| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Adams, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Air Line, Short Line, Randolph Path, King Ravine Trail, The Subway, Ice Caves Loop, Gulfside, Star Lake Trail, Air Line Cutoff, Upper Bruin |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, September 21, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking lot full or almost full by 8:30am, about half full by 4:30pm |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easiest brook crossings I've ever seen, most brooks almost dry. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There are two trees down across Air Line trail, and one tree down on King Ravine trail. IMPORTANTLY, the sign for the trail jct. of Air Line and Short Line is missing. It has somehow been broken, so all that remains is a shard of wood at the bottom of where the sign would be with an arrow and it says USFS in the corner, and a shard of wood at the top that is painted white, nothing else remains. At the jct. of Air Line and Randolph Path, there is no sign indicating which trail is which at the lower jct. (upper jct. is sign posted). Since both trails are blazed in blue, it makes this intersection slightly confusing, I'd recommend pulling the map to make sure you go the right way. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Wouldn't recommend bringing a dog on any of these trails, especially above treeline, the rocks are very sharp. |
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 | Bugs: |
Flies just at the summit of Adams |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing |
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|
 | Comments: |
Gorgeous day in the White Mountains. It's amazing how quickly the landscape has changed in a week. While leaves are not quite at peak, they are very close, likely peak by next weekend. Not too much leaf litter on the trails yet, but there is a little. Plan ahead if venturing into the Subway. This short route is much more difficult than it appears on the map. The elevation gain is not too bad, but the route finding is extremely difficult. Many of the blazes are faded, and so small compared to the size of the rocks that they are difficult to locate, adding some cairns may be useful instead of blazes. Also do not overestimate the size of the caves. This route passes through very small crevices and you will likely need to take your backpack off to pass through them. The King Ravine headwall is steep and rocky, but nothing too crazy. There's no ledges, it's all climbing over boulders so just watch your footing. I would not recommend descending this trail though. The lake for which Star Lake trail is named for is completely dry. Once past Buttress trail, it gets pretty rough, and becomes very steep for the last 0.3mi or so before the summit, including the ascent of a chimney. With decreased humidity and smoke, visibility was excellent on Mt. Adams, easily 100mi. The descent of Durand Ridge was incredible, particularly in the knife-edged sections where it is truly knife-edged. Air Line cutoff was a very easy trail 10 minutes total out and back. Upper Bruin was quite steep and tiring and took about 20 minutes total out and back. The rest of Air Line was not too bad, a little steep in sections, but not as difficult as King Ravine. |
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 | Name: |
Mountain Goat |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-09-21 |
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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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