| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Cannon Mountain (attempt), NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Lonesome Lake Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Dodge Cutoff, Hi-Cannon Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, April 14, 2025 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked on the east side of the highway, and used the underpass to reach the Lonesome Lake trailhead. Plenty of space. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction, Ice Axe |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
A couple of small crossings, easily navigated. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None. |
|
 | Bugs: |
Nil. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
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|
 | Comments: |
A beautiful day for a failed attempt at a spring-season summit of Cannon. Trails were firm in the morning, micro-spikes were necessary from the start. Very few other climbers, which became an issue later. Snow-shoes went on at about 3500ft, on the Kinsman Ridge Trail, and I put on my crampons about 200ft higher up, faced with a solid wall of thick ice.
Without an ice axe, there was no way to get up that ice field, with no shrubs to hold onto and nobody to catch me! Just changing from snowshoes to crampons was hard enough on the icy slope. So close! But better to turn around and return to Lonesome Lake.
From the lake, I took the Dodge Cutoff over to Hi-Cannon, and briefly considered trying to climb Cannon that way, but didn't have the energy. So I dropped down Hi-Cannon to Lonesome Lake Trail, and down.
Near the trailhead, another climber passed me, and at the west-side parking area we shared experiences. He had climbed Cannon on the Hi-Cannon Trail, and dropped down the way I had come up, navigating that ice flow with an ice axe. Well done!
So it might more sense to go up and back Hi-Cannon, or take an ice axe. |
|
 | Name: |
Mark |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-04-14 |
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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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