| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Crawford, Mt. Resolution, Stairs Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Davis Path, Mt. Crawford Spur, Mt. Parker Trail, Stairs Mountain Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 30, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The Davis Path trailhead lot is fairly large. There was no snow or ice in the parking lot. Only one other vehicle in the lot at 9:30am on this rainy Sunday. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Other than the stream with the log bridge discussed below, all the stream crossings are easy rock hops. On the other hand, there are many places where it is necessary to step in a few inches of standing or flowing water on the trail, so waterproof boots are essential right now. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The logs of the log bridge shortly after Bemis Bridge have sunken into the water, and sink further at one end when stepped on; they are still useful to someone with waterproof boots. The rope for balance across that log bridge is attached to small trees that I doubt would support the weight of a slipping person.
There are many blowdowns throughout, most of which are easy to step over or under, but a few of them are truly obstructive.
Beyond Stairs Col, Davis Path and the Giant Stairs Spur Path are so overgrown with encroaching trees that they feel almost like bushwhacks. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Most importantly, there is still a lot of snow above 3000 ft. elevation or so in this area. The NOHRSC snow depth forecast seems to have been grossly underestimating the amount of snow, both here and on the Osceolas when I went there earlier this April: their forecast suggests that there is not more than a trace of snow on the ground, when the truth is more like 1-3 feet in most places at these higher elevations.
From the Davis Path trailhead up to Mt. Crawford, there is not enough snow to require anything beyond bare boots - what snow there is (sometimes in the shape of a monorail) up to here comes in short sections, and is easily avoided or easily traversed. Shortly beyond the Mt. Crawford Spur Path junction, however, after the ledges, the trail becomes covered in 1-3 feet of snow, full of deep postholes, and these conditions persist all the way up to Stairs Mtn. One can try to step in the center where the snow is most packed, but sometimes even this can no longer support the weight of a human, so it is impossible to avoid making more postholes, sometimes into water flowing underneath. After passing the ledges of Mt. Crawford, microspikes are best for most of the rest of the trail up to Mt. Resolution and Stairs Mtn., even though there is the occasional rocky section and there are extensive rock slabs on Mt. Parker Trail on the way up to Mt. Resolution. Snowshoes would not be helpful right now.
There were relatively recent tracks in the snow up to and slightly beyond Stairs Col, but it seems that no one continued on Davis Path up the scramble alongside the Giant Stairs recently until we arrived. The scramble itself was mostly rocky and snow-free. |
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 | Name: |
mathbp |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-04-30 |
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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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