With spectacular views and low crowds, Caribou Mountain is a good hike for those who just want to get away.
Located at the far east end of The White Mountain National Forest, this area gets few visitors, and has some great hikes.
Caribou Mountain summit is at
2850 ft, and it has an elevation gain of
1990 feet. the top is pretty flat and has a lot of area above treeline for your leisure.
The Caribou Muddy Brook loop trail is around 7 miles, and I recommend taking the Caribou trail for the accent because it is steeper with slippery rocks and brooks and waterfall crossings.
There are great views of Mount Washington to the west, Evans Notch to the south, and Grafton Notch to the north. Also, Kezar lake is in plain view.
Getting There
Take route 113 from Fryburg Maine to the trail head just before the Evans Brook crossing.
The road is gated off in the winter, so only accessible by a mode of snow transportation. Or from the eastern trail head at the end of Bog Rd.
The trail head is good sized, so it can hold a good amount of vehicles.
Route
Caribou trail and Muddy brook loop from the west. This is the only loop that I have done, and when I do it again, I will take the Caribou trail for the accent, and Muddy brook to descend.
Muddy Brook trail wasn't as muddy as I had expected. The trail is very gradual, and in my opinion a very easy climb with few slippery rocks.
Caribou trail on the other hand, gets steep in places and it crosses Morrison brook more than a few times. Most of the trail keeps a lonely hiker occupied with the sound of babbling water and the
curiosity that some local resident might not hear you approaching!
Either way you choose to go, you will be richly rewarded at treeline with nice views, and the awesome feeling of being there!
Backpacking is permitted. you need to be 100 yards off the road in order to have a fire, and you can not camp above treeline except for in winter, and on top of 2' of snow. on the Caribou trail there
are plenty of places for frssh water on the way up, and you may choose to camp near one of the pools at the base of multiple cascading waterfalls on the way up.
There were two very nice waterfalls on the Caribou trail. There is also a clearing just before