| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Martha, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Cherry Mountain Trail, Mt. Martha summit spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, October 11, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The western trailhead for Cherry Mtn Trail and Owls Head Trail seemed to be pretty busy but not quite overflow. After playing shuttle bus for a few folks, we all met at the eastern trailhead for Cherry Mtn Trail. Ironically, this is the least travelled trail to the summit but overflowed Sunday with our large group 😂 Only room for 4 or so cars in the main lot but there’s a campsite just beyond on the right where an additional 3-4 cars could park. You’d be hard pressed to find roadside parking here. There was a tree down on the 302 side in the morning but it had been taken care of by the afternoon. The road in is secure but very bumpy and narrow. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
I don’t recall the trail being blazed but it follows an old snowmobile trail and is thus very wide and easy to follow. No other trails, paths, roads, etc. intersect it to confuse you until you get to the summit spur which is signed. That is also fairly wide and easy to follow. No blowdowns that I recall. There was also a volunteer trail maintenance crew that’s adopted the Cherry Mountain Trail (just west??) from a church group in Bethlehem that was out doing some work on the west side of the trail. Very nice people and enjoyed some good conversation with them. The trail should be in great shape since they just care through :) |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I don’t think I saw any but these trails would be fine for dogs. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
And just like that my redline of the White Mountain Guide is complete :) I finished redlining this Sunday on the eastern portion of Cherry Mtn Trail surrounded by friends and family. Thanks to all who came :D We all continued on to the summit of Martha. From there, some headed back the way we came, others traversed over to Owls Head, and some (myself included) went down the western portion of the trail.
The eastern portion of Cherry Mtn Trail is about the most gradual of a trail you can get and still be climbing a mountain. A little boring perhaps as it’s just an old snowmobile trail the entire way but there’s some nice woods and I think we all enjoyed it :) Some tall grass that could easily be full of ticks in season though. I was engaged in such great conversation that I don’t remember the ground conditions very well but the trail was dry as far as I remember. Lots of leaves (probably more on the west side) but not hard to follow the trail. The west side of the trail is steeper but nothing out of the ordinary. Nice views from the top. Be sure to check out the view that’s beyond the fire tower remains which shows a lot more than just the main view of the Presidentials you get from the summit! |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-10-13 |
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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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