| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Tremont, Owl’s Cliff, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Rob Brook Road, Brunel Trail, Sawyer Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, May 19, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked at the Rob Brook Trailhead, which is on Bear Notch Road, not that far from the Kancamagus Hwy. Note that the sign said it was the Nanomocomuck Ski Trail!! Mine was the only car today (it’s a cloudy/rainy Thursday); there is room for at least 4 cars. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
N/A |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Thank you to whoever has been working on the Brunel Trail! It’s clear that a lot of work has been done! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
N/A. |
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 | Bugs: |
They are evil. They followed me in a swarm, and persisted even in driving rain. Grr!! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
N/A |
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 | Comments: |
Today I hiked to Owl’s Cliff and Mt Tremont via the Brunel Trail, and did a little loop to hike the southern 2.6 miles of the Sawyer Pond Trail when I was done with Brunel.
Because I know that I won’t be able to cross the Swift River on a good day (and today was not a good day - water levels are high!!) I parked at the Rob Brook trailhead and hiked 2.5 miles on Rob Brook Rd to where the Brunel Trail crosses it. Rob Brook Rd is gated, dirt, but looks like it gets some official vehicle traffic and is well maintained. It was an easy walk. Brunel Trail headed north … first of all there was a porcupine tragedy ON the Brunel Trail, about 0.4 miles north of Rob Brook Rd sometime in the past few days. The porcupine did not win but definitely caused some harm to the predator(s). There remains a lot of blood and some flesh, and there are all kinds of different piles of scat right around the area. And there are quills everywhere. When I realized what I was seeing I made a ridiculous amount of human noise (even for me!) both times that I had to pass that spot; happily I didn’t hear anything either time. I would definitely use caution if you are up that way in the next few days, as there are dtill calories available for scavengers.
The Brunel Trail is just as steep as the WMG said it would be. I did fine going up but went really slowly coming down. The Owl’s Cliff Spur is absolutely positively worth the 0.2 miles - it’s a really lovely viewpoint. The col between Owl’s Cliff and Tremont has copious moose sign (but happily no moose today!).
When I had summited Tremont and hiked back down Brunel to Rob Brook Rd, I set out to finish Brunel down to Sawyer Pond Trail. It’s well marked.
When I got to Sawyer Pond Trail I headed south and hiked to the Swift River. Which was running high and, well, swiftly, today! I had no intention of crossing. I headed back north and hiked Sawyer Pond Trail for 2.6 miles, turning right (east) on an unmarked but easy to follow snowmobile road that runs east/west and is just north of Birch Hill. That put me back on Rob Brook Rd and I hiked back to my car.
I saw little to no mud today and what I did see had logs and rocks, so I was able to have dry feet! |
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 | Name: |
Bikecamphikegirl |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-05-19 |
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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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