| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt Field, Willey, Mt Tom, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Avalon Trail, Willey Range Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, November 22, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking lot was a sheet of 3-4 inches of freeze-thaw ice. Temps were cold enough today to park on it, but once it warms up your car may need floaties or a friend with a tow rope if you park there. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None of the water crossings are bridged yet, however the first major crossing has a stable log/tree easily managed with traction, and the second crossing is low enough that your boots won’t get wet if you walk carefully across the slab bottom |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Approximately .5 miles in is the usual mud/slush/standing water section that has poor drainage and slows your roll until a decent snowpack arrives |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
The indomitable Koda, Ghost Pup of the North, graced all of us with her presence today! Trails were in great conditions for doggos |
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 | Bugs: |
A…spider…began to spin a web as we were at the tail end of the A-Z Trail just before sundown. I ran. In my K-10s. And have no regrets |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Gray Carhart Hat on A-Z trail |
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|
 | Comments: |
Weather reports said no visibility and single digit windchills…we went anyways and ended up hiking to the summit of Field in 20 degree temps with zero wind, rocking t-shirts. Avalon Trail is in excellent condition, with a firm surface that you could either bareboot or microspike to the A-Z junction. After that you’re going to want traction. We took Avalon Trail up, and the only tricky section was the slide, where we followed a false trail and ended up too far to the right in a steep, boulder-strewn area. We realized our error and ‘whacked to the left to get back on true trail (it’s funny because we’ve made this mistake in the summer as well!). Above Avalon I switched to my K-10s to better deal with ice, but hubby managed fine with his Hillsounds. There were a few sections on tha Avalon, Willey, and A-Z trail where snowshoes could be used, but the trail was firm enough that no one postholed unless they stepped off the trail. There are still a fair amount of rocks and roots showing on the A-Z Trail which would make snowshoes a bit of a pain, but YMMV. Got to chat with Keith, Ava, Sue Sullivan, Bruce, and met so many other great folks enjoying what turned out to be a fine time above 4000 feet :) |
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 | Name: |
islandgirl |
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 | E-Mail: |
joannhall4@aol.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-11-22 |
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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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