| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Flume, Mt. Liberty, Little Haystack Mountain, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lafayette, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lincoln Woods Trail, Osseo Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, October 31, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
One car parked at Lafayette Place parking area off I-93. Large lot. Plowed in winter. No privies. Second car spotted at Lincoln Woods lot of NH 112. Very large lot. Plowed in winter. Heated bathrooms open year round. $5 fee lot, or WMNF parking pass displayed on windshield. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Route: traverse of the Franconias starting at Lincoln Woods and ending at Old Bridle Path
Lincoln Woods > Osseo Trail > Franconia Ridge > Greenleaf Trail > Old Bridle Path
Lincoln Woods: flat, fast. Muddy.
Osseo Trail: well blazed in yellow. Leaf litter not an issue in lower elevations. Dusting of snow in upper elevations. Minimal ice. Ladders free of ice, but snow dusted. One rung had ice on half of it.
Franconia Ridge:
- Small amounts of avoidable ice on Flume summit. No traction needed.
- Descending Flume there were small amounts of avoidable ice, no traction needed, but this will take time to negotiate as some of the ice is hidden under leaves. Watch footing. Light snow (less than 0.25 inches).
- Avoided the oddly angled, ice slathered ledges just below Liberty’s summit cone by taking the short by pass. Light snow on summit.
- Descending off Liberty took a bit of time to get to the junction due to increased, but not treacherous levels of ice. Traction useful for this 0.3 mile segment.
- The Ridge over to Little Haystack was a mix of avoidable ice, light snow and mud. Some frozen mud and pools. But don’t trust if the iced pools will hold your weight! Ask me how I know this… Traction not really helpful as ice was in short segments. But still, longer time to traverse the frozen obstacles.
- At tree line, there is a mix of light snow, tiny drifts (1 inch or less), exposed rock, and some ice. Much less ice than I thought would be there. Traction not used. Do not construe this to mean you don’t need traction. This was my 11th iteration out here. I am used to the trails. I was comfortable sliding down the short icy ledges. You may not be. If using traction, you way want your rock/“beater” spikes as you will cover all terrain between ice pieces.
- Signs becoming harder to read due to rime ice.
Greenleaf Trail: ice, ice, ice. Headwind. Spikes went on and stayed on. Layers went on. River of ice all the way to the hut. The pond is not fully frozen over, rocks still protrude for hopping across the water in front of the hut.
Old Bridle Path: thinking the ice would mellow, I was sorely disappointed. Spikes remained on. Blessedly, those pesky chimney-like rock obstacles were ice free. But ice was waiting thickly at the bottom. Spikes stayed on until about 1 mile from the parking lot. We hiked out in the dark so I cannot recall the last 1.5 miles.
Traction. Highly recommend. |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-11-02 |
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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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