| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Franconia Falls, Black Pond, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lincoln Woods Trail, Franconia Falls Trail, Black Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 17, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room at Lincoln Woods. The large pothole at the entrance is still there. In the morning, the parking lot was a sheet of ice, however some of it was melting in the afternoon. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Everything on Lincoln Woods and Franconia Falls were snowbridged, one crossing on Black Pond Trail was an easy step-over. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All the trails were in good condition and easy to follow, and Black Pond Trail even had some prominent yellow blazes. However, the WMG says that there's supposed to be a sign at the end of Franconia Falls Trail that says "End of Trail" - we went a little bit past the falls, past where the trail ended according to the Alltrails app, and we did not see any sign. In addition, it's not clear where the official Black Pond Trail ends and where the Black Pond bushwhack begins - we just hiked up to where the trail leaves the pond, and then turned around. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a few. Should be fine for them, as long as they are trained to stay on monorails (more on that below). |
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 | Bugs: |
Nada. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
We saw a jacket and a pair of skis left at approximately the spot where the Black Pond Trail becomes the Black Pond Bushwhack (or at least we think that was the spot). We assumed that someone doing Owl's Head had left that stuff there for when they returned, and therefore we did not touch the gear. |
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 | Comments: |
Today was a tale of two surfaces. The monorail was frozen, hard-packed, very stable, and relatively smooth, making it a breeze to walk on. We used spikes the entire way, though we could have barebooted Lincoln Woods. Spikes are recommended for the smaller trails since they have some narrow sections and drop-offs that you wouldn't want to slide down. Snowshoes were not necessary for any of the trails that we hiked today (though if you're actually going to climb a mountain, you should still wear them).
Take even a small step off the monorail, however, and you will posthole down to your knees at least. Both Franconia Falls and Black Pond Trails had a large number of postholes, some of them more than three feet deep. None of them presented significant obstacles to travel, but they served as warnings about what would happen if you stepped off the monorail. Lincoln Woods Trail's monorail started out pretty wide, but beyond the Osseo junction it narrowed to a single track, and that's where we saw most of the postholes on Lincoln Woods. So be careful when passing someone. We even saw a series of snowshoe postholes on the side of Lincoln Woods that must have been made during the warm-up a couple days ago.
Great day, very nice weather, and lots of views of surrounding mountains from the trails. Franconia Falls was still mostly frozen, and Black Pond is pretty much entirely frozen over. Very fun day! |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-03-17 |
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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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