Moat traverse

Hi. A friend of mine and I are considering doing the traverse of the Moats next week. Is starting south or north the better/easier option?

Since he's older and not in the best of shape, I'd like to take as short a trail as possible. Can one leave their car atop Cathedral Ledge (CL) for this hike or must you park at Diana's Baths?

The trail looks shorter on my map if we leave one car at CL and skip North Moat as it looks a little shorter via Red Ridge trail. Is this the case?

Appreciate any suggestions.

I'd go with Diana's Bath. The Red Ridge Trail is lovely, but can be tricky to follow.

What's tricky about the Red Ridge Trail? Is it not well marked or just rough?

Red Ridge Trail

I came down the Red Ridge Trail a few years ago in very good conditions. The trail travels over open sloped ledges and was a little difficult to follow because there weren't many cairns or blazes to follow. I don't remember it being rough at all.

The mileage from South Moat to Norht Moat and then down to Daina's Bath is not much different if you go up South Moat and Come Down Red Ridge, (skipping North Moat) which also brings you to Daina's Bath. Norht Moat is quite steep near the top. Red Ridge is a beautiful hike down some open face rock slabs and then a long woods walk which can be VERY muddy in wet conditions. The trail from Middle Moat to Red Ridge is often hard to follow.