| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Frankenstein Cliff Trail, Arethusa-Ripley Falls Trail, Arethusa Falls Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, February 21, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lots of room at top lot when we arrived (8:15), then plenty more at lower lot |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No problem |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blowdowns, all manageable |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
This a great little loop that I first did in early fall a few years ago. Yesterday conditions were very different. I have never before had so much trouble with postholes. Given the nicely packed surface along the RR tracks leading to the trestle - where the actual trail runs under the tracks and then heads up slope - we chose to leave the snowshoes in the truck and use only microspikes. Yesterday was the first time I have ever regretted doing so. The trail was manageable up to and under the cliffs, then above until the burn area and the viewpoint. From there, the condition of the trail was terrible - full of postholes through the frozen crust and covered by a few inches of powder. The fresh snow was enough to hide our view of most postholes, but not enough to fill them in. We struggled the rest of the way on the FC Trail to the junction of the ARF Trail and then downhill to the AF Trail, which was indeed consistently well-packed, to our relief. There was a separate snowshoe track most of the way from the viewpoint to the AF Trail that paralleled the real trail, and we did walk on that some of the time. However, much of the distance was on the posthole-infested actual trail, which made for very slow going, and knee and ankle twists. The modest powder depth would not normally have demanded snowshoes, but they would have been helpful for letting us more effectively parallel the posthole track, as the previous snowshoer had done. I strongly suggest carrying your snowshoes so you can decide when or whether to use them on the loop, or just stay away until we get more significant snow. The current forecast suggests that tomorrow's precip will not be enough to cure this morass of postholes, so it might be awhile before this trail improves. The Arethusa Falls Trail was packed and fast, so if you're just heading up to the (frozen) falls, you'll be fine with microspikes. |
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 | Name: |
John Parsons |
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 | E-Mail: |
jparsons62752@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-02-22 |
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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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