| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Avalon, Mt. Field, Mt. Willey, Mt. Tom, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Willey Range Trail, Mt. Tom Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, June 1, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Easy parking at Crawford Depot, there were plenty of spots left when we arrived at 8 am. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The two Avalon water crossings were RUSHING. We attempted to find a dry way across, but eventually gave up and took off our boots to wade through the water (it was about knee deep). On the way down, we waded through in our boots through the first crossing, but the second had calmed down enough to rock/branch hop over without getting wet. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Two big blowdowns across the trail (easily passable), but most had been taken care of. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Blissfully, none! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
One black backpack was hanging on a tree about 0.5 miles from the summit of Mt. Tom. We left it where it was. |
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 | Comments: |
One word for this hike: WET. The trail flipped between mud and active running water for about 80% of the day. Enough with the rain, mother nature!!!
We started the day by summitting Mt. Avalon, which was totally worth adding to this hike. Fun views of the notch from the summit. We continued to Mt. Field and encountered some VERY aggressive gray jays as we were having a snack. They're very accustomed to being fed and were waiting for us to give up some food. The views of the Mount Washington Hotel were gorgeous from the lookout (unfortunately the Presidentials were stuck in the clouds all day).
Continuing over to Mt. Willey, more mud and running water. Overall, Mt. Willey had my favorite views. Again, we went to the lookout past the summit and got to enjoy our lunch and watch the gray jays (still aggressive). Then, headed back over Mt. Field and ended our day with Mt. Tom. No views here, so it was a short stop. We took the A-Z trail down, which was the most pleasant part of the day trail conditions-wise. Mostly dry trail here, lots of stairs were tough on the knees but a nice break from running water and mud.
We averaged around 40 minutes/mile for the day, which is slower than I'd expect this hike to be for us in typical conditions. But lots of water and mud meant careful stepping and creative rock hopping, so we took this one slowly. We still made it home before sunset, thanks spring/summer hiking!
One more note - it was still cool/wet enough that we saw no bugs. I keep thinking "next weekend is when the bugs will get bad," but luckily that hasn't been the case yet! So, maybe this week, only time will tell. |
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 | Name: |
norwegianecho |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-06-02 |
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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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