| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Rogers Ledge, The Horn, The Bulge, Mt. Cabot, North Terrace Mountain, Terrace Mountain, North Weeks, Middle Weeks, South Weeks, Mt. Waumbek, Mt. Starr King, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Kilkenny Ridge Trail, Starr King Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, May 30, 2022 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We had trouble finding the South Pond Recreational area access road. There is no sign, nor is there a road name sign. If coming from Stark, pass Millbrook Rd on the right. Continue along NH 110, pass Bell Hill rd on the left. In 0.25 miles look for a random roughly paved road on the right. There is a wooden power panel just in on the road. Follow this rough, paved road to the gate for South Pond Rd. This road is passable for any vehicle, just slow down. At the time of this writing the recreational area was not open. Parking for 3-4 vehicles at the gate. I don’t know if this road is plowed in winter. Our other car was parked at the Starr King trailhead. The hiker symbol for this road is gone. This short road is dirt surfaced, rough in small parts, but passable by any vehicle. This parking area holds 15 well parked cars. Overflow parking in winter lot off US 2. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nothing of significance. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The portion of the Kilkenny Ridge Trail from the junction with York Pond Trail, over the Weeks, to the summit of Mt Waumbeck is in dire need of updated blazes. New blow downs over all trails save the popular ones to Mt Cabot and Mt Waumbeck. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Good trails for dogs. May need to carry extra water for them based on your route. See notes below. |
|
 | Bugs: |
Oh they lord, yes. Black flies and mosquitos made head nets a necessity. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Route:
Start at South Pond Rd gate > road walk > Kilkenny Ridge Trail (at South Pond Rec area) > Starr King Trail.
The Kilkenny in sections:
- South Pond to Rogers Ledge: blazed nicely in yellow. Simple to follow footpath. All junction signs up, legible. Many small streams in lower elevations. A few blow downs. Nice ascent to the ledge.
- Rogers Ledge to Mill Brook trail junction: well blazed in yellow. Steep. Simple to follow footpath. All junction signs in good shape. Water point just past the junction sign. We did not visit the tentsite.
- Mill Brook Trail junction to Unknown Pond Trail junction: blazed recently in updated yellow blazes. Simple to follow footbed. Some trouble crossing the outlet of Kilback Pond on broken bog bridges. Beaver dam held our weight. Did not visit the tentsite but we were informed that the site now has a BEAR BOX!! Yea!! Thanks!! Make sure to get at least two liters of water here (more for dogs). I elucidate below:
- Unknown Pond Trail junction to Bunnell Notch Trail junction: well blazed in updated yellow blazes. Well travelled footbed. Rough footing. Dry, dry, dry. At the time of this writing there were NO viable water points near the trail in this section. Prepare to carry all water needs through here (and beyond if staying on the Kilkenny). The Cabot Cabin was unoccupied last night. No water point at the cabin. There is a privy.
- Bunnell Notch Trail junction to York Pond Trail junction: blazed in yellow, simple to follow footbed. Footbed is more narrow and less travelled than that of the more popular routes listed above. There were NO water points until Willard Notch. I mean NO water. Prepare. We stayed at the Willard Notch tent site. In our direction of travel, the water point was 0.2 miles before the site. The water point was flowing nicely and was a most welcome drink after nearly 6 miles of dry trail. There are two main tent sites, no privy, but they are nice. Very quiet. I brought my bear canister as I’m too lazy to hang a bear bag.
- York Pond Trail junction to Starr King Trail junction: ok. This trail is maintained, with the same frequency of other lightly used routes. It IS blazed in yellow. These blazes are nicely spaced. But man, these blazes need some updating! They are very faded- more faded than my New Order t-shirt from 1985. Winter travel would be near impossible if relying on blazes alone. There are numerous blowdowns and evergreen overgrowth along this segment. We were always able to see the trail, though. Though narrow and softer than more travelled routes, the footbed is completely discernible and, at least, gets some traffic from the yearly 50 Mile Kilkenny Race. On the subject of water… If you failed to fill a full 2 liters (more for dogs) at Willard Notch, there is one, and I mean only ONE water point on this segment. There is a nicely flowing seep on the descent of Mt Weeks (also thought of as North Weeks). This seep directly crosses the trail. We wisely topped off all our bottles as there was no water until after the summit of Starr King.
Starr King Trail: well travelled (read “concrete surface”) and freshly yellow blazed route from the summit of Waumbeck to the parking lot. This was my first time on this trail without snow. I was so disoriented and blinded by the vibrant green foliage. Lots of people out enjoying the warm spring day. Water did not appear until after the Starr King summit. Even this was a trivulet of water next to the trail.
Thanks so much for the party of ladies we ran into two days in a row! They told us about the bear box at Unknown Pond. These gals were hiking machines! |
|
 | Name: |
Remington34 |
|
 | E-Mail: |
|
|
| Date Submitted: |
2022-05-30 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
