Mount Cardigan Loop via Manning Trail(edit)

4 reviews | |

MODERATE

#1 hike out of 14 in Cardigan Mountain State Park |

MODERATE

4.9 mi

Distance

2 hrs 20 min

Time

1,732 ft

Elev Gain

Overview

This is a moderate loop trail to Mount Cardigan in Cardigan Mountain State Park.

This trail goes by Firescrew Mountain and Cardigan Mountain State Forest.

Sights to See

Rate this Hike

★★★★★

ruthanne.collins 8 months ago

We had a glorious sunny crisp day for this hike! The trail markings were pretty stingy in places, and we got off trail at a scary point. It seems that we were not the first hikers to miss a turn as we found a trail through the brush that led us back on trail. The alternative was to slide down butts on steep granite slab. There are some quite challenging rock scrambles that really should have some rebar; otherwise a hiker is relying on hanging onto tree limbs and roots to make the way up granite slabs. There are also places on Firescrew where the trail is “marked” but it is more easy to skirt around to less steep granite faces to climb, then get back on trail. This practice is not really conducive to keeping hikers from trail blazing in general. Rant over. Mt. Cardigan is a challenging hike from the AMC Lodge side, no doubt about it. It’s fun in places, and scary in places. It’s great when you can take your time on a beautiful dry day. Looking forward to hiking more of the Cardigan trails.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★