| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Prospect Hill, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Smith Pond Road, Half Mile Pond Trail, bushwhack, Smith Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, April 18, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
i parked on smith pond road in enfield maybe .5 miles from its start just off exit 15 of i89. there is a signed "public parking area". parking is not allowed farther up the road where it is gated. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
a couple minor brooks were a non issue |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
the half mile brook trail has a fair amount of blowdown along its length. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
i walked up smith pond road to the gate and continued around it. foot traffic is allowed. after maybe a ten minute walk there is a 3 way junction where the smith pond trail goes left, the half mile pond trail goes right and straight ahead the road is signed as private. they ask that people stay on the marked trails in this area. the half mile brook trail starts by running through a logged area. from the sign by the road look about 75 yards ahead for a red arrow. the route is marked in red, but often the footbed is gone. its could be easy to miss the trail and continue up the adjacent logging road instead (ask me how i know). once out of the logging the trail is nice to where it rejoins the old road to half mile pond. good signage and marking. once on the road there were no markings, except for a few pieces of flagging, and the road was often quite wet and occasionally vague. after crossing onto state land the trail dried out as it started to climb soon staying straight where the roads continues right and the red markings reappeared. it climbed over a sub peak of prospect then dropped down to the beautiful half mile pond. a very cool backcountry setting. the red trail appeared to continue around the east side of the pond, but i started a bushwhack up towards prospect hill. mostly open woods all the way except for a couple stretches of scrappy spruce and blowdown i hit on the way up where i stayed farther north. i hit both high contours the larger southern one clearly holding the highest and also the recognized highpoint. i stayed farther south going down to hit the southern end of the pond. i encountered an atv trail down near the pond as well as numerous herd paths down to the pond. i bushwhacked around the east side of the pond picking up the red trail about halfway around. lots of blowdown and vague footbed along the edge of the pond back to the north end. once back out at the main road i hiked the smith pond trail into smith pond. some wet and muddy spots, but clearly more heavily used than half mile pond. once at the pond a road leads to multiple dam sites with nice views out onto the pond. from there i backtracked back to the road and down to the car. |
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 | Name: |
bryan |
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 | E-Mail: |
bryancuddihee@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-04-18 |
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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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