| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Cube -- South Peak, Mt. Cube -- North Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Cross Rivendell Trail, Mt. Cube Trail, North Peak Spur Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, June 17, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The trailhead is approximately .9 mi in from NH25A in Orford on left side of road. There appears to be room for 3-4 medium sized vehicles on this side of road, outside of the posted "no parking between signs". Since I was the first to arrive, I parked here and only one other vehicle did. All others were parked at a clearing about 150 feet before the trailhead, on the opposite side of the road and directly across from a residential driveway. Everyone else had parked here, including one person partially on the roadway. I saw no signs at trailhead prohibiting parking here, but am unsure that was acceptable. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
There are 3-4 drainages or stream beds on the CR trail and all were dry today. All had rock steps to use in the event of any water flowing. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail in excellent condition. A few blowdowns are encroaching on trail, but all but one can be easily stepped over or around without leaving treadway. One, about a mile in, requires a high straddle type step over, which might be a little challenging for those creatures with shorter legs who are too tall to walk under. It is too large to clear with a hand saw. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
There is a stream right near the trailhead, but no water on the trail other than that. The scramble covering the last .1 before the main summit might be tricky for some, but there shouldn't be any need for any lifting. Might be slippery if wet. There are numerous exposed slabs on the upper half of the trail, but many of these can be bypassed by dirt footpaths on one side or the other. Saw two well behaved dogs ascending on my descent. |
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 | Bugs: |
Flying and landing at various times, only a couple attempted a meal. Used picaridin spray at start, kept the headnet off. No issues at summits due to a little breeze or while moving on footpath. Only problems were when stopped to try to determine routes over slabs and for breathers, and then mostly just annoying. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
A couple of items at at the kiosk and looks like they have been there for a while. |
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 | Comments: |
Most of mud is dry and that which is wet can be avoided, sometimes with rock steps. Blazing could be improved in some areas, but other than the exposed slabs, the footpath is well defined and relatively easy to follow without them. Some braiding of the path on the upper half, perhaps made when there may have been mud issues? The slabs lack blazes that clarify the path. There is a quartzy outcrop with an exposed view around the 1.4-1.5 mark but I could see no blazes to indicate these are either on trail or off trail. There is a herd path that by passes these slabs, with no blazing, so unsure whether this is unofficial bypass. Blazes on summit slab/boulder scramble are confusing with respect to direction (some point forward, some point sideways, almost backtracking).
First time visit to this trail and first listed peak of the year (52WAV). Off to a late start due to personal and family illness and other family issues, so trying to hike my way into condition to resume my 48/67/100 quest.
First arrival a little after 7AM and no other humans seen until I had passed the South Peak on the way down. One couple and a dog were just below the summit and then saw another 12 or so humans in various combinations and one dog between the 1 mi and 1.7 mi marks.
Lower half of trail has easier footing and mostly easy to moderate grades, very few exposed slabs and those are smaller. Upper half is rougher footing, more muddy areas (but mostly dry today) and many more and larger slabs and other rocks. Grades are more variable, with some flat and even descending sections, but also some steep climbs over medium and large rocks and more 8-18" step ups. The last .1 mi to the summit is all rock climbing. I needed to use hands to make a couple of minor moves on the ascent, partly due to my lack of flexibility in one hip (lifetime problem) and perhaps due to poor path selection. The few blazes I saw were not very helpful and some paths that appeared easier for me to navigate were nowhere near the blazes. This part of the climb might be easier with more careful route planning. On the descent, I was able to select routes that allowed me to walk down the entire section without using hands, other than on trek poles. For me, that is typical, as I often need to use hands on ascent due to aforementioned physical limitations (and sometimes poor judgement).
Many of the slabs on the upper half have high quartz content and quartz by its nature is more slippery than granite. Other slabs had other smooth surfaces. All of these would be very slippery if wet. Today everything was dry and the only slip I had was on a partially leaf covered smooth slab on the descent. Fortunately the use of trek poles gave me three other points of contact, so no fall. Perhaps people with more experience with this trail might have better insight on this topic.
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 | Name: |
SpartyHikerfromME |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-06-17 |
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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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