| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Cherry Pond, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Colonel Whipple Trail, Rampart Path, train tracks, bushwhack |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, September 1, 2025 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Small parking area off Whipple Road in Jefferson. The parking area could probably fit six cars if parked carefully. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Everything has bog bridges. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Just one or two blowdowns on the trail, and evidence of plenty more having been cut. Sections of the trail would probably be quite muddy in wet seasons, but today were pretty dry. Signs at both ends of the trail are in place. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No issues. |
|
 | Bugs: |
They were buzzing in places, but they didn't bother me much. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
This was a nice easy redline to finish off a successful holiday weekend before heading home. The lengthy portion of Colonel Whipple Trail that follows the old road had a few brushy areas, but overall was in very good condition. The first part had excellent footing, while the later sections were somewhat rockier but still not bad at all. The portion after the turn off the old road starts off as a winding footpath. It then has a long section on bog bridges through a swamp. Some of the bog bridges were obscured by undergrowth, however on the bright side many of them were wrapped in metal mesh so they weren't so slippery. The path soon turns to start to parallel the railroad tracks, which are occasionally visible to the right. The signage is clear where Colonel Whipple Trail ends and Rampart Trail begins. I continued maybe a tenth of a mile on Rampart Path to the first viewpoint, where Cherry Mountain is visible across Cherry Pond.
To add some variety to the hike, I took a different route back to the trailhead. From the closest point on Colonel Whipple Trail to the railroad tracks, I bushwhacked over to them (there's a faint herd path here). I then followed the railroad tracks to the northeast for about 1.1 miles. The rail line looks abandoned, since there's debris on the tracks and many of the railroad ties are rotted. This section is almost dead straight, and goes through an open swampy area, where there are drainage ditches on both sides of the tracks (they looked pretty dry today). When the open area ends, the tracks start to bend to the left, and there's a white signpost on the right side of the tracks. Looking carefully, I noticed what looked like a faint old path heading into the woods at the signpost. I hopped onto it - it had a lot of blowdowns, and would probably be very muddy in wet seasons, but I could just about follow it, and it was heading almost directly toward the bend in Colonel Whipple Trail that I was aiming for. I had to go around several large blowdowns that obscured any sign of the old path, but my Alltrails confirmed that I was still heading in the right direction (I definitely don't recommend doing this without a GPS). Right at the end, I had to push through some very tall grass to reach Colonel Whipple Trail again. The bushwhack was about 0.3 miles long, and this point was about 0.4 miles from the trailhead.
Colonel Whipple Trail was the final trail on the list of trails added for the 31st edition of the WMG that I still needed to do. Now I just have one more three-day trip, and then the final hike to finish my redlining! |
|
 | Name: |
GN |
|
 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2025-09-01 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
