| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
West Royce, East Royce, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Laughing Lion, Royce, Royce Connector, East Royce Trail, road walk |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked at the East Royce trailhead because I could get my car fully in the shade. This was key because it was 93 degrees when we got back at 1130am! |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
There are lots of little crossings on this route; water levels are low and everything is currently a rock hop. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Laughing Lion is significantly overgrown. The drainages are full of debris and there is unavoidable mud (and lots of mosquitoes) in those areas. There are multiple blowdowns, including one that will need something larger than a hand saw. On Royce Trail, between Connector and Burnt Mill, it is the continued sloppy mess because water always flows through this section. All of the bog bridges are in good shape. The hobble bush is trying to reclaim this section. Other than that Royce is good to go. The other trails, that I was on, were in good shape. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
This is a challenging route for dogs as there are endless scrambles, and lots of sharp and loose rocks. The ledges in East Royce bake in the sun so that is not a good late-day destination. My dog lives for this kind of hiking and had a blast (and is now sound asleep). We did see one 60+lb off-leash dog that charged at the both of us. Despite me yelling multiple times the owner didn’t show up for a while (she was hiking a lot slower than her dog) and then called me the f word and the b word. Highly unpleasant. |
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 | Bugs: |
Mosquitoes were mostly in the muddy sections of the Laughing Lion Trail. Other thwn that the bugs were minimal today. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We started with the road walk, from the East Royce trailhead to the Laughing Lion trailhead. (1 mile, 40’ of gain). The road is freshly paved. The Laughing Lion Trail has signage from the USFS indicating that climbing trails are closed until 6/15 (yesterday) due to nesting peregrine falcons. Hiking trails are open. We didn’t see or hear any. When we got to Royce Trail we hiked out to West Royce and back, and then the Connector. We took a side trip to East Royce and then descended the East Royce Trail back to the car. Views were limited on West Royce, but the Baldfaces through to Eastman were visible from East Royce. The views were compromised by haze. We had a fine morning! |
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 | Name: |
Bikecamphikegirl and Echo |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-07-16 |
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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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