Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Smarts Mountain, NH |
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| Trails: |
Bushwhack, Green Woodlands Trails, Maskoma Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Monday, July 6, 2015 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Roadside parking available on North Dorchester Road across/near the sign and gate for Green Woodlands preserve on North Dorchester Road which is more towards North Dorchester than Dorchester. |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Significant |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
Lots of water crossings - mostly rock-hoppable and some bridged (in the Green Woodlands) although the main bridge over Clough Brook within the preserve was being replaced via heavy equipment including excavators. |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Roads within Green Woodlands preserve are in fine condition (the park is gated to vehicular traffic though bikes/skis/snow machines are allowed). |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
Plenty of water everywhere - why not bring a dog???? |
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| Bugs: |
So much water - so many bugs!!!!! |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
The Maskoma Trail was discontinued 20-30 years ago but appears to be still travelled occasionally. It appears to follow an old woods road and is fairly easy to follow with use of old topo maps. Of course, there are blowdowns and drainage issues, particularly near the summit where it is very swampy.
Very fun route to explore to Smarts Mountain. Basically, I took the main trunk road in the Green Woodlands preserve due west until I got to the north/south road on the east of Cummins Pond and took that to the north around the pond (pond not visible but swamps are!)
Due north of the pond, I took a right to keep heading north and crossed Clough Brook (bridge under reconstruction). A little ways further I ended up at a log landing. I should have taken a left (due west) out of the log landing near the mounded anthill. It looked like there was a cairn there at one time but it has been knocked over. That then joins the old route of the old trail roughly following Clough Brook.
From there, the trail (the old woods road) has a very gradual ascent until some very wet spots near the top of the ridge. There were occasional VERY old DOC blazes down low.
This route was longer than I thought it would be: 10.8 miles RT with only about 1600' of elevation gain. |
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| Name: |
Becca Munroe |
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| E-Mail: |
beccahiker@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-07-06 |
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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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