| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Fulling Mill Mountain - South Peak, Fulling Mill Mountain - North Peak, Goose Eye Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Bulling Branch Logging Road, Appalachian Trail, Goose Eye Trail, Wright Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, June 16, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Wright Trailhead is where the Bull Branch road is blocked to further public vehicle travel. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Streams are a bit low but still flowing and no problem crossing - no surprise due to the lack of sizable rain we've had lately. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
AT and Wright Trail had hardly any blowdowns. The logging roads for the Bull Branch route were opened up fairly recently and could be drivable with 2wd much of the way if it was allowed. The road leading to the Notch slowly became more primitive, with gullies/washouts crossing it. The flagged path starting at the end of the road and running to the Bull Branch not far below the AT is overgrown in parts, but still followable by those with good navigational skills.
AT blazes in Mahoosuc Notch were very faint. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Mosquitoes, black flies, the whole gambit! Fortunately, a good breeze atop the peaks largely kept them at bay. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I'd been wanting to see Mahoosuc Notch for a very long time and was wondering how to combine it with some peaks. I heard about the Bull Branch logging road route which makes a loop possible through the Notch and over the peaks of Goose Eye. Prior reports from a few years ago indicated the logging road was overgrown, but it has recently been opened up and looks very much like a major logging highway now. Just follow the road from the Wright Trailhead to where it ends, taking the left fork at a major junction about 2 miles in. Not far beyond that, the road is intersected by gullies and washouts and is no longer drivable. It is easy to find the flagged path from the end of the road, but the path's orientation is a bit confusing, going well up the slope before dropping steeply down to the Bull Branch and reaching an old campsite. There is even another flagged path lower down which leaves the campsite and goes back down the Bull Branch (I'm not sure where it ends up), so this is worth keeping in mind if going from the AT to the logging road. From the old campsite, there seems to be no apparent flagged route to the AT, but it is not a hard bushwhack. I would say it is about 1 mi from the end of the logging road to the AT using the path - 0.75 miles to the campsite and 0.25 miles to the AT. The bugs were bad at the old campsite!
Plenty of little ice and snow patches in the Notch. It took me 1 1/2 hours to make the traverse - a fun challenge and worthy of the Notch's reputation.
The rest of the way to Goose Eye has no trail problems, apart from some mud here and there. The Wright Trail is a nice route - some of the logs across the wet spots up high were a bit rotten though.
This loop took me 11 1/2 hours - it's quite demanding but is a wonderful way to experience the Mahoosucs in their most rugged grandeur. |
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 | Name: |
Dan Saxton |
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 | E-Mail: |
apologist497@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-06-16 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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