| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Hibbard Mountain, Nanamocomuck Peak, Mt. Passaconaway, Square Ledge, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Old Mast Road, Wonalancet Range Trail, Wonalancet Shortcut, Walden Trail, Passaconaway View Spur, Dicey's Mill Trail, East Loop, Square Ledge Trail, Square Ledge Branch Trail, Oliverian Brook Trail, Kelley Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, June 18, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
No issues with Ferncroft. A few cars there when I arrived at 7:10. Parking area was about half full when I got back around 3:40. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
One reason I chose this hike for today is that all the water crossings are in the final third of the hike. The crossings of Square Ledge Brook and Oliverian Brook were rock hops, but on slippery rocks (the crossing of Oliverian Brook at the bottom of Square Ledge Branch Trail was probably the most difficult). The crossings on the upper Kelley Trail were minor and easy. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
It's clear that the WODC does a good job with these trails. A few blowdowns, but they were all easy step-overs. Drainage issues were generally limited to the higher elevations, and even there only in certain places (more on this below). Signs are all in place - some of them are old, but all are still readable. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Some of the scrambles on Walden Trail, and the very steep section just below Square Ledge, might be tough for dogs. Didn't see any until the very end of the hike, when I passed a group with two dogs at the junction of Kelley Trail and Old Mast Road. |
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 | Bugs: |
Very few in the morning, and not an issue at all at the higher elevations. Once I descended Square Ledge, more of them started to appear. Bug spray was partially effective. They were quite numerous on Kelley Trail, where I wanted to take a break and enjoy the rock formations, so I put my head net on there, and kept it on until I was back at the parking lot. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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 | Comments: |
I'd had this bizarre loop on my radar for a while as a way to finish redlining everything in the Sandwich Range on or east of Passaconaway, and decided, despite the expected wet conditions, that today was the day for it. I also wanted to test out my stamina, since I'd been doing some easier redlining hikes recently and I wanted to make sure I could still do long, strenuous hikes like this.
Took a quick left off Old Mast Road onto Wonalancet Range Trail just before the bridge over Spring Brook. This trail started off gradual and then got steeper. To my gratification, despite the damp conditions there was practically no mud or standing water on the trail. The steep pitch just below the junction with Wonalancet Shortcut needed to be negotiated carefully since the ledges were wet, but there are bypasses to use. Wonalancet Shortcut is in good shape. The upper Wonalancet Range Trail is also looking good, and that section is relatively easy with easy-to-moderate grades and mostly good footing. The outlook just before the summit of Hibbard was nice.
As soon as I turned left onto Walden Trail, it was clear that Walden had a different character - steeper and rougher. It first descends steeply for a little bit - this part had to be taken carefully as some of the rocks were slippery. The brief section along a brook was nice, but my attention was drawn more to the extremely steep wall on my right that the trail would have to climb. The section that climbs Nanamocomuck Peak is indeed extremely steep in places, with several rock scrambles - and of course the ledges were all wet, some with water running down them, so they needed to be negotiated very carefully. I definitely don't recommend taking dogs on this section. Luckily, the descent down into the next col is much more gradual. It's clear that a lot of trail work has gone into the final portion of Walden Trail, climbing the cone of Passaconaway - there are a lot of rock steps here that are very useful. One rock scramble just below the junction with East Loop was difficult, as it also had water running down it, but most of the rest of the climb was up rock blocks rather than ledges, which definitely made it easier. Even the steep, rocky pitch just below the south lookout wasn't too tough to negotiate. However, at the top of that pitch, the trail started to have a lot more standing water and mud. The trail portions on the summit of Passaconaway are very poorly drained - practically the entire Walden Trail from the junction with the View Spur to the side trail to the summit was one long puddle. The view spur itself wasn't steep but was very wet and rough, with lots of standing water, mud, and wet ledges, and had no views today - the cloud line seemed to be between 3,000 and 3,500 ft. The spur path to the summit is obvious, but there's no cairn at the summit anymore - someone must have removed it.
The portion of Dicey's Mill Trail from the summit of Passaconaway down to the junction with East Loop was a tale of two trails. The first few tenths of the descent were TERRIBLE - extremely rough, with lots of slippery ledges and water running down the trail for significant distances. This part needs to be taken quite slowly. But as soon as the trail reached the switchbacks, it became in MUCH better condition and a lot faster. The excellent condition of the switchbacks is largely due to the WODC's trail work there a couple of years ago - hopefully their next project will be to improve the remainder of Dicey's Mill Trail to the summit. It should be noted that the location of Camp Rich on Alltrails is incorrect - it is NOT at the junction with Rollins Trail, it is just above the junction with East Loop. I met a pair of hikers who told me that they had spent 45 minutes searching for Camp Rich the previous evening due to this error.
East Loop was quick, and then I hopped on Square Ledge Trail to head down. The upper part of the trail is a consistent moderate descent - good footing alternated with rocky, eroded sections. When I reached the slide, parts of it looked unsafe but it was easy to climb up just a little bit on the right side of the slide - I didn't climb high enough to see Washington, but you only need to climb up a little bit to get a view of Mt. Hedgehog, with higher, more distant mountains in the background. The slippery ledges just before the junction with Passaconaway Cutoff had water running down them, but there are bypasses on the sides. The next part of Square Ledge Trail is mostly in good shape as it goes up and down (steeply in places) along the small ridge. The spur path just above the section along a rock face is pretty obvious, and the edge of the cliff is too - it isn't really obscured like the WMG says. Views from there are excellent in many directions - along with Passaconaway, you can see Paugus to the east and Green's Cliff to the north. From there to the first outlook, there's one rock scramble I had to buttslide down, but otherwise the trail was fine. The toughest part of the trail was the extremely steep descent down from the shoulder - the roots crisscrossing the trail were wet and extremely slippery. I took it very slowly and carefully and eventually made it to the bottom unscathed, but I don't recommend inexperienced hikers doing this section in wet conditions like I did.
Square Ledge Branch Trail was quick and easy, and then I headed up the final trail I needed to redline - Oliverian Brook Trail from there up to Paugus Pass. The trail ascended at easy to moderate grades, generally with good footing (though there were a few short rough sections). The lower half of this section looked well-maintained, but the upper half was somewhat rougher (though still not bad). I had chosen Kelley Trail for the final descent of the hike since I remembered it to be a beautiful trail, and indeed it is. The upper part has some rough rock-hopping, but then it leads to this beautiful area where the rock formations of Glacial Lake Albany are clear to see, and the small stream flows gently through the scene. I would happily return to this place many times - it's definitely much nicer than the rather boring and monotonous Old Mast Road (which parallels Kelley Trail). The rest of the descent is pleasant with good footing.
This was a landmark hike for me for a couple reasons. First, I finally broke 80% of miles on my redlining spreadsheet, and also I have since discovered that this was the first time I climbed more than 4,000 vertical feet in one day since my Great Gully hike two YEARS ago (https://www.newenglandtrailconditions.com/nh/viewreport.php?entryid=55083). In addition, after a couple weeks of hiking really overgrown trails, it was nice to return to trails that were always obvious and generally not brushy. I saw maybe a dozen people during the loop over Passaconaway, but didn't see anyone anywhere else except for the aforementioned group with two dogs at the junction of Kelley Trail and Old Mast Road. Very strenuous but highly enjoyable and rewarding day! |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-06-18 |
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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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