| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Little Haystack Mountain, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lafayette, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Falling Waters Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, April 18, 2024 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the large, paved lot for the Falling Waters/Old Bridle Path trailhead off I-93. This lot is plowed after storms. Kisok. Privies just up the path. Only one open today. Stocked. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Spring Snow |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Old Bridle Path and Franconia Ridge have no water crossings. Falling Waters has several crossings. The first is bridged with a human made bridge. After that, al crossings were completely manageable with exposed rocks. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
|
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
|
|
 | Bugs: |
|
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Route:
Falling Waters > Franconia Ridge > Greenleaf > Old Bridle Path.
Falling Waters: well blazed in blue for winter/spring travel. Initial trail manageable in bare boots. Spikes put on at 2200 feet when the monorail began. Monorail/packed snow to tree line. I don't think snowshoes would work, but we were there in the early morning. We carried snowshoes because you never know... At treeline we removed spikes as there was just bare rock.
Franconia Ridge: this is the AT as is blazed in standard white blazes with supplmental cairns. We used bare boots as it was largely exposed rock and sandy soil. There were sections of packed snow that were no issue in bare boots. These sections were not worth employment of additional footwear. Very scant sections of ice that were negotiable.
Greenleaf: large cairns mark the path above treeline. As descending from Lafayette, the trail initially had spike worthy packed snow. This quickly vanished forcing us into bare boots and to carry our spikes in our hands. Once in the scrub, we put the spikes back on as we encountered enough packed snow to warrant such foot wear. Then there was open trail again, then packed snow, then... Well, you get the idea. It is spring. Things are melting. The snow was packed enough and in such sections that snowshoes would not have worked well. The water in front of the hut is open, able to walk across on exposed rocks. There are workers at the hut, it is not yet open to the public.
Old Bridle Path: well blazed in yellow. We put spikes back on assuming that there would be a continuous packed snow path like Falling Waters. Wrong! We soon removed the spikes as trying to balance on rocks and rock ledges is very tricky in spikes. Thus, from the hut to 3000 feet is a mix of mostly open trail, packed snow patches and stable monorail. At 3000 feet the woods again regained their snow blanket and the trail was again packed snow. Though there were a few scant open sections, spikes served us well until down to 2600 feet where the snow has melted from the woods. The trail was much more open with the smaller snow segments manageable with surrounding rocks. Down in the open woods the snow vanishes leaving mud, running water on trail, and open trail. Bare boots were fine.
We met only one person all day. Had the peaks all to ourselves!
Again, we carried snowshoes ready to use them if needed. Due to the time of day and the direction of travel, they were not needed today. Mine were still happy to be out and about watching me grid Lincoln and Lafayette!
|
|
 | Name: |
Remington34 |
|
 | E-Mail: |
|
|
| Date Submitted: |
2024-04-18 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
