| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Cannon Mountain, Northeast Cannonball, North Kinsman, South Kinsman, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Kinsman Ridge Trail, Kinsman Pond Trail, Cascade Brook Trail, Lonesome Lake Trail, bike path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, June 20, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at trailhead at Tramway lot off I-93 in Franconia. This is a very large, dirt surfaced lot. You are also permitted to park in the Tramway lot. There are porta-potties next to the paved lot. Paved parking area plowed in winter. The dirt lot is closed in winter. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The crossing of Cascade Brook, on Kinsman Pond Trail, just before the Cascade Brook Trl jct had to be forded. There were enough protruding, or semi submerged, rocks to make the fording parts very short. Water was shin depth (6-8 inches) at the worst. But creek rocks are slick. Take your time. All other crossings achieved with rock hopping. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Trails good for dogs. Pack water for them as Kinsman Ridge itself is dry. The pond offers enough water to fill up. My trek was too long and too “ruff” today to bring mine. ;) One gorgeous, friendly Siberian Husky out having the time of her life. |
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 | Bugs: |
Oh yes. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Dog Fish brand buff found in the col between North & South Kinsman. Left on obvious branch so owner could pick it up. |
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 | Comments: |
Route:
Kinsman Ridge (over Cannon, the Cannonballs and out to South Kinsman summit) > Kinsman Ridge back to > Kinsman Pond trl > Cascade Brook > Lonesome Lake > bike path.
Kinsman Ridge: well blazed in blue. Simple to follow footbed. The climb up to Cannon from Tramway was fraught with slick rock ledges and erosion. Take care. Big mud vats after the viewpoint, 0.4 miles from the summit. Many are being hiked around, further eroding this tender area. Cannon summit has communications tower you can climb. Summit socked in, didn’t climb it today. Descending Cannon heading towards the Lonesome Lake jct takes quite a bit of time. This 0.5 miles is super steep, with slick rocks, boulders, rock ledges, and that one small sketchy bit I loathe. But at least there was NO ICE!!! I loathe that more! The trail over the Cannonballs is also blazed in blue, simple to follow. Just follow all the mud vats. Very significant mud over these peaks. Good running water right now in the col between East and Middle peaks. Not reliable. From the jct with Fishin’ Jimmy to South Kinsman summit, the mud takes a holiday. Rocks dry, slick from countless boots traversing their faces. Maybe an equivalent face smoothing cream could be made for humans? :). This section is blazed in white as it is the AT.
Kinsman Pond: blazed in blue for the entirety. Kinsman Pond campsite has a caretaker, shelter, privy and bear box. Water source is the tannin infused pond. I filled up here. Working around the pond is a bit of tricky footwork, but nothing steep. Once passing the pond outlet is a lovely moss garden, glowing green today. The many little rivulets running strong, but have bog bridges to traverse them. Then the adventure begins. This trail basically follows the outlet stream from Kinsman Pond. This means lots of walking down streams, crossing streams, and rocks covered in thick moss. Because of this, rocks are very slick. Ask me how I know this… Blazes keep you on trail. Also lots of slick roots. What do you get with a hiker, moss, and rocks? A summer skier! At the end of the trail is a super mellow, lovely walk to the jct.
Cascade Brook: this is the AT and is supposed to be blazed in white. Bring your magnifying glass as blazes are very faded. But the footbed is simple to follow. Lots of good, dry rocks and bog bridges to cover the 0.8 miles up to Lonesome jct.
Lonesome Lake: blazed in yellow. Very popular trail. Tricky footing once leaving the pond, but then surface turns more sandy and wide. I would have been able to plow down this had I not sprained my ankle on a tiny rock when I wasn’t looking while walking around the lake. First time this spring I really wanted snow back…
Bike path: paved. Walk with your ears open as bikes go pretty fast on this trail. All bikes I encountered were courteous and slowed down a bit to give me time to move off the path. |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-06-20 |
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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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