| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Israel, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Guinea Pond Trail, Mead Trail, Wentworth Trail, Bearcamp River Trail, Sandwich Notch Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, August 26, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked off of Sandwich Notch Road. My old Civic did fine coming in from Rt.49. The road has been improved. It has some slightly un-nerving steep and blind one-lane hilltops, but it can be driven with care. There is a sign for Hiker's Parking lot, and Guinea Pond Trail is just down the hill, pass over a small one-lane bridge, TH on the left. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easy, mostly dried up |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Mead trail has a 1' stepover, and then a 2' stepover on the lower half. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Not much water available. Otherwise, should be fine. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Made a redline loop of Mount Israel. The portion of Guinea Pond trail I used is totally flat and could be driven on, if not gated. Can zip right along and make great time on this section. Mead Trail has a wooden sign on the right, don't get faked out by the snowmo trail that turns right about a tenth of a mile earlier, marked Main Trail on an orange snowmo sign. You need to pass the orange sign, and clear the pond area, and then you'll see Mead signed on the right.
Mead is easy to follow and a more gentle grade than Wentworth, for ascending Mt. Israel. The corridor does not need to be brushed, but it is not all that distinct of a corridor; ie, when the leaves fall, it may be hard to follow in some spots. Maybe. There is evidence it has running water on the trail in several spots too, so this may be the perfect time to hike it, as the footpath is super dry and very visible.
The summit of Mt. Israel is easy to identify, high and open ledge with an obvious summit cairn. There are great views of the Sandwich Range (I believe that's what I was looking at).
I used Wentworth to descend the other side of the mountain and it is a prettier trail, with an awesome lookout towards the lakes and islands. The trail is cleaner and wider than Mead, as it gets more use. It is probably a steeper grade for climbing than Mead, and Mead offers much more privacy. Though I only passed one hiker, since it was 6pm by the time I started down. At the bottom, there is a sign pointing the way to use the .6 mile section of Bearcamp River trail to reconnect to Sandwich Notch road. Beebe falls and Cow cave are on this trail. Beebe barely had a falls today.
On the way back, an initial steep ascent of Sandwich Notch road is encountered, and it's at least a couple mile road walk, if not three, back to the Guinea Pond Trail starting point.
Beautiful sunny weather, however the breeze on the summit was cold enough for me to put on a fall lightweight jacket, and baseball cap. Nice hike. |
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 | Name: |
Steve Marion |
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 | E-Mail: |
swampfoxsteve@gmail |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-08-26 |
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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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