| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Garfield, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Garfield Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, November 20, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The gate at Gale River Loop Road was open. The Garfield Trailhead lot was full at 8:15am because of inefficient parking, but there were places to park along the road. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
As of 9am, stream crossings were difficult because of wet black ice on the rocks, so we opted to avoid them with a bushwhack to the two snowmobile path bridges, as explained in the White Mountain Guide. Some of the ice seemed to have melted by the afternoon. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
It would be nice to have a sign on Garfield Ridge Trail right at the junction with the very short spur to the summit, especially for those coming down, so that they remember which way to go. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Plenty of dogs made it to the summit. |
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 | Bugs: |
None. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
After a mostly dry section with lots of tree roots during the first mile, the trail alternated between (not quite frozen) mud, water flowing down rocks, and a few inches of snow, becoming increasingly snow-covered towards the top. My advice, to avoid ruining your microspikes, would be to bareboot it for as long as possible going up because rocky segments keep appearing between the snowy segments until very near the top of the Garfield Trail. Microspikes did help near the very top of the Garfield Trail and on the 0.2 miles of Garfield Ridge Trail, but it would probably would have been easy to reach the summit even without them. The scrambling on the Garfield Ridge Trail was not difficult - one could probably do it even without using hands, except maybe on the summit boulders themselves. When on the Garfield Ridge Trail, looking for the spur to the summit on the left, you will be tempted to take a path that begins by climbing on a wide rock about 3-4 feet high (and that was icy), but don't do it - continue a few steps on the Garfield Ridge Trail and you'll find a much easier path on the left. |
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 | Name: |
mathbp |
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 | E-Mail: |
tiramisu_eater@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-11-21 |
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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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