| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
New Ipswich Mountain, Stony Top, Pratt Mountain, Mt. Watatic, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Wapack Trail, Frank Robbins Trail, State Line Trail, old cart path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, May 19, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We spotted a car at the southern end along Rt 119. Mid-sized dirt lot with room for probably more than a dozen cars but it seems to be at least somewhat busy. Mostly full around 8am and 4:15pm. Smaller parking area on Rt 123/124 with room for more like a half dozen but only a couple others there. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All very easily rock hopable |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
An easy but large de-limbed stepover on the north side of the powerline clearing by Windblown mid-sized trivial stepover somewhere around Barrett Mtn, a small leaner that you've got to duck under around the summit of Pratt Mtn, a couple small learners/widow makers over top some bog bridges around Binney Pond, a very large widow maker between Nutting Ledges and the summit of Wattatic, and a very old widow maker just before the summit of Wattatic. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Seems like good trails for dogs |
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 | Bugs: |
They weren't really bothersome unless we stopped. They got a bit worse in the afternoon. Pretty bad on the summit of Wattatic where everyone was hanging out but if you descend to the SW knob where there was some wind, they were fine. The views were much better there anyway! Though we didn't find any on us, a number of sections of this trail seem like tick havens. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Wapack Trail is freshly blazed with yellow triangles. I think blazing was regular if not necessarily frequent. State Line Trail is blazed in blue. The old cart path is not marked and could be confusing, I'd make sure to know to turn right and follow the stone wall if heading north. Frank Robbins Trail was largely unmarked though we noticed some very old (white?) blaze.
A nice hike with a friend of the Wattatic trail south from Rt 123/124 to its southern terminus in MA. You'll pass around some massive vehicles taking up the entire mud pit of a road down by Windblown. We questioned if we were going the correct way but blazes eventually reassured us. The trail was pretty flat for a ways, then ascended moderately toward Barrett Mtn. It passed two shelter spurs along the way which are not needed for redlining. It was at the second one that the woods changed and became quite beautiful. The entire ridge walk from Barrett to Pratt was in fact pretty pleasant though we were socked in and viewless :( Binney Pond was a cool spot though the trail took its sweet time getting to a nice view of it. The section of the Wapack that bypasses Frank Robbins Trail was boring but not unpleasant. Frank Robbins Trail on the other hand was very overgrown (we didn't find any ticks on is but I wouldn't be surprised to find several), very wet and mucky at times, and on old roads I believe. Nutting Ledges and Wattatic were cool and we finally got our first view of the day on the latter! Be sure to descend to the SW knob where the views are much better (and it's much less crowded!). We then descended to the State Line Trail, hiked north 1mi to the old cart path, turned right to follow the stone wall, and returned along the Wapack Trail and old cart path to the southern end of the trail. The trail was wet most of the day with the rain from the day before and being in cloud most of the day. There were some major muddy/wet spots, mostly on Frank Robbins Trail and near Windblownn, but overall the trail was pleasant and I only wish it were a sunny day. Gaia had us at 13.3mi, 1850ft of gain. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-05-22 |
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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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