| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Crescent, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Peek Path, Mt. Crescent Trail, Crescent Ridge Trail, Carlton Notch Trail, Castleview Loop, road walk, Cook Path, Boothman Spring Cutoff, Jimtown Logging Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, June 7, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I was the only vehicle at the large Randolph Community Forest parking area at 9:05, and still the only vehicle there at 2:35 when I got back. No issues finding it - just follow Randolph Hill Road to the end. The last 0.4 miles of that road is unpaved (I mention this only because I didn't know that before today). |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The only ones of any size were the crossings of Carlton Brook on Crescent Ridge Trail and Carlton Notch Trail, both of which had nice flat stepping stones and were therefore easy. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few minor blowdowns here and there, but nothing impeding progress. All trails except Crescent Ridge Trail were well blazed, and I didn't find it too hard to follow Crescent Ridge Trail. All signs are in place, however some of them face one direction and thus could be missed if one is coming from the other direction. This would probably only be an issue for redliners - the trail signs are faced in the direction that a normal summit hiker would notice. Finally, Peek Path's footbed is very indistinct, and would be difficult to follow without the blazes, especially the section north of Mt. Crescent Trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
The uppermost rock scramble on Mt. Crescent Trail might be difficult for them. Otherwise, no issues. |
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 | Bugs: |
A few at the parking area in the morning, and then practically none until I approached the small reservoir at the junction of Carlton Notch Trail and Castleview Loop. There were plenty of mosquitoes around there. They were a constant presence on Castleview Loop, and then gradually diminished as I hiked away from the reservoir. In the last couple miles, there were some, but they weren't too bad. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nada. |
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 | Comments: |
Good to be back in Randolph again. From the trailhead, I took Peek Path to Mt. Crescent Trail - this section was a moderate climb, but frequently quite rough and requiring some rock hopping. Rocks and roots were somewhat damp from recent rains, and were moderately slippery, but not too bad. Mt. Crescent Trail was moderate until the lower junction with Crescent Ridge Trail, where it steepens. The next 0.4 miles is quite steep, and has a fairly difficult rock scramble right at the top of the climbing. I found a way up, but novice hikers might have been intimidated by the damp rock, part of which has limited footholds. The view from the top of that ledge is excellent (or would be if it was a clear day, which it wasn't). I wanted to redline the section of Crescent Ridge Trail between its two junctions with Mt. Crescent Trail, so I took that trail down and then turned around and came up it again. Most of this section is steep and all of it is rough, but it's probably still the easier way for people who are afraid of rock scrambles. I saw the only other hiker today on this section. The view at the upper junction is also excellent, but again, the Pilot Range was in the clouds (though my viewpoint was not). No bugs up here - the wind and fairly cold temperatures probably kept them away.
I then descended Crescent Ridge Trail toward Carlton Notch. It's clear that a lot of work has been done on this trail - the water bars were numerous, large, and seemed to work very well. The footbed was mostly smooth except for a few rough sections. I went to the junction with Underhill Path and then back to Carlton Notch Trail, and then descended that trail. It's rocky in spots but fairly nice overall. The lower part (below the crossing of Carlton Brook) is an old road with very good footing, that one can cruise down. I then ascended Castleview Loop to its viewpoints - the Castleview Ledge has a wider view of the Northern Presidentials than Castleview Rock. I had lunch there, and enjoyed the view (the clouds were higher by this point)- still some snow visible in the gullies of King Ravine, and some snowfields visible above it. Then I went back down to Carlton Notch Trail, followed it to its end on Randolph Hill Road, and took the road to the beginning of Mt. Crescent Trail (the WMG is right - there's barely any parking there).
I redlined the lower parts of Mt. Crescent Trail and Cook Path, and then headed up Cook Path to its junction with Peek Path. This part is very rocky in places, with rock-hopping necessary, but luckily wasn't too steep. Then I hopped on Peek Path to redline the rest of it - it is clearly little-used, and would have been very difficult to follow without the blazes (which there were plenty of). It's also very rough and also involves some rock-hopping. Then I finally redlined the remainder of Mt. Crescent Trail, and took Jimtown Logging Road back to the trailhead.
I've been wondering - since Jimtown Logging Road is a quick and efficient way to get from the RCF trailhead to Mt. Crescent Trail and Cook Path, what exactly is the point of Peek Path? It's not a particularly enjoyable trail to hike - it is very rough, with an indistinct footbed and lots of rock-hopping. It doesn't contain any particularly interesting features (such as views). And it's not needed to get from point A to point B, since Jimtown Logging Road does that much more efficiently. However, it's there nonetheless, so I redlined it.
No snow or ice anywhere on Mt. Crescent - the only snow I saw the whole day was in the ravines and above treeline on the Northern Presidentials. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-06-07 |
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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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