| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Northwest Hancock, North Hancock, South Hancock, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, bushwhack, Hancock Loop Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 26, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
At the hairpin turn, only 3 cars at 7:30, but at least 30 when I left at 2:00. Cars were lined up all along the highway overflowing Lincoln Woods on a beautiful Saturday. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easy rock hops on the trail, but very slippery rock hops on the bushwhack |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One troublesome tree down on Cedar Brook trail up near the height of land. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Steep but should be doable for most. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I decided to take a new route up and bag the NW peak on my way to the 2 peaks I needed for the grid. The slide was so fun, and finding it was not hard. Descending from the height of land, I crossed maybe 4 smaller streams, then I think it was the fifth one that was slightly bigger and that was the one (at 2600’). The rocks were very slippery when I had to cross a few times, bushwhacking close to the stream, but it soon dried up and got wider and wider. At the top, the slide ends 100’ below the ridge closer to North peak. I pushed through some brief thick woods, but after that it wasn’t too thick, I just had to be careful not to poke an eye on all the eye-level branches. The ridge is very narrow and though the woods weren’t great, it didn’t take too long to get to the canister on NW peak. Lots of moose sign. There are some cool views through the trees here of the cliffs and other slides in the Crystal Brook valley. Amazingly I ran into 2 other bushwhackers on the way back, it’s a popular one I guess. The herd path isn’t well defined and there are blowdowns, but I stayed to the SW side ascending Hancock and came out right by the summit lookout. It was pretty busy on the loop around noon. |
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 | Name: |
Carl G |
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 | E-Mail: |
calxjohnson@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-07-27 |
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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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