| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Flume, Mt. Liberty, Little Haystack Mountain, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lafayette, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Bike path, Liberty Spring Trail, Flume Slide Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, April 21, 2025 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Lonesome Lake TH; some ice/snowpack in the lot. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Water crossings all manageable, but had to go up/down stream 100 feet or so on a couple where the water was really running. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Mostly good, but there are A LOT of blowdowns between Liberty & Haystack. Definitely will need some work once the snow is gone. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No dogs today :( |
|
 | Bugs: |
A few, but not too bad yet |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
A picture perfect spring day up on the Ridge. Now for the conditions:
Bike path is mostly hardpack snow. Heading up to Flume Slide junction is pretty much all bare ground. Intermittent monorail/bare ground until ~2200', then pretty consistent spring hardpack until the base of the slide. The slide itself is a mess, and I made the mistake of not wearing spikes. Don't do that. Down below it's OK--not a lot of ice, some bare rock and snowpack. But higher up there are a number of icy sections. Use spikes/crampons and the trees.
Between Flume and Haystack was a consistent unstable monorail beginning to form (more stable between Liberty and Flume). The section after LS breaks off is hard to navigate at times and there are a number of blowdowns and spruce traps that can be tricky to avoid. I postholed in spikes a few times and fell into one or two spruce traps. I also got lost a couple times, as it's hard to follow any tracks after the recent rain (although it is possible for most of it).
Across Franconia Ridge was beautiful and also mostly free of snow. There were a couple sections in the trees where there was some slushy snow. Some other areas where there was mud, although it was not very deep and you could walk through it without getting wet feet. Coming down OBP was pretty slushy and slippery until the junction with Falling Waters.
Now's a great time to get out there and do this--just be wary of the slide and the blowdowns on Franconia Ridge. |
|
 | Name: |
NT |
|
 | E-Mail: |
tuckernickn@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2025-04-22 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
