| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Passaconaway, Hibbard Mountain, Mt. Wonalancet, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Dicey's Mill Trail, Walden Trail, Wonalancet Range Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, May 21, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Ferncroft parking lot is easily found. It's about a 1/2 mile walk to the Dicey's Mill trailhead from there, including through private property, but the route to the trailhead is well marked. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The one stream crossing was done by walking over a large log. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Dicey's Mill Trail is very well maintained, with minimal rocks and roots until the last .7 mile climb, when it suddenly becomes all tangled rocks and roots. In that regard, the majority of the Dicey's Mill Trail feels more like a reservation trail than a mountain trail. There was one tree down somewhere in the 2nd half of Dicey's Mill. The tree top is across the trail and one needs to duck under the branches to get through.
There was only trace snow and ice to be found. Easily avoided. There were only a few muddy areas.
All of the trails we saw were blazed in the same blue, and many of the blazes are faint, worn, or have fallen off with the bark and are on the ground. New blazing is needed. Fortunately the signs at the trail junctions are good, though we did miss the sign for the Shortcut between Hibbard and Wonalancet if there was one, and therefore ended up hiking the slightly longer (.4 miles longer) route over Wonalancet. We saw the Short sign only at the bottom of the Shortcut.
Atop Passaconaway between the ledges there is a sign that says "View" and that points you down a wooded path. We followed this path for some distance with no sign of a view. When we returned to the sign, we saw that some previous hikers have lightly carved the words "Lies" and ".5 miles" into the sign. So, that trail may or may not eventually lead to a view, and if it does, it's no short distance. The sign should be improved or removed. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw one small dog on Dicey's with its owner. Not sure if it was carried up the last .7 miles as I'm not sure a dog could do that stretch. |
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 | Bugs: |
Pesky black flies and mosquitoes at the Ferncroft parking area and at various places along the forested parts of the trails, especially in stretches along the Wonalancet Range Trail. We had to put on hooded long sleeve shirts once we got on Wonalancet to keep them at bay. No bugs at the ledge views though. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We chose this loop trail so that we could hit Hibbard, which is on the 52 With a View list, along with Passaconaway, since Passaconaway has relatively limited views. The Hibbard south ledge is really cool; it essentially a rock "bench" that you can sit on and overlook a large drop off and panorama. The west ledge is partially blocked by trees and was less exciting. Note that the Hibbard views are not at the summit (the summit is apparently a bit further along the Walden Trail past the intersection with the Wonalancet Range Trail, according to my AMC map), but are along the Wonalancet Range Trail. |
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 | Name: |
KLBS |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-05-23 |
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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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