] The Cardigan pluton has been dated by the [Rb/Sr](/source/Rubidium-strontium_dating) method at 411 +/- 19 MA.[6] The metamorphic rocks of the Littleton Formation that make up the west flank are at middle amphibolite [metamorphic](/source/Metamorphic_rock) grade. The Littleton Formation rocks were once deep water sediments of the [Bronson Hill Island Arc](/source/Bronson_Hill_Island_Arc) and were deformed and metamorphosed during the [Acadian orogeny](/source/Acadian_orogeny).

## Hydrology

Mount Cardigan lies on the divide between the [Connecticut River](/source/Connecticut_River) and [Merrimack River](/source/Merrimack_River) [watersheds](/source/Drainage_basin). The western slopes of the mountain drain to Orange Brook towards the town of [Canaan](/source/Canaan%2C_New_Hampshire), then via the [Indian River](/source/Indian_River_(New_Hampshire)) to the [Mascoma River](/source/Mascoma_River), the Connecticut River, and ultimately [Long Island Sound](/source/Long_Island_Sound). The south slopes of the mountain flow via Mill Brook to the [Smith River](/source/Smith_River_(Pemigewasset_River)), a tributary of the [Pemigewasset](/source/Pemigewasset_River) and Merrimack rivers, ultimately flowing to the [Gulf of Maine](/source/Gulf_of_Maine). The eastern slopes of Mount Cardigan drain via Brock, Clark, and Davis brooks to the [Fowler River](/source/Fowler_River), then via [Newfound Lake](/source/Newfound_Lake) and the [Newfound River](/source/Newfound_River_(New_Hampshire)) to the Pemigewasset. Atwell Brook flows off a northeastern ridge of the mountain, draining via the [Cockermouth River](/source/Cockermouth_River) to Newfound Lake. The farthest north ridge of Cardigan is drained by the [South Branch of the Baker River](/source/South_Branch_Baker_River), with water flowing north to the [Baker River](/source/Baker_River_(New_Hampshire)) in [Rumney](/source/Rumney%2C_New_Hampshire) before turning east to reach the Pemigewasset in [Plymouth](/source/Plymouth%2C_New_Hampshire).[7]

## External links

- [Dartmouth Outing Club Guide to Mt. Cardigan](http://outdoors.dartmouth.edu/activities/hiking/hikes/cardigan.html)

- [Mt. Cardigan - FranklinSites.com Hiking Guide](http://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos/NewHampshire/mtcardigan.php)

- [Cardigan - NHMountainHiking.com](http://www.nhmountainhiking.com/cardigan.html)

- [hikethewhites.com: Mt. Cardigan](http://hikethewhites.com/cardigan.html)

- [Mt. Cardigan - New England's Alpine CCC Ski Trails](http://www.newenglandskihistory.com/cccskitrails/NewHampshire/mtcardigan.php)

## References

- [New Hampshire portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:New_Hampshire)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Mount Cardigan, New Hampshire](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mount_Cardigan,_New_Hampshire).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-loj_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-loj_1-1) ["Mount Cardigan"](https://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=100727). *ListsOfJohn.com*. Retrieved February 2, 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-gnis_2-0)** ["Mount Cardigan"](https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/search/names/865998). *[Geographic Names Information System](/source/Geographic_Names_Information_System)*. [United States Geological Survey](/source/United_States_Geological_Survey), [United States Department of the Interior](/source/United_States_Department_of_the_Interior). Retrieved January 17, 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Peter Bronski (2009). ["The Cardigan Chronicles: Build It, and They Will Come: Cardigan Reservation's 75th anniversary"](http://www.outdoors.org/publications/appalachia/2009/cardigan-lodge-history.cfm). Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachia.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Mount Cardigan - My Favorite Mountain - Mike Cooney Creative"](https://mikecooney.net/mount-cardigan/). *Mike Cooney Creative*. November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Lyons, J.B., Bothner, W., Moench, R., Thompson, J.B., 1997, Bedrock Geology of New Hampshire. Map Sheet.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Lyons and Livingston, 1977

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Mt Cardigan, NH"](http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?lat=43.6498&lon=-71.9148&datum=nad83&u=4&layer=DRG&size=l&s=100). TopoQuest.com. Retrieved June 29, 2008.

v t e Mountains of New Hampshire Belknap Mountains Belknap Mountain Gunstock Mountain Mount Major Mount Rowe Ossipee Mountains Bayle Mountain Larcom Mountain Mount Roberts Mount Shaw Mount Whittier Nickerson Mountain Turtleback Mountain Wapack Range Barrett Mountain Kidder Mountain New Ipswich Mountain North Pack Monadnock Pack Monadnock Pratt Mountain Temple Mountain White Mountains Baldface-Royce Range Eastman Mountain Mount Meader North Baldface South Baldface Carter-Moriah Range Carter Dome Imp Mountain Middle Carter Mountain Middle Moriah Mountain Mount Hight Mount Moriah North Baldface North Carter Mountain Shelburne Moriah Mountain South Carter Mountain Wildcat Mountain Crescent Range Black Crescent Mountain Mount Crescent Franconia Range Little Haystack Mountain Mount Flume Mount Lafayette Mount Liberty Mount Lincoln Kinsman Range The Cannon Balls Cannon Mountain Kinsman Mountain Mount Pemigewasset Mahoosuc Range Mount Success North Bald Cap Pilot Range The Bulge The Horn Mount Cabot Presidential Range Boott Spur Mount Adams Mount Clay Mount Davis Mount Eisenhower Mount Franklin Mount Isolation Mount Jackson Mount Jefferson Mount Madison Mount Monroe Mount Pierce Mount Washington Mount Webster Sandwich Range Mount Chocorua Mount Passaconaway Mount Tripyramid Mount Whiteface Sandwich Mountain The Sleepers Twin Range Galehead Mountain Mount Bond Mount Guyot Mount Hale North Twin Mountain Nubble Peak South Twin Mountain Twin Mountains Others (White Mtns.) Bartlett Haystack Bear Mountain Black Cap Carr Mountain Dartmouth Range Dickey Mountain East Peak Mount Osceola Jericho Mountain Kearsarge North Loon Mountain Mount Avalon Mount Blue Mount Carrigain Mount Cilley Mount Crawford Mount Doublehead Mount Field Mount Forest Mount Garfield Mount Hancock Mount Mitten Mount Moosilauke Mount Nancy Mount Osceola Mount Rosebrook Mount Starr King Mount Tecumseh Mount Tom Mount Tremont Mount Waumbek Mount Weeks Mount Willard Mount Willey Mount Zealand North Moat Mountain Owl's Head (Carroll) Owl's Head (Franconia) Scar Ridge South Weeks Others Blue Job Mountain Crotched Mountain Gap Mountain Little Monadnock Mountain Lovewell Mountain Moose Mountain Mount Assurance Mount Cardigan Mount Kearsarge Mount Kelsey Mount Magalloway Mount Monadnock Mount Sunapee Pitcher Mountain Potanipo Hill Ragged Mountain Skatutakee Mountain Smarts Mountain Tenney Mountain Thumb Mountain Uncanoonuc Mountains

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mount Cardigan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Cardigan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Cardigan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.