| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bigelow Mountain - Avery Peak, Bigelow Mountain - West Peak, Bigelow Mountain - South Horn, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Fire Wardens Trail, Bigelow Range Trail, Horns Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 17, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plowed lot on 27 has space for a dozen or more. People are still driving cars over packed snowmobile trail to the summer lot by safford pond. I don't mind walking a little more |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Mostly closed, all easy |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Most of the loop is fairly clear of blowdowns. There are some new ones in the first mile or so above safford pond, mostly large trees but all easy to get around. Also horn pond trail had a few crawl unders |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw tracks, but alas... |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
What a great day to spread juicy rabbit gossip. They will be talking about the inefficiency of my snowshoes for years....
Light snow all day made for a winter beauty of a hike. There was a packed trail with 1"+ of fresh snow, going up firewarden. I put on snowshoes at the start because the base wasn't quite hard enough to not slide around. There is a series of downed trees here, but they are easy to maneuver. Nearing moose falls tentsite, snow depth increased with drifts covering a lot of the tracks. The ice flows in the steep spot were snow covered and not super slippery. The trail to avery peak is pretty blasted with drifts, but ice is minimal. Pretty gusty above treeline today. One person did the ridge over to the horn, but most of the tracks were covered. Not much for blowdowns. Coming off of the horn, there is more of a base but still mostly drifted over. The horn pond trail has a good base and was easy to see. There are a few large blowdowns in that section that I had to crawl under or over. "Here I come, but I ain't the same"
There was a group of 6 guys camping at safford pond who said they were going to try the loop I did, so the ridge trail may get a good stomping.
It started to snow when I got back to the lot, LOTS of people leaving Sugarloaf!
Thank you Roots! |
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 | Name: |
Animal Making Tracks |
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 | E-Mail: |
Vastgrass@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-01-18 |
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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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