| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Deer Mountain, Cow Mountain (Dummer), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Millsfield Pond Road, Deer Mountain lookout, bushwhack, Newell Brook Road, Black Camp Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, April 28, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the big clearing at beginning of Millsfield Pond Rd, off rte 16 in Dummer. It was gated a quarter mile up. Black Camp Road was not gated, but you can’t drive the whole thing, atvs would be fine though. Others report driving up Newell/Neville road, which I walked on briefly but missed the turn off rte 16 driving up, so went this way instead. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I balanced on logs for a couple streams between the peaks. You could take your shoes off and wade, but the rocks looked too slippery to hop. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Jar on Deer is on the ground but not leaking. Snowmobile trails were well signed, except on Black Camp Road there seems to be a reroute with a yellow arrow by the pond, I followed the way shown on Gaia, which was very wet, but seemed to be the only access for a few camps. Lots of water running down this road. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Swift stream crossings not shown on the map, possibly a hazard for small dogs. Atvs on the roads possibly, but I saw none. The woods weren’t steep. I saw lots of game animals out today. |
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 | Bugs: |
A few ticks today, first of the season. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
No |
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 | Comments: |
I accidentally drove way past Newell Brook Road heading up rte 16, so took this longer way and made a big loop walking the atv roads. It was about 8 miles, and took 3.5 hours. I walked up fine roads to the lookout with picnic tables on Deer, then it was a short whack to the summit. 1 hour up. I could see Cow Mtn across the way, it looked far, maybe 2 miles and it was already 4:30 but I figured I could bail down the good roads if it got bad. The going was pretty quick, and I got over there in one hour using various overgrown skid paths. The return to my starting point took an hour and a half, after whacking back to the road it was maybe 4 more miles on roads of unknown condition. Most were well signed drivable atv roads and I ran much of it. There is a large pond with camps on Black Camp Road, and the going was slow around that area as it was in rough shape. Not overgrown, just wet and rocky. I always seem to enjoy traveling these roads more than the whacks anyway. I saw a bear on the hike, and 3 moose on the drive home. |
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 | Name: |
Carl G |
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 | E-Mail: |
calxjohnson@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-04-28 |
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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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