| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Cowen Hill, Cowen Hill - North Peak, NH, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Cowen Hill Rd, Hardscrabble Trail, Bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, October 17, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Having scouted Cowen Hill Rd to from the west and finding it gated at the gravel pit, we opted to approach from the east.
Parked on Perry Stream Rd, just shy of the 2 mile marker. Note that the mile markers reset when the road transitions from Day Rd to Perry Stream Rd, which is not obvious while driving it. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Perry Stream was rock hopable, but not trivial. Imagine this is a ford in less dry periods. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Champ needed a little help crossing Perry Stream ascending. We found a better spot to cross descending. Tucker needed no help. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
From our parking spot, we crossed the stream, shortly popping out on Farr Rd, and walked this south looking for a good spot to enter the woods. Finding a mediocre spot, we set off, in mediocre woods, occasionally tight, occasionally boggy. We linked up with Cowen Hill Rd near it's eastern-most point, and followed that to Hardscrabble trail, to just shy of the HOL and set into the woods to towards the north peak. Woods were tight at first but opened up. Found the summit before too long and headed SW towards the southern peak Topography was a bit funny here as we followed a drainage for a bit which became too V-shaped and steep for comfort and we headed a bit further west to avoid it. Woods were good until the flatlands as we approached the road, which became thick and boggy. Crossed an old woods road that we followed west for a bit before backtracking and following it east - neither direction particularly helpful. We found a game path and followed it, pushing through thick stuff and grateful the ground wasn't more wet. Eventually we popped out on Cowen Hill Rd. I think if I were doing this again I would try the SW ridge aiming to cross the flatlands at the col.
Crossed the road and headed up the southern peak, in what looked like young growth, but it opened up quickly and was a very pleasant ascent. We contemplated descending SE to Buzzy's trail, but the woods coming up from Cowen Hill Rd were too nice to gamble on something else, so we descended the same way we ascended. Hit the road and followed it east to about 1800ft where we headed back in the woods. This was a bit further north than where we came out of the woods on the ascent, in hopes of finding better woods. And better woods we found! much easier than the ascent, aided by some old woods roads, one of which took us all the way to Farr Rd, maybe 100 yards north of where we entered the woods on ascent. (If you're looking for this road to ascend, the entrance is visible, just north of where Farr Rd straightens out heading due north).
2:10 round trip. 1 hr to the summit of northern peak, 30 mins over to southern peak, 40 mins back to car. |
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 | Name: |
Big Al Dente |
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 | E-Mail: |
bigaldentenh@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-10-17 |
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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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