| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Black Mountain Pond, Sandwich Dome, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Flat Mountain Pond Trail, Guinea Pond Trail, Guinea Pond Spur, Black Mountain Pond Trail, Mary Cary Falls Spur, Algonquin Trail, Bennett Street Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, June 26, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Room for about a dozen cars at the trailhead. The lot did not reach capacity today. The dirt road leading to it is rough and rocky in places, so take it slowly. |
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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: |
All water crossings were pretty straightforward rock hops. Water levels are low. See below comments about the wet area on Guinea Pond Trail. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Lots of blowdowns - Black Mountain Pond Trail had the most (and they were the most annoying), one major one on Guinea Pond Trail, and the other trails had a few as well. Evidence of clearing blowdowns in some places, particularly Bennett Street Trail. The portion of Guinea Pond Trail that bypasses the swamp near the Cold Brook junction could be better blazed - there are several turns that are difficult to notice, particularly since that section doesn't have the clearest footway. No sign or any other markings at the junction with Guinea Pond Spur, but the junction is pretty obvious - if you're looking for it, there's no way you can miss it. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I wouldn't bring a dog up (or down) the steep upper section of Black Mountain Pond Trail. The scrambles there could be particularly tough for dogs. All other trails should be fine though. Plenty of water at the lower elevations, but none on Algonquin Trail or on Bennett Street Trail above the junction with Flat Mountain Pond Trail. |
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 | Bugs: |
I sprayed Picardin on my hat and clothing at the trailhead, and they didn't bother me at all until the final walk out (and even then they weren't that bad). |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nada. |
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 | Comments: |
This was a long, difficult, but fun loop. The trail starts out as a wide woods road, then narrows somewhat past the junction with Bennett Street Trail. This section has lots of large, new-looking waterbars. Guinea Pond Trail is always very gentle - the muddy spots that would exist after a rain were quite easy to walk through this time. The crossing of Cold River was straightforward, and then soon after the trail comes to the beaver pond. Just before it gets to it, there's a herd path off to the right - that's the trail. Due to the dryness, it wasn't too difficult to cross the open wet area while keeping boots dry. The tougher part was following the trail in this section - there are a few blowdowns on the herd path that obscure the already faint footway, and then after crossing the wet area the next section has some twists and turns that require care to follow.
Guinea Pond Spur can't be missed if one is looking for it. When you get to the tall grass area, the trail forks - either way will get you across, and I took one fork on the way in and the other on the way out and they are pretty much the same in wetness and difficulty.
The crossings of Beebe River were all easy, and Black Mountain Pond Trail was generally fairly easy to follow. The WMG says that some areas of the trail below the pond are wet, however today the trail was pretty dry. Mary Cary Falls was completely dry - it should perhaps be renamed Mary Cary Ledges (though the ledges themselves were quite impressive). The trail wasn't too difficult to follow in the vicinity of the Black Mountain Pond Tentsite - just follow the sign and the main trail. The view across the pond up to the ridge was impressive, but even from there I could see the clouds coming in.
The steep climb up the upper Black Mountain Pond Trail was an adventure. There are a whole bunch of rock scrambles, but the toughest ones were two particular scrambles right next to the boulder cave. These scrambles had very limited handholds/footholds, and holes between the boulders - not big enough to swallow a human, but definitely large enough to get a limb stuck. For these, I had to remove my pack, lift it over the ledge, and then scramble up myself. These were seriously difficult scrambles - definitely more difficult than anything on Air Line, Hi-Cannon, or Osseo Trails (I mention these because they are all on the Terrifying 25 Optional list while BMPT is not - perhaps BMPT could be substituted in for one of them). There were views from some of the lower ledges during this climb, but as I gained elevation, I entered a cloud, and by the time I got to the junction with Algonquin Trail, there were no views at all - everything was socked in.
Algonquin Trail was initially quite rocky, but once the viewpoint ledges ended and the trail re-entered the woods for good, the trail's footing improved. This section of Algonquin Trail is not especially difficult, but it took me a while because I was tired after just having climbed up BMPT. When I finally reached the summit, there were no views. I chatted with some other hikers there - they were doing the Sandwich Mountain Trail/Drakes Brook Trail loop.
Bennett Street Trail was a relatively nice trail to descend. The trail alternated several times between steeper and gradual, and the footing was generally good - less rocky than most other comparable trails in the White Mountains. Above the junction with Flat Mountain Pond Trail, the trail was always easy to follow - below the junction, there were a few spots where it wasn't clear which way to go. More blazes would be useful in this section (and this section is NOT in the Wilderness). The two crossings of the tributary of Pond Brook were not too difficult.
Overall, the hike took me about 8:45 to hike 13.8 miles, and that includes my lunch break at the summit of Sandwich Dome. While I didn't get much in the way of views, it was still a very enjoyable and successful hike. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-06-26 |
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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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