| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Elephant Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Elephant Mountain Road, logging road, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, May 26, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Loggers have placed boulders across Elephant Mountain Road where it forks with Birch Bark Road, meaning that it is impossible to drive a car past this point. This blockage adds roughly an extra two miles round-trip to the hike, although the extra miles are on the dirt road that is still in good condition. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The beginning of the herd path has some of the worst blowdowns that I have ever had to navigate. Slow going through this section but it is not like this all the way up. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Bugs were not as much of a problem on the day I went, but this was likely due to the colder temperatures and drizzle that occurred at parts of the day. On warmer, clearer days expect more bugs. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Despite it's short overall distance I would personally consider this the hardest bushwhack I have done so far for the Hundred Highest (I have done all of the ones in NH and all but Mendon in VT). Elephant Mountain Road places you very high up the mountain, meaning you start the real hiking at a high elevation. The old logging road that you follow for a little while is easy to locate once you reach the end of your walk on Elephant Mountain Road and is marked with a small cairn. This section was the wettest part of the hike but nothing too crazy. Another larger cairn marks the entrance to the bushwhack to the left in an open field that you come across on the old logging road. Someone had placed pink tape along the relative route of the bushwhack, but in my experience this alone should not be relied on. The herd path is very roughly defined in most places and can be easily lost. This is coupled with ares of thick ferns and other vegetation, close-knit trees, and other obstacles that make it difficult to see a defined herd path. The tape is also farther spread out in some areas, meaning you cannot see another marking ahead of you at all times. Towards the summit the herd path gets extremely tight with trees, but can be followed pretty easily, and the summit canister is easy to spot when nearing the summit. The canister opened easily but the pen inside was dead so I was unable to sign the log. For this hike I would highly recommend bringing a GPS device (as you should for all bushwhacks) or at the very least a compass that you can use to position yourself if you get off track. |
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 | Name: |
John Hansen |
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 | E-Mail: |
johnlhansen01@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-05-27 |
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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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