| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Madison, Mt. Adams, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Valley Way, Osgood Trail, Gulfside, Airline |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 14, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Appalachia is plowed and had plenty of space |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The real water crossing are fine. Watch out for the surprise water in the trail |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Several blowdowns on Valley Way that likely require a chainsaw |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
From the parking lot to roughly the Lower Bruin junction is extremely icy, all doable in sharp microspikes, or preferably Hillsounds (which mine were not sharp, and I paid for that with quite a few falls). Crampons aren't required but they'd make some of the sections a bit less sketchy which is why I included that as recommended traction, I wish I carried those instead of carrying my snowshoes on my back all day. After the Lower Bruin junction to the hut is defined by a very solid but very narrow monorail that is miserable to walk and balance on as you battle with trees on one side and a large drop on the other side.
Up and down Madison is fine, no issues aside from the wind today. Light traction is good. Up and down Adams is a slightly different story; blowing snow today made solid footing indistinguishable from deep gaps between the rocks. The rocks were pretty slick with ice with several sections having ice flows that you either have to really trust you spikes or try to avoid.
We started the day hoping to get as far as we could into a Presi traverse, and between the trail and weather conditions the most sensible choice was just turning around after Adams. |
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 | Name: |
Andrew C |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-03-14 |
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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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