| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Sugarloaf (Dixfield), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Sugarloaf Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, May 5, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking is exactly as described in the guidebook. Not sure how or if this would work during the winter. Plenty of room and low clearance cars should be fine. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Very small, bridged crossing near the start. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Small, easy stepover on the flat section, maybe about a 1/2mi in. Another small, but pine blowdown shorty thereafter that is fallen across the trail but you can easily walk around it. Immediately before the summit ledge, there's a mid-sized pine blowdown, not entirely delimbed, that you can either walk around (clear evidence that folk are doing this so hopefully someone with a saw or chainsaw could take care of this soon) or duck/crawl under. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None seen and I'd be real careful with dogs and young children as this has some legit drop-offs which one does not usually see too many of. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
The trail is primarily marked with (orange?) flagging tape but has the occasional old, faded red blaze as well. Not really "officially" marked and one could definitely miss turns on/off roads if not attending to the surveyors tape, but if you're either attending to the tape or following the guidebook directions, you'll be A-okay.
So nice to finally get out again if only for a short hike! This trail is quite steep in places but never scrambly and has a nice reprieve in the middle of it. Great views down into Dixfield from Bull Rock and from the summit. The trail goes on/off some roads but I found the guidebook's description to be accurate and you really shouldn't need it if you're paying attention to the flagging. Make sure to turn left at 0.8mi and don't cross the road. And don't miss the "bear left" shortly after Bull Rock but luckily there's some logs and a "No Trespassing" sign here to make this clear. The trail was mostly dry but still had some major wet and muddy areas. Nice to run into a local on his way down as we headed up. Make sure to watch children and pets around Bull Rock where there's a number of sheer drop-offs. Gaia had us at about 3.3mi, 1000ft of gain. |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney and Lil Young |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-05-09 |
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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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