| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
West Royce, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Road walk, Basin Trail, Basin Rim Trail, Royce Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, May 1, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the Basin. The gate is still closed (and there are blowdowns across the road inside the gate). We were the only car there at 9:30. There were three other cars there when we got back at 6:30. Plenty of room for more. Route 113 is now open. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Water is high right now. For the one crossing on the Basin Trail, there is a log just east of the crossing that we used. Coming down the Royce Trail, we were able to similarly find logs to use, but has to bushwhack a bit to get to them. The third crossing (coming down — it’s the second if you’re ascending) has no log and no rocks. If it was 20 degrees warmer, we would have taken off our boots and waded across. Instead we baled and bushwhacked to Route 113. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All three trails were reblazed relatively recently. There were three significant blowdowns on the Basin Trail, but there were easy to get around. The Basin Rim trail has a LOT of recent wind damage. I lost count of the significant blowdowns (at least five in the first half mile), all of which are so recent that the trees are still alive. That trail is going to need some major cleanup work. The Royce trail was free of blowdowns, but has major drainage issues from the connector down past Laughing Lion. It’s basically a cascade right now. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Didn’t see any. The upper Royce trail might be tough for small dogs. Same with Basin Rim which is pretty rugged. |
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 | Bugs: |
Saw one on the car window as we pulled out... |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
This is a great time of year for this 11 mile loop (which is better when done counter-clockwise). The water was cascading off all the cliffs on West Royce which was cool. Basically every cliff looked like a waterfall. You have to bushwhack a bit to really see it, but it was worth the price of admission. Started out cloudy and windy, but by early afternoon the sun came out and the winds died down. |
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 | Name: |
Ian D |
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 | E-Mail: |
iantdurham at gmail dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-05-01 |
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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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