| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Morgan, Mt. Percival, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mt. Morgan Trail, Crawford-Ridgepole Trail, Mt. Percival Trail, Morse Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, June 16, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The Morgan Trailhead is just over the Sandwich/Holderness line (Holderness side of NH113) on the north side of the road with room for 10-12 cars, depending on parkig skills. There is more parking across the road (and looks like porta-pottie).
My plan was to park at the Percival Trailhead and take the connector trail (Morse) at the beginning of the hike, but I didn't see the pull off soon enough to turn in without freaking out the Prius riding my rear bumper. (Wanting to avoid meeting local law enforcement and towing services, I continued on to Morgan.) This trailhead is in Sandwich and from the road looks like it might have room for 8 or more cars. |
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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: |
All water crossings were step overs or could be crossed on stepping stones, or in one case, log steps. Log steps were a bit slippery, but only needed 3-4 steps to cross and water wasn't very deep. However, there were many wet areas (several on each trail, except for Morse trail that only had one or two). Most of the wet areas had paths along trail shoulders or stepping stones to avoid most of the water. The few steps taken through the water were less than shoe top high. I walked through more than necessary as I had ankle high waterproof boots in anticipation. Recommend this for anyone who is adverse to wet shoes and socks, until the trails dry out, which will probably take some time given all the forecasted rain. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All trails were well blazed, either with yellow metal diamonds or the standard painted blazes. Some of the rocky sections with blazes painted on rocks had badly faded blazes and really should be refreshed, but I was able to stay on path with care. The footpath is generally well defined and easy to follow, but there are segments where the trail is less well-defined, covered in leaves, water flowing down the middle of the trail, in rocky areas; in these areas the blazes are helpful. In a few spots, moreso on Mt. Percival Tr on descent, there was some doubt as to the trail direction and no blazes were visible (I could have missed them), but in most cases going down the trail a few feet revealed a blaze. So if you go 50 feet without seeing a blaze or a clearly defined path, you are probably off trail.
All trail junction signs were in place and easy to read.
Very few blowdowns blocking the trail and most of those could easily be stepped over. One large one on Morgan Tr had a well defined path around it. Looks like it has been there for a while. The only problematic one is on the Morse trail and it has a split trunk blocking the path. One branch is an easy step over, but the second is at an awkward height - too high to go over and too low to crawl under (for me). I went ten feet off trail to step over the one main trunk. This appears to be fairly recent as the path I took is not well defined at this point.
The worst of the wet areas had stepping stones in place. These appear to be chronic and are mostly flat areas that appear to lack drainage. The two main trails have many erosion control devices in place and I believe they had all been recently cleaned. Otherwise there would be many more wet areas or eroded footpaths. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
There are several streams and drainages on all trails, so plenty of water. My only reservations about these trails for canines would be the scrambles, the ladder section of Morgan and the cliff descend off Percival. None of the scrambles are very long or difficult, but could be challenging for some dogs. I didn't do the ladder alternate or the cave alternate so can't speak to those specifically, but you can see the ladders from the main trail and they are large and straight up. The cliff section of the Percival Tr is tricky (for me), but doable with care. The problem for dogs would be there are some very narrow foot landings and some steep drop offs, so it would be easy for one to slip over an edge. I would guess the caves would be safer, provided the dog could fit through them, but as noted, I didn't see these first hand. |
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 | Bugs: |
Yes they were annoying. Mostly mosquitos and black flies, probably some others as well. From trailhead to trailhead. They were biting so I used my head net after the first half-mile. I had sprayed arms and legs with Picaridin and that was mostly effective until the descent was almost complete. Either I missed some spots or some of the buggers are resistant. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
NA |
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 | Comments: |
My first trip to these peaks. For efficiency, both travel and hiking, I planned to do the loop.
The two biggest challenges for me was the amount of wetness, running water on trail and the scrambles. Neither of these were difficult, but the sheer amount of them made the hike more tedious than I would have preferred.
If I had used my lightweight hiking shoes instead of the waterproof boots, the water/wetness would have been a bigger issue. I would have had to take a lot more care in picking my way through the wetness.
I am not a fan of scrambles. As a solo elderly hiker, these just increase the risk of injury and I simply don't enjoy them. Maybe 20 or 30 years ago, I would be seeking them, but I try to avoid them now. Having said all that, these were among some of the easiest scrambles I have done. There were about 6-8 of them where I needed to use my hands for balance, at a minimum. There were 2-3 where I had to use a handhold to actually climb up or down. The two most difficult for me were the climb to the summit of Percival, and the descent over the cliffs coming off Percival, with the descent being the worst. This was partly due to the consequences of messing up on the descent. However, taking things slowly and carefully, I am writing to tell the story and I didn't need to play my Hike Safe Card today. So if you are in the category of hiker who lacks experience or ability in scrambling, this loop could still be doable for you, but I would recommend you bring a partner or two, in case you need some assistance. On the plus side, you have an opportunity to build skill and confidence.
Today's views were hazy and limited. Since most of the views are to the south, I don't know if the haze was related to the Canadian wildfires. There was rain or thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon, so it might be related to that. So a little disappointing, but I was tired of waiting for a bluebird day with all of the rainy days lately on days I had free for hiking. |
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 | Name: |
SpartyHikerfromMaine |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-06-16 |
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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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