| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Liberty, Mt. Flume, Mt. Liberty, Little Haystack Mountain, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Lafayette, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bike Path, Liberty Springs Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path, Bike Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, March 27, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the Basin lot on SB side, loads of space and I was the only car there. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The only crossings of note are on Liberty Springs Trail and were easily rock hoppable. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
No bugs, but I did see a vole near the summit of Mt. Lincoln running around on the ice...I think the wind chill was -30...the Chuck Norris of Voles...and I learned a new term just now, the Subnivean Zone, which is the thin zone between the snow pack and the frozen ground where they normally hang out. This guy must have wanted to stretch his legs. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Bare boots from the Basin lot to just past Liberty, snow was very grippy even without traction, but I knew I'd need the snowshoes for Liberty->Haystack so put them on after Liberty. Trail is very supportive as long as you stay on the previous path. Back at the junction with Liberty Springs Trail, all signs of previous travel were gone heading towards Haystack. With snowshoes, you could walk anywhere and only sink ~6". I'd give myself a solid A- for navigation...only had to double back once. A couple of times I thought "Surely this isn't the trail." as I squeezed through some waist high gap in the spruce but using GPS, guesswork, and the Force I managed to keep on course. There might be 10' of snow in places, and this trail is very lightly used in winter so not very consolidated...it would be foolish to attempt this section without snowshoes. Bundled up at the top of the ladder approaching Haystack, which is good because the wind was ripping once out of the trees. Decided to switch to Hillsounds a couple of 100 yds past Haystack, but in retrospect I wish I'd left the snowshoes on, there is pretty consistently 6"-1' of snow on the ridge with some icy patches mixed in for fun. It looked like 3 other people crossed the ridge today, all bare boot, so the trail is a bit chopped up for now in places. The trail from Lafayette to the hut is more packed but still lumpy, and OBP gets less lumpy the lower you go. The bike path from Lafayette Place back to the Basin lot still has decent snow coverage but bare boots were fine...(it looks like it's been a while since snowmobiles have used it) |
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 | Name: |
Borealis |
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 | E-Mail: |
kdwelch1@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-03-27 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.strava.com/activities/17882472591/overview |
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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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