| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Chocorua, First Sister, Middle Sister, Third Sister, Carter Ledge, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Piper Trail, Middle Sister Trail, Carter Ledge Trail, Nickerson Ledge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, February 14, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking and access road plowed out. Access road was icy. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Frozen. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Three crawl under downed evergreen trees with carwash branches on Middle sister Trail & Carter Ledge Trail, about 6"d each. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Party of 4 up Chocorua via Piper, across the Sisters & down via Carter & Nickerson Ledge. Piper was moderately packed but the base was soft and there was minor drifting and postholing through it; we started in spikes but switched to snowshoes within 0.5mi. Passed other hikers barebooting and two folks coming down part of Piper in fat tire bikes. The summit cone slabs were a mix of ice, hardpack, drifts of varying depth, postholes through drifts. Ice wasn't bad except on the last scramble before the summit --crampons and/or an ax wouldn't be overkill on that sketchy spot (although I made it up in snowshoes and down in spikes). Middle Sister Trail, Carter Ledge, and Nickerson weren't broken out--any previous work there was thoroughly drifted in but there was a noticeable trough in some places. Some of the drifts on the sisters and upper Carter were mighty. Snow was alternately powder and sastrugi. All of the ledges were deep snow ramps which we butt-slid down or skied down on our snowshoes. No exposed ice. Despite our work, I wouldn't call it "broken out" given the snow depth and loose powder conditions, and wouldn't advise ascending via Carter Ledge unless you enjoy two steps forward- one step back shuffle. Nickerson steeps were sun-crusted and not as deep as Carter. Snow squalls all day with no accumulation. Where was the predicted sun? |
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 | Name: |
Barefoot Paul-William |
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 | E-Mail: |
paulwgagnon@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-02-15 |
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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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