| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Crystal Mountain - South Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Skidder roads, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, October 2, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
From Rt 26 in Errol, follow Coarser Brook Rd North for a little more than 6mi. I’d think this would be doable by even low clearance cars as it’s a wide dirt road in good shape though it has some pretty rocky spots when it goes up and down more steeply. Cross a bridge, then turn left onto Greenough Pond Rd. Follow it for another 2.5mi or so. Here, what I believe is still Greenough Pond Rd, bears left and Roaring Brook Rd bears right. I followed Roaring Brook Rd for another 1.25mi to a point just barely north of west of the peak just before a curve in the road. I think Greenough Pond Rd would be doable for low clearance but Roaring Brook was a little rougher and you’d need mid clearance. Also, note that the road that diverges from Roaring Brook Rd and heads north on the other side of the brook and is sometimes used to access Blue Ridge - North Peak is no longer accessible because the bridge has been removed and the road is blocked at it’s very start |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
N/A |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
The brush and young growth above may be tough for them. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Day 336, Peak 319. 2nd peak of the day after North Crystal. Having read reports from this one, it almost sounded pleasant much to my surprise given the huge logged area shown on Gaia. Indeed, there is a huge logged area but as I made my way into it, I found any old skidder roads that, while very overgrown, provided generally half decent walking on the approach to the peak. If it were wet, this would have course be miserable but I see now why people consider this a pretty easy and likable enough peak as I made my way east. That said, as the old roads began to gain more elevation, I lost the old roads and the brush became a little less fun, with the occasional prickly thing mixed in. You’ll be able to see a clear cut above you. I aimed for that. Tight young growth to push through here but once above that, you’ll be treated to a nice softwood forest. The grade does steepen considerably here on this minor W/NW ridge and I began to head more SE than east.
I followed my same route out more or less although I come back out into the open slightly north of my ascent line. I think I avoided more of the tight young growth this way. I had to go through logged stuff instead though. Followed the old skidder roads and such back out toward my car down low. Gaia had me at almost 2mi with about 800ft of gain. It took me 1.5hrs to complete. 29 more days and 46 more peaks to go… |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-10-04 |
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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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