Mt. Cabot is the most northern peak in New Hampshire that is over 4,000 feet. Due to its location you will not run into the crowds that are on other more popular peaks. The trails we decided to use would take us over the summit of the mountain as well as two other peaks that are under 4,000 feet but are among the 100 highest in New England.

On the first leg of our journey through Bunnell Notch we encountered lots of mud on the trail. Some of it was quite deep, however many of the mud holes had sticks and rocks in it to help you get through. Once we made it to the Kilkenny Ridge trail the path was much dryer. We soon arrived at Bunnell Ledge and shared the view with two other hikers while taking a short break.

A little less than half a mile from the Mt. Cabot summit sits the Cabot Cabin. This cabin was used by the fire tower warden when the tower was still in use. Today the cabin is open to anyone on a first come first serve basis. Inside there is enough space for 8 people to sleep comfortably and has an old wood stove to heat the place in the winter. The view from the front porch looks out towards the mountains in Vermont. 

Just beyond the cabin is a clearing where the former fire tower used to sit. We stopped briefly to enjoy the views, but soon pressed on to the summit a short distance away.  The trail between the cabin and summit is relatively flat with lots of flowers and ferns along the way. For Tim and Danielle this was there 44th New Hampshire four thousand footer. After taking our victory shots we began our long walk back to the car.

We were all a little surprised at how steep the trail was on the other side of Mt. Cabot. However, we made good time and quickly climbed up and over the Bulge. Before we knew it we arrived at the side trail to the Horn. From the rocky summit we took lots, and lots of pictures of the spectacular views. The hike down from the Horn to Unknown Pond was uneventful except for being constantly annoyed by all the bugs. At Unknown Pond the mosquitoes were trying to eat us alive (even with all the bug spray we used). The remaining 3 miles back to the car led us through a grassy marsh area along a pleasant stream with even more bugs. By the time we completed our hike we saw lots of toads, several snakes, butterflies and signs of moose. That night our dinner cooked over the campfire was especially delicious!