| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Kinsman Pond, Lonesome Lake Hut, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Basin-Cascades Trail, Cascade Brook Trail, Kinsman Pond Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Fishin' Jimmy Trail, Lonesome Lake Trail, bike path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, July 28, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room at the southbound Basin parking area at 7:30 in the morning. Restrooms are open. When I got back in the afternoon, the parking area was almost full. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The first crossing of Cascade Brook on Basin-Cascades Trail was a fairly straightforward rock hop. The crossing on Cascade Brook Trail just above the junction with Basin-Cascades Trail looked tougher, so I went upstream a bit and found a way to rock-hop. The crossing right at the bottom of Kinsman Pond Trail has several possible ways across, but I made it with just one step on a rock with 2-3" of water (my foot felt wet briefly, but it dried quickly). |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No blowdowns. Several portions of Kinsman Pond Trail run in small brooks, but some sections have herd paths around them. Signs are all in place, but be careful at Kinsman Junction to go the right way - I met a hiker who intended to go down Fishin' Jimmy but ended up hiking a mile on Kinsman Ridge Trail toward the Cannon Balls before he realized his mistake. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Fishin' Jimmy has some very steep ledges. Otherwise they should be fine. |
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 | Bugs: |
Not an issue. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
This was a loop around Kinsman Pond and Lonesome Lake, intended to redline Kinsman Pond Trail. Basin-Cascades Trail has a lot of roots and mud - it's clear that heavy use has not been kind to it. The half-mile section of Cascade Brook Trail that I was on was in relatively good condition. Kinsman Pond Trail starts off easy, flat to gradual with good footing. It then gets a bit steeper as it parallels a brook, almost out of sight of it. It then eases for a few tenths before reaching the steeper and very rough section that runs in a brook part of the way. This section is rough and slippery, but I didn't find it terrible - it's never too steep, and, at least in today's fairly low water, rock-hopping up the brook wasn't too crazy since most of the rocks were out of the water and it was easy to stay dry. The description in the WMG made it sound like it would be like Sphinx Trail, however in reality there is no comparison (Sphinx Trail is way worse). There are also beaten herd paths next to the trail as well. The section along the shore of Kinsman Pond had a few interesting little scrambles.
At Kinsman Junction, I headed up Kinsman Ridge Trail briefly to redline the short section between there and Mt. Kinsman Trail. This section has several steep slabs that need to be negotiated. Once that was done, I headed down Fishin' Jimmy. The steep sections in the upper part of the trail were mostly dry, and the rock was fairly grippy. Bog bridges were also generally in good shape. It's still not an entirely pleasant trail though - one pair of hikers asked me if there was an alternate way down that avoided Fishin' Jimmy - I mentioned Kinsman Pond but said it wasn't really any better. The ups and downs of the lower half of the trail were kind of annoying, but I hiked that section in the company of a man from Georgia who was section-hiking through the White Mountains (trail name Next Level), and talking with him helped that section of trail go by more quickly. We stopped at Lonesome Lake Hut, where they had excellent leftover cake and cranberry-apple juice, and we refilled our water bladders and then went our separate ways, him down Cascade Brook and myself down Lonesome Lake. I can't remember the last time I hiked Lonesome Lake Trail in the warmer months - I found myself missing the three feet of snow that usually covers the trail when I hike it. The upper part is quite rocky, but it's clear that trail work has been done on the middle and lower sections to make it smoother. When I got to the bottom, Lafayette Campground was buzzing with activity. I then walked the easy, paved 1.5 miles along the bike path back to the Basin.
I'm glad I did this hike today rather than try to kill myself with yet another 4,000+ ft. elevation gain hike or backpacking trip like I've been doing so often lately. The 2,500 vertical feet of elevation gain today felt good - a nice workout, but not too crazy. Fishin' Jimmy Trail and Kinsman Pond Trail are both challenging in their own ways, but they're not the same. Fishin' Jimmy is very steep in places, with a lot of big rock slabs to traverse, however those slabs are usually (but not exclusively) dry. On Kinsman Pond Trail, the steepness was not the issue - it's just very rough, with a lot of wet, slippery rocks that need to be hopped, for significant distances. Saw a few people heading up Basin-Cascades and Cascade Brook, a few more people on Kinsman Pond Trail, and then starting at Kinsman Pond Campsite and continuing for the rest of the hike, I passed a large number of people taking advantage of the nicer weather. Views were somewhat hazy, but not totally obscured. Fun day! |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-07-28 |
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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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