| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Pine Mountain (Alton), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Arlene Frances Morse Trail, Robert A. Greenwood Sr. Loop, Mary Jane Morse Greenwood Trail, road walk |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 2, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking area on Avery Hill Road is plowed, but icy. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No signs at any of the trail junctions. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw one with a hiker as I was returning to the trailhead. The trail itself would be easy for them, just make sure they're prepared for cold weather (it was very cold and windy today). Also, the road walk goes past a farm with cows, so dogs should be leashed and kept quiet so as not to disturb the cows. |
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 | Bugs: |
Long since frozen. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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|
 | Comments: |
Today was honestly just too cold and windy to do the larger hike that I had originally planned. Thanks to the hard freeze overnight, Arlene Frances Morse Trail was nicely solid, and since it's not too steep, I could bareboot without much of an issue. There was plenty of evidence of postholing by previous hikers, so staying on the packed trail was a necessity. Robert A. Greenwood Loop had seen less use, but it was still easy to follow, and the surface was solid as long as I stayed on the trail. Coming out into the open near the summit, the view of the Belknaps was spectacular - it was a nice clear, sunny day. I did the short out-and-back on Arlene Frances Morse Trail back down to the junction with Greenwood Loop, and back to the summit, to make sure I redlined the whole trail. This was the steepest section of the hike, but it doesn't go on for too long, and I could still bareboot that section with care.
The junction with Mary Jane Morse Greenwood Trail is not signed, but it's pretty clear where it is. It showed no signs of recent human use. A few steps down it made it clear that I'd posthole if I tried to bareboot it, so I put on snowshoes. With snowshoes, I was able to stay on top of the snow most of the time. Occasionally there were sections where I'd break through the crusty top layer, but I didn't sink in too far, and those sections were pretty short. This trail is unblazed and has two unsigned left turns. When coming out at the top of the large open field (that looks like it was logged not too long ago), go left along the edge of the field. At the bottom of the field, take another left onto an old road. When that old road ends with a house straight ahead, the trail turns right, but the road is visible from this point so the turn is obvious.
There's no parking available at this trailhead, and lots of No Parking signs along the road. I walked Alton Mountain Road and Avery Hill Road back to my car - this road walk is about 0.8 miles. I considered doing the small network of trails from the trailhead opposite Pine Mountain, but it was just too cold and windy (10-deg F along with 30-mph winds is -12 wind chill). Maybe next time. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-03-02 |
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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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