| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Green Mountain (Effingham), NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Libby Road Trail, Hanson Top Spur, Dearborn Trail, road walk |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, May 12, 2023 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked on Libby Rd. Room for a few cars here. Any car should be able to get to this point though it’s dirt. With a high clearance car and 4WD you should be able to get a ways further down this road but don’t expect to get too far. You absolutely cannot Hobbs Rd between Pld Pound Rd and the Dearborn trailhead. There was a significant stream in the middle of the road, large rocks, lots of mud, etc. I believe there was a large blowdown and severe washout on the section of Libby Rd west of here as well. Old Pound Rd and Hobbs Rd toward Effingham looked drivable. We were the only car around. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I don’t believe there were any. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Libby Rd Trail is blazed in white, sometimes rather old looking and a bit faded. Blading isn’t terribly frequent but the trail follows a road so is easy to follow. That said, there’s a divergent road or two (see notes below) where the true trail isn’t really marked. There may have been a trivial stepover blowdown or two higher up on the Libby Rd Trail but overall it’s in fine shape so long as you don’t consider the erosion ;P Dearborn Trail had a number of blowdowns on it, some of which were significant. The enforcer one is about 5-10min from the summit. It was mostly stripped of its bark and old and kind of mangled looking. You can duck under it. A pretty trivial step over and widow maker a couple minutes after that (descending) and then a small stepover about 5min after. This is just a couple minutes after the split rock if ascending. Just after the split rock, there’s a broken limb in the trail. Large stepover/straddled blowdown 5-10min after that. The branches of a midsize blowdown obscure the trail 10-15min after that. Another few blowdowns just after this, then a leaner and a trimmed stepover near the start of the trail. Dearborn Trail was blazed in yellow and relatively frequently. Hanson Top was blazed in light blue. Could be hard to follow. There may have been a couple blowdowns along it. All trail signs are intact and trails are well signed at the summit. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Good trails for dogs. |
|
 | Bugs: |
They were bad. Mosquitos down low and black flies mostly up high on the summit. That said, if you kept moving, they weren’t too bad which is surprising since mosquitos are usually difficult to outrun and we certainly weren’t moving quickly. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
None |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Nice SNH redline with mom and dad :) We ascended Libby Rd Trail, I did an OAB to Hanson Top, then descended Dearborn Trail, and walked the road(s) back to the car. Do NOT think you can drive between the two trailheads. If the mud dried out and the blowdown was cleared then MAYBE you could get between the two with a LIFTED Jeep and with experience on these sorts of roads. Maybe.
Anyway, Libby Rd Trail varied in its grade but I found it generally to be pretty moderate and a nice ascent. Eroded of course but I didn’t find it any worse than many old roads in the mountain unlike the book perhaps was implying. It was wet and soft in places and but too much mud. Minor running water in one place.
Hanson Top Spur is marked but isn’t easy to follow. Could trip up a newbie for sure and cpuld eh rather difficult to follow in witner although I think the blazing was frequent enough. In particular, where it crosses an old road, the trail is not obvious. You’ll likely see a double blaze implying a turn in the trail but the trail is actually BEHIND this blaze and is sort of obscured by the tree from the angle you’ll likely be looking at it. Leaves often obscure the footbed and it didn’t seem well travelled. Decent view from the ledges near the summit.
The tower is locked but there’s platforms that you can look out from. The view to the Whites is obscured but you get a view to Mt Shaw, the Belknaps, Province Lake and surrounding peaks, etc. there’s picnic tables as well. The deofferent routes are well signed at the summit.
Dearborn Trail seemed lightly travelled but not hard to follow. It didn’t feel as steep as the stats in the guidebook might make one think it is. The doorway is quite nice up high but becomes rockier down low. A section of mud and some standing water down low. Also, lots of blowdowns, some significant ant, and two with herd paths around.
The road walk back to the car wasn’t particularly pleasant. Including the Hanson Top Spur, Gaia had me at 5mi with nearly 1500ft of gain. |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
|
 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2023-05-12 |
|
 | 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. |
|
