| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Blueberry Mountain (Benton), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Blueberry Mountain Road, Blueberry Mountain Trail, Summit Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, June 18, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking is alongside Page Road next to barricade blocking washout area. Trail sign readily visible. Only room for 2-3 cars without blocking barricade or Page Road. Private resident driveway on opposite side of road. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Several active drainages on first 2/3 of Blueberry Mountain Trail. All easy step-overs or stepping stones, many wet and some slightly submerged. Extensive wet areas at some crossings. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Several deadfall across trail, but all relatively easy step-overs without need to create bypasses. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Lots of water on lower 2/3 of route, but some may be on posted private property. Ledges are not technical, but are slippery when wet. A couple of high step-ups may be difficult for some. Many wet and muddy areas. |
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 | Bugs: |
Lots out today, but only mosquitos were biting body parts not sprayed. Others just annoying. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
There is a red Camelback pack hung on the barricade on Page Road. Has several AMC hut pins attached. Looks like child size, but that may be due to primarily water pack. Maybe belongs to a trail runner? Hopefully owner remembers where they left it. |
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 | Comments: |
Trail sign at junction of Blueberry Mountain Road and Blueberry Mountain Trail.
No trail signs at two forks on Blueberry Mountain Road. Take right fork each time.
No blazes until Blueberry Mountain Trail turns uphill off the forest road. I wasn't able to see many due to fogged lenses due to high humidity. Footpath is well-defined until ledges (about .5mi from summit.
One sharp left turn in ledge section not marked in any way and easy to miss. (See comments section for guidance.)
Many wet and muddy areas. Don't know if any improvements are practical. Right now most have adequate stones or branches for avoidance, but some require long legs or leaps of faith.
Due to overnight and early morning rain, trail was very wet and vegetation was holding a lot of water. Skirting slippery rocks and ledges required brushing trailside vegetation, otherwise minimal encroachment on trail, except for vegetation on forest road sections. Add high humidity to the mix and hiking outfit was soaked throughout the hike. Fortunately someone had the foresight to wear his waterproof boots and amazingly feet were the driest body parts (but still damp due to humidity.)
The hike begins on Blueberry Mountain Road (aka FR170 or 710). From the barricade, this section is approximately .6mi. Path on right side of washout is wider and easier than left (on ascent).
Blueberry Mountain Trail starts at this point, initially starting along FR170A or 710A for maybe a half mile or so, then bends sharply left and starts uphill with more typical trail footing, with many wet and muddy areas, several drainage crossings and several deadfall on trail, all at easy to moderate grades. I did see some occasional blazes (yellow) in this section, but usually whe I was o top of yhem due to foggy lenses. Shortly before the ledges, the trail steepens and there are some small exposed slabs emerging, Approximately .5mi, give or take from summit spur junction the trail emerges onto large ledge outcrops, with some short sheltered trail section between the outcrops. Unfortunately many of these are flat with no drainage and host the deepest standing water on trail. I didn't notice any blazes on this segment (remember - foggy lenses may be at fault), but there are many cairns along the route. Many of the outcrops have moss, lichens, mud, water and other things on the rock to make them extra slippery in spots. Near the summit is a large cairn with what looks like a possible side trail along an outcropp while the footpath ahead starts to descend. However I could not see a clear path beyond the outcrop, so decided to follow the path ahead hoping to spot a blaze. If it was a different color, it would indicate the other half of the trail. After a short descent the trail began to climb again reaching even higher elevation than before and reaching the junction with the summit spur. This point is 2.3 mi. from the junction with BM Rd.
The spur path clearly heads toward a height of land and it took me 3 minutes to cover less than .1 with 2-3 minor obstacles.
As mentioned in the maintenance section, there was one turn on the ledges that I missed - twice. At one of the cairns there is a large rounded outcrop that extends a significant distance straight ahead with a wooded area at the end. I was focused on staying on the crest looking for possible slippery spots. Upon reaching the wooded area, there was no clear path ahead. Looking around, the only thing that looked like a path was a parallel outcrop a little downhill that possibly could have originated at the last cairn, so I bushwhacked down, but it too led nowhere, so I bushwhacked back up and back-tracked to the last cairn, again focused on my footing. At this point there were some other outcrops, but with no clear footpaths visible. As a last resort, I pulled out my handheld GPS which showed I was on the trail and it turned sharp left shortly ahead. Since I had been across the outcrop twice, this time I kept looking left and found the turn I had missed going in both directions. There is no marking that I noticed at this turn in the middle of the outcrop. Maybe a cairn is missing? Maybe foggy lenses?
No views today due to heavy clouds with low ceiling. :(
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 | Name: |
SpartyHikerFromME |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-06-18 |
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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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