| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Logging road, Bog Brook Trail, Wild River Trail, Spruce Brook Tentsite Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, August 17, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We had to use the overflow lot at the Bog Brook trailhead at the end of Carter Notch Road. The upper section of this road is dirt, and has a couple of steep sections and gravelly sections and some good-sized potholes. A low-clearance vehicle could probably make it with careful driving, and a higher-clearance vehicle won't have any issues. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All water crossings (5 crossings of Bog Brook, 3 crossings of Wild River, and the crossings of Red Brook and Spruce Brook) were straightforward rock hops. Water levels are very low right now. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Some blowdowns in the Wilderness but nothing out of the ordinary. A few muddy areas on Bog Brook Trail, but much less than on my previous time there, and drainage is overall good. Signs are all in place. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No issues. |
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 | Bugs: |
Surprisingly, not too many, even while we were relaxing at Spruce Brook Tentsite. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
This was Day 1 of a two-day backpacking trip to finally finish my redlining of the Wild River Wilderness and Chapter 9 of the WMG. We spotted a car at the Baldface trailhead and then drove to the Bog Brook trailhead to begin the hike. We took the logging road from there to avoid the first three river crossings - the junctions of Wildcat River Trail and Bog Brook Trail are both signed from the road. Bog Brook is a nice gradual ascent - we made good time on it despite our heavy packs, and the mud wasn't as bad as the last time I was there since it has been a very dry summer. Wild River Trail is in mostly good shape, however there's one spot just past the Rainbow Trail junction that has unavoidable mud (and evidence of an old bog bridge across it that no longer functions). The traverse of Perkins Notch is fairly rough but not too muddy right now. Past East Branch, the trail goes through some overgrown areas, but overall it wasn't bad, and the crossing of Wild River in this section was easy. To our surprise, we actually met four other hikers (two groups of two) in this area, one of the most remote spots in the entire White Mountains. Their itineraries varied, but all four had successfully descended Eagle Link earlier in the day, which was good news for us since we were planning to ascend it the following day. Just before reaching Red Brook, Wild River Trail descends at a somewhat increased grade from the rest of the trail, and then meets up with the old railroad grade just before crossing the brook. The trail from there to Spruce Brook Tentsite was largely on the railroad grade, except for a couple of relocations around washouts (these are quite tame in comparison with the Highwater or Dry River trails).
We were the first group to arrive at Spruce Brook Tentsite. The site consists of a cooking area/fire ring close to the trail, and then the tent pads themselves are about 50 vertical feet up the slope. The site is beautiful, right at the confluence where Spruce Brook empties into the Wild River (Spruce Brook is only slightly smaller than Wild River itself at this point). We then continued down Wild River Trail to the Black Angel/Highwater junction to complete my redlining of it. This section had a few more washouts, including a slightly sketchy one caused by a landslide above the trail. But most of it was on the old railroad grade and fast-moving. When we reached the junction with Black Angel, we noticed that there was a sign on Black Angel Trail (in the direction heading up to the Carters) warning of major damage from blowdowns, and strongly urging hikers to use a different route.
There ended up being one other group of three hikers at Spruce Brook Tentsite overnight. It was a warm, but pleasant night. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-08-17 |
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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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