| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
South Kinsman, North Kinsman, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Reel Brook Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Mt. Kinsman Trail, Bald Peak Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, September 8, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Mt. Kinsman Trailhead has a large, deep dip that needs to be negotiated carefully. We were the only cars there in the morning, 4 other vehicles there on return. Reel Brook Road is drivable by any vehicle, but actually reaching the parking area requires a high-clearance vehicle as there are a lot of big rocks right before the parking area. Only vehicle there as well. |
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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: |
All easy rock hops. The crossing of the bog at Harrington Pond on Kinsman Ridge Trail has a complete set of new bog bridges, so the footing there isn't "very wet" anymore (so long as you stay on the bog bridges, of course!). |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few minor blowdowns but nothing major. Lots of standing and running water, mud, and wet and slippery rocks and ledges on all the trails. All signs are in place, but there's no sign (just a cairn) at the summit of South Kinsman, and no marking at all at the summit of North Kinsman. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
A thru-hiker we met ("Van Gogh") said that his dog had major issues with the very steep ledgy pitches above Harrington Pond up to South Kinsman. The dog needed to be lifted up at least a few times. |
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 | Bugs: |
None - it was a nice cool day! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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 | Comments: |
This was an enjoyable and rugged hike. Reel Brook Trail is a nice warmup - easy grades and good footing in the first half, and the river crossings were straightforward. The upper part climbs more steadily, with wet, rough footing, but it still wasn't too steep. The first mile of Kinsman Ridge Trail from the junction to Eliza Brook Campsite was also pretty easy, more down than up. At the campsite we met Van Gogh, a thru-hiker, who had just had a rough night with attempting to do the steep climb up to South Kinsman in the rain. I hope he continues and makes it to Katahdin!
The next section, along Eliza Brook, is rough, with several short, steep pitches, but the brook has a whole bunch of nice waterfalls. After the trail recrosses the brook, there's some steep, rocky climbing up to Harrington Pond. This section is a good warm-up for the even steeper pitches above Harrington Pond. Having read that the crossing of the Harrington Pond bog was notoriously wet, I was gratified to see a whole set of brand new bog bridges there instead. That crossing is now very easy! Then came the part I was the most concerned about - the climb from there up to South Kinsman. The WMG makes this out to be an extremely difficult and very slow stretch. And for northbound thru-hikers getting their first taste of the White Mountains, it probably is. But that stretch, while undoubtedly very steep in places and very rough everywhere, is really not too different from many of the trails in the Northern Presidentials. If you've redlined Mt. Madison (as I have), the trail from Harrington Pond to South Kinsman may seem somewhat familiar. Parts of it reminded me of the upper section on Madison Gulf Trail, while some scrambles are of comparable difficulty to those on Watson Path, Howker Ridge Trail, and Daniel Webster-Scout Trail. I suppose comments about difficulty are relative - a very difficult trail in the Kinsmans is like a normal trail in the Northern Presidentials. And I found the "much extra time" note in the WMG to be somewhat overstated, as it took me about an hour to get from Harrington Pond to South Kinsman - somewhat longer than normal, but not really "much extra time", and again comparable to trails on Mt. Madison.
Views were nice at the summit, but it was quite cool and breezy - I found a more sheltered place to eat lunch, in the col between the Kinsmans. There are several ledge scrambles going both up and down North Kinsman, and some of the ledges were wet today. Mt. Kinsman Trail alternates between nice footing and sections that are very rough, rocky, and wet. It looks newly blazed, though. I took the spur path out to Bald Peak, which has excellent views, and then made good time on the lower section.
All the trails today showed signs of trail work, whether it be new bog bridges, drainage ditches, boulders in muddy areas, or new blazes. But there's clearly much more trail work that could be done. There were fewer people on the trails than I expected today - maybe it was the cooler weather, but after a long summer of days in the 80s with high humidity, I thought the cooler weather felt good. On the way down, I met a few groups who had only gone up to Bald Peak. One of them was carrying a very cute baby - never too early to get them outside!
This hike completed Chapter 5 on my Redlining Spreadsheet, with Kinsman Ridge Trail between Reel Brook and South Kinsman along with the Bald Peak Spur. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-09-08 |
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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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