| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Zealand Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Zealand Road, Zealand Trail, Twinway, Zealand Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking area clear. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Crossings on Zealand trail before the hut are open, crossable with care on snow covered rocks or partial ice bridge. Had to go slightly up / down stream on two of them from regular crossing for better access. One has a high undercut bank. Be careful as ice sheets / bridges are breaking. With the new layer of snow on top, it's harder to see what is stable and what's not. Test before you step. The two crossings just above the hut are open and flowing with partial ice sheet on either side,but water levels were low and crossing was easily stepped over. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Zealand trail / Twinway below the hut generally clear from what I remember. Twinway above the hut still with many blowdowns / leaners from the winter season but all easily navigated. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Found a pair of grey / black gloves in the parking lot on my return Wednesday. Left hanging on kiosk. Posted on Lost and Found FB page. |
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 | Comments: |
I split this trip up into two days with an overnight stay at Zealand hut. Headed in Tuesday afternoon. Road / trails below the hut on Tuesday were covered with about 1-2" fresh, grippy snow. Was able to bareboot all the way to the hut. It snowed off and on Tuesday afternoon, and through the evening so on wakeup Wednesday morning at the hut there was a fresh coating of an additional 1-2" snow, making about 3-4" fresh snow on top of a crusty base. Snow depth increased at higher elevation to 5-6" loose fluffy unconsolidated snow - perfect for snowshoeing. Snow shoes were worn, and are highly recommended,for the out and back to Zealand Mtn. Per the hut caretaker, no-one had been that way since the weekend so fresh tracks were made today. There is evidence of some previous postholes now covered to some extent by the new snow - watch your step. Still lots of pushing through the car wash / and newly snow covered trees up high so bring your shell with a hood! Also noted some areas of a narrow monorail up high under the new snow - going to get interesting in another week or two if we get any melting. All in all it was a beautiful day of quiet and solitude out in the woods - no wind, great views, and dramatic skies. Saw no-one all day (other than the hut caretaker) until I was on my way back out almost back to the Zealand TH. I wore my snowshoes down from the hut to try to smooth over my footsteps from the day before, until I met a group of of seven ladies heading in to the hut who had packed the trail nicely with their bareboots. Snowshoes came off at that point and I was able to bareboot the rest of the way out. Snow cover on the road had melted off down low by Wednesday afternoon and was back to dirt / pavement toward the end. Shout out to Ethan the caretaker at Zealand Hut - super nice and very welcoming. |
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 | Name: |
Dexter |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-03-27 |
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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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