From Bristol, take NH-3A north for 2.1 miles to the blinking light. Turn left on West Shore Road and go 1.9 miles to where West Shore Road turns right. Stay straight on Cardigan Mountain Road. Go 1 mile and turn left onto North Road. Go 1 mile and turn right on Washburn Road in Alexandria. Go 200 yards and bear right on Mount Cardigan Road. Go 3.6 miles and stay left at the intersection with Brook Road. Take Shem Valley Rd 1.5 miles up to Cardigan Lodge. The trailhead is at the far end of the parking lot.

Cardigan Mountain State Park spans 5,655 acres and is an excellent area for hiking. A mountain road leads to trails on the west slope of Mount Cardigan as well as a trail to the summit. Mount Cardigan’s 3,121-foot treeless granite summit affords outstanding views of west-central New Hampshire, with a panorama that includes Mount Monadnock and the White Mountains, Camel’s Hump in Vermont, and Pleasant Mountain in Maine.