| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Cardigan, Mt. Cardigan -- South Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Roadwalk, South Ridge Trail, Clark Trail, West Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, April 22, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Gate is still closed so had to roadwalk the park road to get to trails. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Minimal and rock-hoppable or bridged |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a few with their owners on the West Ridge Trail |
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 | Bugs: |
A few small gnats in the afternoon but not bothersome |
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 | Lost and Found: |
One glove liner on the rock near the gate |
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 | Comments: |
. Parked at small lot near gate. Only 1 car at ~10am when I arrived, about 8 cars when I was leaving in the afternoon.
One huge blowdown over the entrance to the parking lot (past the gate) they will have to take care of before reopening parking access!
Very windy day on Cardigan, but blue skies and sunshine helped keep me a little warmer. Gate is still closed, so had to add about 0.75 mi each way to road walk Cardigan Mt Road up to the trailhead. Working on my 52WAV list, so this was my first time up Cardigan. I wanted to take the South Ridge Trail up to hit South Cardigan Peak and have the full experience since I don't know when I'll be back. Snow was still quite prevalent on the South Ridge Trail starting not too long after the split off from West Ridge. Early on it was manageable without spikes, as it was hard-packed and icy/granular enough to not slide around, but eventually as it got steeper, traction (spikes) were helpful and then became absolutely necessary at a couple of parts. There were two sketchy icy traverses with decent drop offs that I slowly navigated while holding my breath.
Once I got up to the ledge viewpoint, most of the rockfaces were clear of snow except for short, mostly avoidable patches of ice or snow. Views from South Cardigan Peak were stunning, including a snowy Mt. Washington in the distance. I continued on South Ridge toward Clark Trail (I did almost wipe out hitting a slick spot near the cabin after coming down from South Cardigan Peak) and then took Clark Trail to the summit of Cardigan. Boy was it windy! Must have been consistently blowing 30-40 mph up there. Views were stunning, but I had to eat lunch tucked behind the wall of the fire tower because it was frigid, cold, relentless wind. I hadn't seen a soul all day and no one was on the summit while I was up there! Cool to have it to myself.
After lunch I descended on West Ridge Trail. That wind whipping across the bald rock was something else and I struggled to walk in the straight line. I felt chilled by the time I dropped back into the trees and was thankful there were no major ice patches or slick spots on the open rock face (everything was avoidable). Once back below treeline the descent went pretty quick. West Ridge was much less icy and snowy than South Ridge, though spikes were still helpful, especially around the bridge. Then the monorail got patchy then the trail became super muddy the last 0.25 mi or so before the junction. I passed about 10 people on the way down who were headed up on West Ridge--a few people had spikes, but most were bare booting it.
All in all, beautiful day when you were out of the wind. Definitely a memorable hike up and I loved it! |
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 | Name: |
Tadpole |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-04-24 |
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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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