| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Osceola, East Osceola, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Tripoli Road, Mt. Osceola Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, February 26, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The Livermore lot is plowed and was icy in the morning, and muddy in the afternoon. Hello spring! |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Open and very low. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There are some half buried stepovers low on the Mt Osceola Trail and then a series of duckunders starting above breadtray ridge and continuing across to East. None are obstructing. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I don’t hike the Osceolas from the Kanc in winter because I get freaked out by the steep descent. My good friends (grid finishers 125 and 135) swear by the Waterville Valley route; this was my 3rd snowy/icy trek from this side.
You park at the Livermore parking lot and then snowshoe up Tripoli Road to the trailhead. Snowshoes are absolutely required by Waterville Valley and they also require that you stay to the edge of the road, as the road is groomed for XC skiing and gets a lot of use.
The upside is that there are no snowmobiles whizzing by.
I wore snowshoes all day. Mt Osceola Trail from Tripoli Road to Osceola is pretty decently postholed. There were a few inches of fresh and drifted snow since the last people were through, and the base is not firm.
Between the two peaks the trail is firmer but snowshoes were still the right choice. The steeps before the chimney were really icy and it was very difficult to be vertical on the way down.
I took the bypass to the bypass in both directions, because it has the most trees to hug and I am a tree hugger.
I saw exactly one person today - and it was someone that I know quite well. What are the odds? |
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 | Name: |
Bikecamphikegirl |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-02-26 |
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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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