| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Shelburne Trail, Highwater Trail, Wild River Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, September 27, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Room for a few cars at the Shelburne trailhead on Wild River Road, and a parking lot that could fit at least a dozen cars at Wild River Campground. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Crossing of Wild River on Shelburne Trail is a straightforward wade - water never got over my knees. The crossings of Bull, Moriah, and Cypress Brooks also required wading, but those wades were easy. The crossing of Wild River on the combined Wild River/Black Angel trails is, IMO, actually tougher than the Shelburne Trail crossing - the route directly across is deeper and has more swiftly flowing water. My friend found a way around slightly upstream of the direct crossing - this was shallower, but required a boulder scramble afterward to get back to the trail. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Significant sections of Highwater Trail between Shelburne and Moriah Brook trails are effectively nonexistent - there are two significant stretches of bushwhacking in that area. There's another shorter section of bushwhacking between the two Moriah Brook junctions. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Between the bushwhacking, the many heavily undercut riverbanks, and the large number of major water crossings, this is not a dog-friendly hike. |
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 | Bugs: |
A few. They were somewhat bothersome at times to my friend. They mostly ignored me. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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|
 | Comments: |
Well, it was time to get the southern half of Highwater Trail, even though we knew that parts of it were a disaster zone. And indeed they were. The worst section is between Shelburne Trail and the first junction with Moriah Brook Trail. In this section, there are two significant stretches of bushwhacking. The first is where the route ("trail" is too strong a word) skirts a swampy area - it's not clear where to cross the small brook that drains the swamp, and the most likely place leads to a stretch of bushwhacking through tall grass before re-entering the woods. The second stretch, however, is even worse - the route has to go around a massive washout (the same washout that is visible across the river on Wild River Trail just 0.1 or 0.2 from the trailhead), and there's basically no trail here. Hikers have to bushwhack across a steep sidehill for a significant distance before they can even think about finding the trail again. Other sections of trail are precariously perched atop high, undercut riverbanks. This section needs a LOT of work, and people who are not comfortable with bushwhacking should avoid this stretch of trail.
The section where Highwater coincides with Moriah Brook Trail also has a washout that needs to be bushwhacked around, but this bushwhack is somewhat easier since there's already a faint herd path and the distance bushwhacked isn't so great. After Moriah Brook Trail peels off to head up the valley of Moriah Brook, Highwater Trail has a bunch of ups and downs but luckily did not require any more bushwhacking. This section felt longer than it actually was. See my notes above about the crossing of Wild River on the combined Wild River/Black Angel trails. Wild River Trail is a quick and easy return to the campground. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-09-28 |
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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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