| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Square Ledge, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Cabin Trail, Lawrence Trail, Square Ledge Trail, Square Ledge Branch, Oliverian Brook Trail, Kelley Trail, Woods Road, Gordon Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, June 11, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I tried doing this out of Ferncroft but arrived far too late (11am). The amount of illegally parked cars was astounding. Hopefully it doesn't ever get closed down. I ended up parking at the Cabin trailhead about a mile from the Ferncroft trailhead. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The ones I remember were at bottom of Square Ledge Branch trail, and Oliverian Brook tr. All were easy rock hops. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There were a couple blowdowns here and there on all the trails. One of them was a duck under. It's all part of the experience. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Thanks to hiking from the Cabin trail, I only saw a total of two people, who did have a very curious and happy looking small dog. |
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 | Bugs: |
Skeeters were terrible below 2000 ft, and moderately bad above that. It was more of a black fly issue on the summit of Square ledge. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Thanks to the hike, my sanity was rediscovered. |
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 | Comments: |
I was a bit upset about the parking situation at Ferncroft, but wasn't surprised. It's worrying to me, with all the illegally parked cars. But this turned out to be a blessing in disguise because my hike was quiet and beautiful from start to finish. The Cabin trail ascends easily to the Lawrence trail. It gets a little rough past Whitin Brook tr junction, but the footing is soft the whole way. Then it was a quick trek down hill to the, dark, remore and mosquito infested Paugus Pass. I spent essentially no time here, and ascended to the Square ledge trail. The treadway was mostly obvious but you can tell it doesn't get much use. After the stream crossing at the junction with Square ledge branch tr, the hike gets steep in a hurry. Square ledge is a wild area, with steep rock faces, and loose footing. Good boots, and poles are very helpful in this area. The old lookout to Mt Paugus has grown in quite a bit, but if you carefully investigate other vantage points, you can find some nice views. The drop off is killer, so caution is advised. I continued on to the true summit, where an obscure side path led to a great view of Mt Passaconaway, and out to Mt Carrigain. This was my lunch spot, and I shared it with black flies. I picked my way down the trail carefully, and took the Square ledge branch trail to Oliverian trail, to make a fun loop. The grades were easy to moderate at its most difficult, and the footing was soft. There were a couple crossings, all easy. Once back at Paugus pass, I took the Kelley trail down, which is a must if you are in the area. It goes thru a couple box canyons (slick green rocks), and then follows a sloping cascade, which was an excellent place for (bug free!!) break. The trail continued down at easy to moderate grades, until it came out to a woods road, where I banged a left, and did a little zigzag to the Gordon trail. From here the Gordon trail does a short stiff climb, and meanders downhill, eventually coming out to some vacation homes, and pops out on Rt 113A. From here its maybe a quarter mile walk back to the Cabin trailhead. Great hike! |
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 | Name: |
Phil |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-06-13 |
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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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