| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
East Osceola, Mt. Osceola, Mt. Tecumseh, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mt. Osceola Trail, Mt. Tecumseh Trail, Livermore Trail, Greeley Ponds Trail, road walks, bushwhack, ski trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 22, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked on the dirt surfaced shoulder for the Greeley Ponds Ski Trail trailhead. Shoulder was icy in the morning, mud bath in the evening. The shoulder was still firm. Not many cars can fit. But the normal lot should melt in the next few weeks making this a moot point. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Water crossing on Greeley Ponds Trail (below the pond near the Livermore side) was cross able on large boulders though some were submerged under shallow water. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
New blow downs await the maintenance crews for both the Tecumseh and Osceola crews on the non-winter approach trails. They are all small trees (max was 3 inches in diameter). |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
If your dog can do steep slopes in soft snow, have at it. |
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 | Bugs: |
A few flyers on Livermore and the lessser used side of Greeley Ponds. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Route:
Greeley Ponds Ski trail > Mt Osceola Trail over summits > Tripoli Rd > bushwhack up flank of Tecumseh to > Mt Tecumseh trail > Waterville ski road > “bushwhack” (really I just cut through the woods) > Tripoli Rd > West Branch Rd > Livermore Trail > Greeley Ponds Trail > NH 112 to car.
Greeley Ponds Ski trail: blazed in blue diamonds. I started at 06:45 so the snow was frozen. Disintegrating monorail where you can find some. Very wet. Very muddy. This is the last time I “hike” this trail until frozen temps return next year. I only used it today to bypass the two water crossings on the Kanc side of Greeley Ponds.
Mt Osceola Trail: blazed in yellow to the summit of Mt Osceola then not blazed. Using frozen snow this morning worked to my advantage as I could spike up. Ice beginning to be a nuisance in the places it always is on the winter approach side. Take care on this steep terrain. Continued to employ spikes without issue from East Peak to Mt Osceola summit. Trench was firm, monorail in some places and stable. Bypass of the chimney was no issue. Chimney still plugged with snow and ice. After Osceola summit, I donned snowshoes to continue the trek over to Tripoli Rd. This side is not used in winter. Or so I thought. Gal durned postholers always be out there! Though the trail is not blazed on this side, the corridor was very easy to follow. Several new blow downs that were not much of an issue. The slanted ledges were totally filled in making crossing them a breeze. The snow was very supportive, but I summited at 09:30. So I had cooler temps in my favor working down the backside. Postholes noted in prolific amounts below the slanted ledges. Snow abruptly ends at 2700 feet, turning into just a dusting on trail. Bare boots saw me down to Tripoli Rd. Thought I saw fresh shoe prints only to realize they had little round circles and claw marks. Huh. Guess I love that for my journey…
Tripoli Rd: lots of snow still. Maybe a foot or more. But I was only on this road for maybe 500 feet.
Tecumseh bushwhack: very, very, very steep mile to the trail junction. Note that I don’t bushwhack this in non-snow seasons. It is much faster, and nicer to the woods, to just quickly road walk down to the Mt Tecumseh trailhead and walk the Mt Tecumseh trail from there. Believe me. The “extra” miles go by much faster than it takes to do the bushwhack. Good news, for winter ‘whackers, there is no water crossing here.
Mt Tecumseh Trail: I joined this at the junction at the small col of the Northwest Peak. It is not blazed on this side. The corridor was a bit tough to make out at times due to the blow downs. Once climbing the summit cone, the corridor is easy to discern. Snowshoes took me up to the summit. Since this trail is not used in winter, the softening snow was no issue to walk up. It held me and my “all season pack.” I was quite delighted. The rocks just below the summit had small sections of blue ice that my snowshoes chewed up. At the summit, I crossed over to the winter route. Snow was becoming absurdly soft so I stayed in snowshoes. This side is also abundantly blazed in jaunty yellow. Everyone else was in spikes and doing fine on the wide, stable monorail. At some point around 2000 feet, the trail loses most of its snow. So I used bare boots down to the ski area.
Waterville Valley Ski Rd: it’s a road. It has no snow. The shoulder was a bit soft though so watch your step if moving off for on coming traffic! I turned off into the woods mostly to get away from the smell of car exhaust and diesel. Quick woods cut through over to the Livermore lot.
Livermore Trail: not blazed. Very wide, blatant corridor. Must be groomed all winter. Today was an ice rink with soft ice. Spikes worked best.
Greeley Ponds: report is written as the hiker travels from Livermore up to the ponds, and then to the end. Well blazed in yellow. Very frustrating trail surface. Very soft and still somewhat deep snow, coupled with a lack of trench, forced snowshoe employment. Snow clumped on snowshoes. Until open trail emerged. Then snowshoes off. Then the dang snow would start up again at a depth that bare boots just can’t grip, so snowshoes back on. And repeat. And repeat. I ended up just carrying my snowshoes in my hand through the open trail sections then putting them back on in the snow sections. At the pond, a group of persons postholed the trail to oblivion. At this point in my 18 mile day I said; “Fine!” The snow was quickly oscillating between snowshoe depth, soft snow, and long portions of mud drenched open trail. Ultimate decision: snowshoes off. And I walked in their holes. All the way to the end. |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-03-23 |
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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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