| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Brother, Fort Mountain, South Brother (attempt), Mt. Coe (attempt), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Tote Road, Marston Trail, North Brother Trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, January 1, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Golden Rd and Telos Rd were well plowed and easily traveled, but they are sheets of ice. Parked at the intersection of Telos Rd and Williams Pond Rd where there's room for 6 -8 cars. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We snowshoed in the 6 miles to Nesowadnehunk bunkhouse on 12/31. Williams Pond Rd was broken out and made for a quick hike.
In the morning the Tote road hadn't seen any traffic and was 6-8" of soft powder. By the time we got back to the road, the ranger had passed through with a snowmobile, making the return trip easier.
Thank you to the group of 5 who broke out the Marston and North Brother trails on 12/30. Our group of 3 make quick work of the hike up to North Brother. That luck changed drastically once we headed to Fort. We initially stayed left of the normal route in open areas for a bit and then turned back and intersected the herd path. It was fairly easy to follow, but consisted of breaking knee deep soft powder, while crouching under snow laden spruce, and also has 5 or 6 blowdowns that require getting down on hands and knees or belly crawling under them. If you can see our track, it follows the established herd path, but I'm not sure how viable it will be if there's much more snow.
On our way back, we attempted South Brother and Mt Coe. Trail breaking was brutal with a breakable crust and thigh to waist deep loose snow underneath. Every step felt like you were falling into a spruce trap. It took us an hour to get to the junction with the South Brother Spur when we called it and backtracked to the bunkhouse. If you're headed to those peaks, budget extra time and energy to finish breaking them out. |
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 | Name: |
Just_Ben |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-01-03 |
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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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