| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Hubbard Brook Trail, Three Ponds Trail, Donkey Hill Cutoff, Mt. Kineo Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, June 14, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked on the side of Hubbard Brook Rd at the southern trailhead. We were the only car at the beginning and end of the day. There were no cars at the northern trailhead for the Mt Kineo Trail when we passed through on the roadwalk back to the car. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All of the streams on this route were running low today and posed no problems. The most challenging water-related issues were on the Three Ponds Trail. There is a short section of trail that traverses the edge of the bog that is adjacent to Foxglove Pond. We decided to bushwhack around this. Then, immediately north of the intersection with Donkey Hill Cutoff, the trail crosses a swampy area literally on top of / across a beaver dam, which was interesting. We found it to be stable, however. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The Hubbard Brook Trail is quite brushy and there is a segment close to Hubbard Brook Road that seems to enter into a beaver swamp and disappear, though we picked up the trail again on the other side. Not sure if we missed a bypass or if the bypass was eaten by the swamp.
Three Ponds Trail is also very brushy in places. Three Ponds Trail north of the ponds and the Mt Kineo Trail south of the height-of-land are carpeted with leaves and with such light foot traffic it can be easy to get off trail if you aren't paying close attention.
Donkey Hill Cutoff has the most obscene widow-maker I've ever encountered. It's a huge trunk suspended vertically, starting 20 feet above the ground, and it looks like a booby trap room from an Indiana Jones movie. I don't think anything can be done about it.
All of these trails have a lot of blowdowns, some significant. We removed or delimbed a few along the way, but hardly made a dent in the backlog. There are at least half a dozen that force hikers to thread the trail around the blowdowns, but foot traffic is so minimal that there isn't much visible erosion despite the bypass.
There were signs of very recent trail work on the northern end of the Mt Kineo Trail. Thanks! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
The bugs were numerous. I found them to be manageable at the beginning of the hike but I put on the bug net halfway through the Three Ponds Trail and needed it until the very end. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
With the threat of thunderstorms in the forecast, we adjusted our plans for a low-elevation exploration of an area of the Whites that was new to us. We really enjoyed this circuit of trails that, if not for the blazes on the few of them, might as well be official wilderness area trails. This loop constantly skirts beaver swamps and the highlight of the day was all of the direct and indirect signs of wildlife: bears, deer, spruce grouse, and many signs of moose and beaver activity.
Despite the threat of rain, we didn't get a drop.
We didn't see anybody except for a trio that we encountered when we were checking out the Three Ponds Shelter. |
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 | Name: |
JDH |
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 | E-Mail: |
jdhill08@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-06-14 |
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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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