Mount Cardigan via West Ridge Trail

The route starts and ends at the Cardigan Mountain State Park trailhead at the end of Cardigan Mountain Road and reaches the summit of Mount Cardigan. From the back of the parking lot, follow the West Ridge Trail east as it climbs through hardwood and spruce forest. At 0.4 miles, continue straight past the junction with the Skyland Trail on the right. The grade steepens near .9 miles as the forest thins, and by 1.1 miles the trail breaks fully into the open onto bare granite, marked by cairns and painted blazes rather than a defined tread. Continue up the exposed rock to the fire-tower summit at 1.3 miles, 1,127 vertical feet above the trailhead. The final push is fully exposed to wind and weather and can be hazardous when wet or icy; cairns are the only guide across the open rock, so visibility matters more here than on any other section. Retrace the West Ridge Trail to return.