| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Westside Trail, Kedron Flume Trail, Saco River Trail, Sam Willey Trail, Maggie's Run, Maggie's Extension, Dry River Trail, Webster Cliff Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, August 7, 2023 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Left my car across from Webster Cliff trail on the dirt shoulder of Willey Station Road (Ethan Pond) |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All bridged, no rocket science required anywhere. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A fair amount of downed trees on Westside Trail, some obscuring the trail. A couple crawl unders about a mile south of the Webster Cliff trail on Saco River Trail, and some small stepovers that were not terrible. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw one very sweet black lab retriever who even gave me a couple smiles! |
|
 | Bugs: |
Ferocious beyond Webster Cliff on Saco, Dry and Maggie's. Applied repellent twice. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
With showers in today's forecast, and much heavier rain coming in it was nice to stay low. A group of AT hikers were enjoying trail magic, and were nice to chat with. One was familiar from our previous days trip along Garfield Ridge Trail. Surprised that they had been recommended to take the Dry River by their host, I couldn't help but steer them away from the idea considering the recent heavy rains, and having been through there with my own eyes just a few weeks prior. Eek!
This semi-circuitous route started by heading north on the Westside trail from the parking area. This trail was trash, seeming that whoever designed it was drinking, as it zigs and zags all over the hill pointlessly. The foot bed is weak, and the trail is blazed heavily, but it's still easy to zag instead of zig! Crossing 302 onto the Saco River Trail it all turned around. The state park's walking trail on this section was a fantastic and welcome change. The Sam Willey loop was short and sweet, and has great views of the river and Mt. Willard's cliffs. After meeting up with the Webster Cliff Trail the next leg of the Saco River Trail was uneventful, except for the beautiful black lab I met enjoying the woods with his peeps. I had just finished wondering if I'd see any bear activity the closer I got to the campground! Surprise! When I came to the junction for Maggie's Run the bugs had really thickened, and I opted to make my loop back to Dry River Trail counter clockwise and head for 302. Maggie's Run was way better than I expected! I would totally go back here, it stays along the river and plenty of beautiful pools. After checking off all the odds and ends of the trail, I walked a short portion of 302 to connect to Dry River Trail. Nothing to report here. Arrived at the junction with the Dry River Connection and headed north along the Saco River Trail back to the car. |
|
 | Name: |
bria |
|
 | E-Mail: |
|
|
| Date Submitted: |
2023-08-07 |
|
 | 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. |
|
