| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Carter Ledge, Middle Sister, Mt. Chocorua, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Carter Ledge Trail, Middle Sister Trail, Piper Trail, Penacook Spur, Nickerson Ledge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, May 5, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked outside the gate at White Ledge State Park |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Numerous small runoff streams and a couple brooks on Middle Sister Trail. All easy to navigate. All other trails were bridges or hoppable |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Middle Sister Trail had numerous blowdown, and limbs, big and small |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
saw none. shouldn't be an issue for adventures dogs. |
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 | Bugs: |
saw a few, not a bother |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I set out to do some redlining making the Middle Sister Trail my initial goal. I let the weather and trail conditions dictate how much more I would explore. I started out on Carter Ledge Trail from the State Park. Much of the trail was a mix of dry ground, wet leaves, puddling and some flooding. Didn't take long for exterior of my boots to get wet. Gaiters were helpful.
Once I turned off onto Middle Sister, I encountered lots of debris on trail along with blowndowns and an assortment of limbs. When I reached the tumble of rocks, there was a deep layer of leaf litter and debris that had filled in around the rocks due to the recent rain and flooding. Much of this section had water running down the trail. As I continued to climb, I encountered short stretches of snow around 3,000 feet. There didnt appear to be a monorail and most of the remaining snow had been undermined from the rain. Too short of a span to put on micro spikes, so I postholed through it.
Reached the summit of Middle Sister, 5 miles in and decided to continue on to Chocorua. I encountered more snow in the sheltered area, but the exposed rocks were snow-free. However, be prepared for wet slabs and slick footing. Had Chocurua to myself, but didnt stay long as a steady sprinkle began to fall. The descent on Piper was slow due to wet slabs, rocks and the trail itself. After the lookout slab, the trail was still wet but had better footing. I noticed that the waterbars had done their job with all the recent rain and they were clear of any debris.
I finished out the hike with Nickerson Ledge and back on Carter Ledge to the car.
Overall, there was plenty of trail flooding, avoidable with rock hopping. Be prepared for wet trail conditions, after all it's spring.
It will likely take another week or so for the remaining snow to melt and the trails to dry out some. The total loop mileage was 13 miles. |
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 | Name: |
Diane Stuart |
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 | E-Mail: |
stucroftfarm@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-05-05 |
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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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