| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Hibbard Mountain, Mt. Wonalancet, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Oliverian Brook Trail, Lawrence Trail, Walden Trail, Wonalancet Range Trail, Old Mast Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, June 15, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the large, dirt lot for Oliverian Brook trailhead. Kiosk. No privy. Small area plowed after storms in winter. No fee. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nothing of significance. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
All dogs should be fine on these trails. |
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 | Bugs: |
Oh yes. But the stiff breeze kept them away. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Route:
I dub this the “Oliverian Explorer” as nearly all of these trails were new to me.
Oliverian Brook > Lawerence > Walden Trl > Wonalancet Range > Old Mast Rd > Lawerence > Oliverian Brook > end.
Oliverian Brook: only blazed with blue diamonds where it shares a trail with a cross country ski trail. Then it is not blazed. All signs up, legible. Footbed takes some attention to follow, especially after the Passaconaway Cutoff jct. It is a lightly used trail. Lots of mud. Some areas several feet deep. Decrepit cribbing still intact in one area. One bog bridge hanging on for dear life. I threw as many logs as I could find and/or muscle over the muddiest of areas. Several water crossings. All small, all but one negotiable on rocks. The one that is not requires a very shallow, one step ford. What was sodden in the morning was drier in the early afternoon. But this is a muddy trail.
Lawerence: the 0.3 I did twice was nice and dry. Faded footbed, but able to follow. No blazes. All signs up, intact and legible.
Walden Trail: I swear to gad almighty this trail is a demon! I’ve only ever hiked the other end of this buggah while heading to Passaconaway. I tell you, this end is just as steep and scrambly as that other end!! At least there are some rock stairs! Blazed in blue. The path was easily seen along with the side trail to the singular view point. Don’t bypass this. It is a very nice view! The view is not signed, but a clear path diverges from the main path marking the route to a cliff. Watch dogs and kids. It’s a sharp drop. This scrambly trail is very pretty and interesting. Glacial erratics dot the trail along with open ledges and a very small chimney.
Wonalancet Range Trl: well blazed in a mix of fresh and faded blue blazes. Very thankful for this as the footbed in lower areas is completely obscured by leaves from last autumn. No issue following the trail from the Walden jct. Hibbard peak not signed, but has a nice footbed to a viewpoint. Experienced hikers will see an open ledge with a small erratic and think, “Huh. I bet this is the summit.” And they’d be right. ;) From this view point, it is a lovely traipse over to Mt Wonalancet summit. No view, no sign at the actual summit. No pile of rocks randomly in the woods. But once descending the summit cone, the hiker is treated to a lovely view from Wonalancet’s ledges. Very nice! After the ledges it is a moderately steep descent over wide spread boulder fields, with some slippery short ledge scrambles, down to nice, open woods. Beautiful woods. I could have stayed there all day… Grateful for the blazes, though, as this is a lightly travelled trail.
Old Mast Rd: this is blazed sparsely in blue. But it IS an old road and starts off very wide. After the boundary, the path narrows but is simple to follow. The grade is easy to moderate and very pretty. I kept stopping to gawk. I felt like I was back in western North Carolina.
From the end of this trail, I retraced my steps back to the parking area. |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-06-15 |
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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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