| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Sanguinary Mountain, Baby Flume, Dixville Notch, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Tumble Dick Mountain Trail (Corridor 18), Sugar Hill Trail, Sanguinary Summit Trail, Sanguinary Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, June 29, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at boat ramp at Coleman State Park. Parked at Baby Flume wayside (very nice pit toilet there, thank you) in Dixville Notch east. |
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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: |
Lots of standing water and running water down the trail, brooks running high and we had to just walk through their waters. The brook in the col between Sugar Hill and Mud Pond Ridge, Sugar Hill Brook, was roaring and that was a good wade with water good shin deep over rocks. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Corridor 18 is a snowmobile trail that has seen a lot of grading and work in recent years, we'd would have walked in the ditch if water wasn't so high. The grass is high, ground soft and no foot bed is established. Great news that a work day is planned for August 5th to replace the rotten bog bridges on the Sanguinary Summit Trail. There is a big blowdown across the trail on the north side of the summit loop. The view has really grown in at the Panorama Shelter. There is a mileage error on the 2023 map, Between Coleman State Park and Sanguinary Mountain! new map 4.1 vs. 6.1 on old map. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
water everywhere |
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 | Bugs: |
Very few, what a relief |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We are slack packing the Cohos Trail and this was our Second of this two day trip (total for four days slack packing).
We dropped off a car in Dixville Notch and then drove to Coleman State Park. Wonderful to start hiking at 8:30 am after a good night's sleep in Colebrook at the Black Bear. Sun trying to come out but never really did and the dark clouds became lighter and higher. From the Campground don't be fooled only follow the snowmobile trail a few feet before taking a hard left into the woods at the Tumble Dick Trail which just cuts the corner to reach Corridor 18 snowmobile, our hopes quickly dashed we wouldn't be walking in high grass and mud. Again no foot bed has been established since the grading of the snowmobile corridor. We found lots of very helpful blazes all day! I recalled liking this trail when I bushwhacked to Tumble Dick & Sugar in the Winter. Summer well it was another push through high grass and muddy water bars. We happy to enter the woods and leaving the snowmobile trail after those peaks col. As expected due to all the rain there was lots of running and standing water. We tossed a few sticks and there were very few blow downs, issues with lots of standing water and high grasses and prickers were the battle. Somewhere before crossing brook the Sugar Hill Trail follows a snowmobile trail a short distance downhill before leaving it again on the otherside--of course we walked a few minutes past it before we realized we had left the trail. Upon retracing our steps we found the trail again because we could see a blaze in the distance-a grade stake here would be helpful.
Sugar Hill Brook was ROARING and we carefully walked across the rushing water.
I used to xc ski at the BALSAMS and when we crossed the reservoir pipe and road I knew I had skied here, their xc trails went all around Mud Pond and Abeniki & Keazer Mts. The weather was improving but nothing drying out and we appreciated being out of the tall grasses and back into the forest following a trail. No view from Sanguinary Mountain's summit. Panorama shelter is in good condition and we signed into the log book, last to sign in was one person on 6/17 and only a couple other too in the month of June and all reported hiked in the rain. It was enjoyable hiking down the Sanguinary Mt Ridge to our car waiting at the lovely Baby Flume.
Next outing will have us backpacking to Baldhead and Old Hermit shelters. Can't wait.
New Cohos Trail map mileage is incorrect between coleman state park and dixville notch. Both our GPS trackers had us almost 7 miles to the boat ramp to the shelter, the 2020 map's 6.1 is correct to the shelter from the actual beginning of the Tumble Dick Trail. The '20 maps 3 miles is more correct too and not the . if measured from the shelter We clocked the whole day at nearly 11 miles vs. 2023 maps 7.7 and the 2020 map's 10.1 miles. |
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 | Name: |
Nordic_Gal |
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 | E-Mail: |
amybike@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-06-30 |
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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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