| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Deer Mountain (Pittsburg), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Deer Mountain Fire Tower Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, January 8, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lots of parking at the border for 4th CT Lake. Big plowed turnout on Route 3 for Deer Mtn. 2nd CT Lake dam parking for Falls in the River had not been plowed since Sunday's storm, but the 6-8" of powder was no problem for my Subaru w/ winter tires. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easy - either wood bridged or snow bridged |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Just a few blowdowns here and there, normal amount for this time of year. Not as much storm damage up here it seems. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Fourth CT Lake is owned by The Nature Conservancy, and dogs are not allowed. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Headed above of the 45th parallel today for these northernmost of trails in the White Mtn. Guide. The North Country did not get quite as much snow as down South, but there was anywhere from 4 (in the softwoods) to 8-10 (in the open hardwoods) inches of fluffy powder which made for very pleasant and easy snowshoeing through a remote feeling winter wonderland. (This was 3 separate hikes, but they are relatively short, so I put 'em all in the same NETC report.)
4th CT Lake Trail: Thinking they probably don't get a lot of winter visitors, I did check in with the border patrol and spoke with a very nice man there. The US-Canada border swath was covered in about 8 inches of beautiful powder. The ledgy scrambles were no problem, and the loop around little 4th CT Lake, the headwaters of the CT River, was just really, really pretty. There are, however, a lot of bog bridges which were easy to step off of, so careful foot placement was required.
Deer Mtn. Fire Tower Trail: The road (Sophie's Lane, a link in the Cohos Trail) to the summer trailhead is not plowed, so I parked at a wide plowed turnout just across Route 3. This adds an extra 1.6 miles round trip, so the winter round trip mileage is just under 6 miles. This is a beautiful snowshoe! The trail, an old firewarden's route, never gets very steep. Even though it is marked with those goofy, nailed on 2x6" pieces of wood which eventually disintegrate and fall off (why is this better than just painting blazes on a tree?), I found the trail easy to follow, even in the big open area where the firewarden's cabin used to be; the blazes disappeared for awhile, but a shallow trough could be detected. (Just keep going straight.) The rungs of the fire tower have been removed, so you can't really climb it; there is an interesting tree growing within the tower. On my descent I found another obvious trail (hmm...) that I followed for a couple hundred feet. It seemed to be heading northeast, not the direction I wanted to go, so I turned back.
Falls in the River Trail: Less snow here due to its being caught by all the softwoods overhead, so this one would still be easily barebooted. It's always sort of puzzled me why this piece of the Cohos Trail is included in the WMG and not every other true trailed (vs road) segment of the CT north of Nash Stream. (When I finished the WMG in 2014, it bugged me enough that I hiked the CT end to end the following year.) Anyway, it's interesting to see the CT River narrower and with waterfalls and little rapids. Lots of critter tracks in here. After hiking the appointed 2.1 miles to the Moose Alley CT segment and the "To Route 3, 0.2 miles Trail," I road walked the 1.5 or so miles back to my car.
A really nice day in the way North Country! |
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 | Name: |
Snowflea |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-01-09 |
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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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