| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Rocky Branch Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 5, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Maybe a half-dozen other vehicles at the Rocky Branch trailhead off Route 16 when I arrived around 8:50. About 10 vehicles there when I got back around 4:50. 5 vehicles at the Rocky Branch trailhead at the end of Jericho Road when we arrived there. Jericho Road is in good condition for any vehicle. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, 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: |
Four major crossings of Rocky Branch on this route. Starting from the south trailhead, the first was right at the end of (the old) Jericho Road, 1.8 miles from the current trailhead. The bridge (which was damaged by the 2017 storm) has been removed. You've got to bushwhack slightly upstream of the old bridge location to get down to the river. Rock-hopping was not an option, so I used my waders, but if you don't mind getting your feet wet then you could've just walked through - the water never got up to my knees. The second crossing (the one the WMG mentions as 6.8 miles from the Route 16 trailhead) was much the same as the first one - also went slightly upstream, also used waders, also could've easily waded through. The third crossing, 0.4 miles later, I found a way to rock-hop without needing waders. And the final crossing, right at the junction with Isolation Trail, I decided to use my waders again out of caution. Hikers with longer legs and a better sense of balance could probably have rock-hopped it. Numerous other smaller stream crossings were easy. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Hundreds of blowdowns, of all shapes and sizes, on Rocky Branch Trail between Isolation and Stairs Col. At least a dozen required short bushwhacks to get around. Signs are all in place. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
They'd probably do fine, just keep close track of them on the many difficult-to-follow relocations on the middle section of Rocky Branch Trail. |
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 | Bugs: |
Plenty. I put bug spray with DEET on my hat and clothing at the start as usual, but the bugs pestered me anyway, so I put my head net on and left it on until I had lunch at the junction with Isolation Trail. I took it off for the remaining section down to Route 16, and they didn't bother me too much there. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Right in the middle of the bad section of Rocky Branch Trail, I found a walking stick hanging on a tree. Not wanting to make whoever left it there hike all the way in to grab it, I packed it out and brought it home with me. The walking stick isn't in very good condition - the lower part just pops right out if you pull on it - but if it has sentimental value for someone, e-mail me with a description and color and I'll return it to you. |
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 | Comments: |
Well, it had to be done. The third and final trail on the triumvirate of remote, heavily damaged, washed-out trails (along with Dry River and Highwater) was Rocky Branch Trail, and in particular the stretch between the junctions with Stairs Col and Isolation trails. Seeing that the water levels were fairly low, it looked like a good time to finally get this one done, but I was still a bit apprehensive since I hadn't seen any reports on this section for almost a year.
The 1.8-mile road walk right at the start was quick. But I should point out that this section has only two washouts, both of which are fairly minor, and honestly a few good men with shovels could get the road in a drivable condition with just a day or two of work. So IMO it's a major cop-out on the part of the WMNF to permanently close that section when repairing it would be a pretty simple matter (much more simple than repairing Wild River Road). The bridge over Rocky Branch just after the end of Jericho Road has been removed, so fording the river is necessary, but today it was a simple matter with waders. The next two miles, up to Rocky Branch Shelter #1, were also quick and easy - mostly on the old railroad grade with just two relocations, and those were easy to follow. I met a group of hikers at the crossing of Rocky Branch, and then another pair of hikers at the shelter - both were heading out, and neither had done the notorious middle section of Rocky Branch Trail.
Then I started heading down that notorious middle section. Very quickly the trail reached the first of many washed-out areas, which the trail goes straight through. The keys to this section are 1) knowing when to cross the river and when to stay on the same side, and 2) following the many relocations (I counted at least 11 or 12 relocations off the railroad grade before I lost count). There are sometimes arrows pointing where to turn onto the relocations, and the other ones are fairly obvious. The relocations themselves are occasionally difficult to follow though, so keep on the lookout. On the two legitimate crossings in this section, it's fairly easy to tell where the trail goes on the other side of the river. The two former crossings just upstream remain dry overflow channels, but the stretch of trail between them was extremely washed out and required care to follow. Upstream from those crossings, the trail seems to spend just as much time off the old railroad grade as on it. The trail also has a lot of wet and muddy sections, and of course, an uncountably huge number of blowdowns. The section that goes along the lower edge of a washed-out bank would've mystified me if I hadn't read the trail description and known it would be there. There's one short section that briefly runs across a washout, but it's nowhere near as bad as the dangerous washout crossing on Dry River Trail 3.2 miles in, since it's shorter and the washout is less steep. The trail never climbed steeply (except for some very brief sections on relocations), but the relentlessness of it, the poor footing and blowdowns, and of course the heat and humidity, really got to me by the time I was approaching the junction with Isolation Trail. When I got there, I felt like I was re-entering the Known World - I saw several other groups of hikers as I had lunch at the crossing and took a good long break.
This was the first time I'd done Rocky Branch Trail North in nine years. It was in bad condition then, and its condition has continued to significantly deteriorate since then. The long section where the trail effectively follows a stream is pretty terrible, and even the section following the old road east of the height of land went through some very muddy and boggy sections (this part isn't in the Wilderness - surely some bog bridges would be warranted here). The long, steady descent down into Pinkham Notch was rough, but honestly no worse than most other White Mountains trails. The sound of the vehicles on Route 16 steadily getting louder told me that I was making progress.
I'm going to have to do the southernmost section of Rocky Branch Trail again (up to the Stairs Col junction), in order to redline Stairs Col Trail itself, but for the rest of the trail, this is probably going to be my last time using it for a while. This was a long, tiring hike, but I redlined a critically important trail section, and the traffic on the roads wasn't bad at all despite the holiday weekend, so ultimately it was a good day. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-07-05 |
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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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