| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mizpah Hut, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Dry River Trail, Mt. Eisenhower Trail, Dry River Cut-off, Mt. Clinton Trail, Mizpah Cut-off, Crawford Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, July 29, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Roadside parking, no lot. We spotted bikes at Highland Center and at Webster Cliff Trailhead for two exit options. Dry River trailhead is just a short distance east of Webster Cliff trailhead. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
We had no problems with any of the crossings. With just a bit more rain some of them would be tricky. Wouldn't want to get caught in there during a downpour. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
They are working on restoring parts of the Dry River Trail. Check the photos to see some of the damage. Trail washouts, trees down. Duck-unders and climb-overs though some trees have been removed. Massive area of blowdowns on the way up to Mitzpah that have been cleared. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
With low water dogs should be able to do the water crossings. otherwise no issues I could see. |
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 | Bugs: |
none. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The Dry River trail up to the Mt. Eisenhower trail has had significant damage. Check out the photos for a few pictures (you don't need a Dropbox account). There is a sign warning hikers about the trail damage and how it can be a bit difficult figuring out where to go. There was only one spot where we had to poke around a bit, maybe about a mile in, where there is a false path leading to the right that sort of disappears at the river, in a big rock tumble/tree blow-down area. We found the trail by crawling over the big downed trees to the left, next to a very large rock, keeping us on the west bank. You don't cross to the east bank until the suspension bridge. The east bank has been severely eroded and you need to pay attention as you are right on the edge. The Dry River Cut-off had one tricky part where you go down to a brook and then have to reverse and scramble downstream a bit to pick the trail back up. It sort of describes this spot in the book as backtracking. This trail also has a lot of mud right now, bog bridges are rotted or non-existence, some of the logs floating in the water but we avoided falling into the mud. When the trail starts climbing a bit you need to pay attention as the woods are quite open and you could wander off in a drainage. There are NO blazes on any of these trails until you get up to Mitzpah. Gaia App on cell phone did not work, got service again near Mitzpah. The Mt. Clinton trail up to Mitzpah is pretty good but I can't imagine how long it took them to clear it of all the downed trees. Unbelievable! Very nice hike, took longer than we expected due to trail conditions so we exited at Highland Center. 10+ miles took about 7 hours with 2 lunch breaks. |
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 | Name: |
Sugaree |
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 | E-Mail: |
barkers@alumni.unh.edu |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-07-30 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6ocqjgp9frjmc4u/AADF-c4PI-h8hbl96gsBrY7-a?dl=0 |
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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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