| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Blue Ridge Mountain - North Peak, Crystal Mountain - Northwest Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Keyser Brook Road, ATV Trail, Bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, August 30, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Tried to follow Liam's access route to Blue Ridge Mountain and I write this report mostly to update folks on the condition of Keyser Brook Road. Roads were fine in mid-clearance up to Keyser Brook Road, which forks off Greenough Pond Road heading north, just to the north of Nathan Pond Ridge.
Keyser Brook Road requires 4x4 high clearance. I did it with my valiant rav4, but I counted 3 scrapes on the bottom of my car and lot's of 'oh s@!#s' and I stopped .3 miles shy of the turnaround, due north of blue ridge mountain. I did a 27 point turn to get my car headed SW and pulled enough off the 'road' in a spot where the road was in good shape so another vehicle (ATV) could get around me.
In hindsight, I should not have taken my car on this road, and I'm thankful I escaped without getting stuck or major damage. I think if I were doing this again, I would park at the start of keyser brook rd and just do the road walk, since it sounds like the roads to the east aren't in any better shape. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Champ and Tucker didn't like all the bouncing around in the car, but 8 paws up for the hikes |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
From my parking spot I walked the road east to the turnaround, then followed the ATV trail to it's northeast-most point then headed for Crystal NW. It was tight/hobblebushy/boggy at first. I think starting a bit further south (where the ATV trail starts to bend SW might have been better. After fighting through this for a bit, we hit the fern glades, which would have been lovely except everything was predictable wet from the rain the prior day anyway. Followed faint herd paths through the glades until it got steeper and thicker around 3k. Found the summit cannister without much trouble and set off towards Blue Ridge.
We went a bit south of out ascent line, aiming for the big cross or tower or whatever it is just west of the ATV trail, but we overshot it south and ended up going parallel to the ATV trail until I course corrected and we hit the ATV trail around 2700ft. I found this are rather counter-intuitive, as you naturally expect the ATV trail to be heading into the Roaring Brook drainage, but it almost contours for awhile around 2750, which is how I ended up too low and SE of the ATV trail.
We walked south on the ATV trail for maybe .1 miles, before cutting up towards Blue Ridge. We mostly followed the NE ridge, which was lovely ferns, some of which had been bent over in wide swaths to make a path. This plus a bud lite can made me think snowmobilers might have come this way last winter. Found the summit and then header NW back towards the car. Woods were mostly good descending, though there was some thicker regrowth as I got lower. I found a lovely drainage to help navigate this part, which plopped me out just east of the turn around, then a quick walk back to the car and a harrowing drive out of Keyser Brook Rd.
Total hike time was about 2:40. 1hr from car to Crystal NW, 1:10 from Crystal to Blue Ridge and 30 mins from Blue Ridge back to the car.
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 | Name: |
Big Al Dente |
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 | E-Mail: |
bigaldentenh@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-08-31 |
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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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