| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bondcliff, Mt. Bond, West Bond, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lincoln Woods Trail, Bondcliff Trail, West Bond Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, December 31, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
1st car in lot. Heated bathrooms were working. $5 can be paid w/cash, check, or credit card. Some of the buttons on the machine were frozen due to rain/ice, luckily none I needed. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Higher up are snow bridged, down low easily rock hopped (with care if not wearing traction due to icy rocks). |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few easy unders and overs but for this time of year in great shape. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Hiked with another hiker who had a happy pooch, but they turned around at Mt. Bond out of caution for the dog getting cold. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
There was 1-2" of fluffy snow on LWT to start, (at the end of the day it was very packed to the Franc. Falls Bridge), and the previous packed out track from the big group that did a traverse in mid Dec was easy to follow and supportive all the way to Mt. Bond, where much deeper drifts obscured the track in places and a mis-step would get you crotch deep. As I'm benevolent, I left a few crotch deep holes to show people where not to step. I wore Hillsound microspikes but you could have barebooted up to the "Hillary Step" right before Bondcliff, which is very icy/snowy. On the way back, I took the bypass of the "Step" to the descenders right.
Once above the trees on Bondcliff, everything is coated in 1" of ice. Some form of traction is absolutely necessary from here to half way up Mt. Bond where you get back into the snow, which varies from 0-2ft. Snowshoes would be ideal for this section, but it was very windy and cold and I didn't want to switch from spikes to snowshoes then back to spikes for the trip back down across Bondcliff. The W. Bond spur had almost no drifts and was much better in bare boots than the stretch from Mt. Bond to the start of the spur. Going back up to Mt. Bond was much easier with my own tracks to follow.
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|
 | Name: |
Borealis |
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 | E-Mail: |
kdwelch1@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-12-31 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.strava.com/activities/16898818673 |
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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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