| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Lower Georgiana Falls, Upper Georgiana Falls, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Georgiana Falls Trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 14, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
No issues finding trailhead. Parking area is dirt, and there's a sign there saying 'Georgiana Falls'. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Just before reaching the Lower Falls, there's a brook crossing - its snowbridge barely held today. A few more days and it'll probably be gone. In addition, several sections of the trail below the Lower Falls clearly have running water flowing underneath it, and those snowbridges probably won't last too long either. One crossing was open in the lower part of the trail - it wasn't difficult, we only had to step in an inch of water. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail up to the brook crossing just below Lower Falls was clear and obvious. From there to the Lower Falls, the trail wasn't clear or marked at all - we just bushwhacked up and around rocks to the best viewpoint of the Lower Falls. The trail from the Lower to the Upper Falls is fairly clear, and has some red blazes, but is very sketchy in spots - see below. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
In the summer, this trail probably wouldn't pose any issues for dogs. However, between the sketchy snowbridges and the steep sidehill ice, probably best to wait until then. |
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 | Bugs: |
None yet. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nada. |
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 | Comments: |
The first part of the trail, up to the brook crossing just below Lower Falls, was fine and had no issues. Snow cover is still complete, and we used spikes, however that section could probably be barebooted. To get from that brook to the viewpoint of Lower Falls, we had to make a crossing of a brook on a slowly disintegrating snowbridge - the final person in the group broke through on their final step, but luckily they were quick enough to avoid getting their foot wet. Then we had to climb through a steep, bouldery area - there were several paths through here, and any should work as long as you take it slowly. The Lower Falls were amazing - lots and lots of water flowing down them right now. The brook as a whole was about half open and half covered in ice/snow.
Then came the climb up to Upper Falls. The trail was fairly easy to follow, and had a bunch of red blazes, however it was very narrow, icy in spots, and on a steep sidehill above the brook. One wrong step, and there's not much to stop you sliding 50 feet down into the brook. There were several spots where I was very nervous about that trail. However, the view of the Upper Falls was excellent, and the snow that still covered about half of it was in the process of melting - one or two chunks fell while we were there.
Not wanting to go back down that steep, icy, narrow sidehill, we decided to bushwhack along the ridge on the north side of the brook back down to Lower Falls. There was probably an average of about 2 feet of snow there, and we frequently postholed even in snowshoes, but the ridge was broad enough to make it a much safer means of descent. There was also very little ice on the ridge, and it was easy to go around the steeper spots. When a second drainage appeared below us, we knew that we were approaching Lower Falls, and went diagonally across the slope and popped out precisely at the Lower Falls. We then followed our previous route back down and out.
We saw only one other small group, and they didn't cross the brook just below Lower Falls.
What a fun hike! I always enjoy what spring has to offer, and if two beautiful and well-flowing waterfalls are added to it, even better. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-04-14 |
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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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