| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Pisgah State Park, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Woods road, Connector Trail, Reservoir Road, South Link, Broad Brook Road, Doolittle Trail, Old Chesterfield Road, Snow Brook Trail, Old Spofford Road, Jon Hill Road, Orchard Trail, Dogwood Swamp Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 18, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked at the designated parking area on Rt 119. Only car there at 8am and 5:30pm. Large and dirt. Basically free of clear of snow and ice. A car had driven up to the park's visitor center over snow and ice. It was a sedan. I'm curious how many cars drive these roads in winter and if they're maintained and kept open in the winter. I know the guidebook speaks to this in part but I haven't combed through it all. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Anything that wasn't bridged was trivial but note that there's a bridge on Dogwood Swamp Trail that's out but it is not obvious that it's suffered structural damage with snow overtop it. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
I think the roads weren't blazed/marked but any "trail" was marked with white triangles with the trail's name on it. I believe at least some of them had yellow blaze on them as well. I believe all trail signs are intact but the jct of Snowbrook Trail and Orchard Trail is not obvious if heading east on Snowbrook. The trail sign for Orchard Trail was set in a ways and I walked right by it when heading east given the way it diverged. Large debris/broken tree 5-10min in the west end of Snowbrook Trail. Two easy stepovers (small-mid sized) and a larger widowmaker closer to the eastern end of the trail. Dogwood Swamp Trail had several blowdowns on it but nothing too numerous or cumbersome. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
This would be an excellent long walk for dogs. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Nice to get a long albeit virtually flat and easy hike in again. My whacky redlining route: Woods Rd and Connector Trail described in the Broad Brook Rd Trail description to --> Reservoir Rd --> OAB on Reservoir Rd to 119 --> South Link --> OAB on Broad Brook Rd to residential area (property posted; did not get far) --> Broad Brook Rd (north) --> Doolittle Trail (east) --> OAB on Old Chesterfield Rd to southern trailhead --> Old Chesterfield Rd (north) --> OAB (south) on Broad Brook Rd to Doolittle Trail --> Old Chesterfield Rd (north) --> Snowbrook Trail --> Woods Rd and Old Spofford Rd --> Jon Hill Rd --> OAB on Orchard Trail --> Old Chesterfield Rd (north) --> Dogwood Swamp Trail (south) --> Reservoir Rd to car.
A few things to note: given that the guidebook gives a distance between Rt 119 and South Link, I was going to redline it, but a short distance south of South Link you'll come to private property signs so I turned around. Snowbrook Trail ends at a spur rd off of Old Spofford Rd; do not bear right in the clearing and follow the trail shown on Gaia that connects Snowbrook and Jon Hill Rd as it is not needed for redlining. Orchard Trail is easy to walk by if walking east on Snowbrook Trail. I did an OAB from Jon Hill Rd instead. Note that while I went up the less steep way of Dogwood Swamp Trail, hiking it in this direction also meant that I was going uphill toward the end of the day. Then again, we're talking a few hundred feet of gain, lol.
Snow never had any depth to it. A few inches at most that I imagine is mostly gone now. I'm sure there was some ice but never considered throwing my spikes on. Some dry trail too. While my hike may have been boring for the first few miles, Broad Brook Rd did eventually become quite nice as it walked along the brook. Lots of rhododendrons which were beautiful too. The historical sites were very neat but will slow you down, haha! Gaia had me at about 22mi, 1600ft of gain, 9hr15min. When I mapped it out, Gaia said the elevation was closer to 2500 I think so the 1600 is likely way off but it's still a very flat hike. |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-02-24 |
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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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