| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt Liberty and Mt Flume, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bike Path, Liberty Springs Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked at the Basin where there was plenty of room and took the bike path. Restrooms are still closed. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable) |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All but #3 are rock hoppable sort of. #3 was running high and fast. I wasted a good 15 minutes going up and down the bank trying to scout out a better way to cross. There wasn't one. I adjusted my gridiot crown and used submerged rocks to cross. This would not have been doable without poles too for stability. That water was moving. On the return the levels were higher and faster as I expected so I used the same path but had to use more submerged rocks. If water crossings are not your thing, you may want to wait for these levels to drop. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Nothing too memorable |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No puppers seen today. :( Skilled trail dogs may be able to handle the high water crossing but less skilled ones may be deterred by that one. |
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 | Bugs: |
No longer in Hell. UGH. They hung out with me on Flume as I ate my lunch. Uninvited to do so I might add. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing lost and nothing found. |
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 | Comments: |
I was surprised to find that the bike path still had some areas of snow and ice but they can be gone around. I started with bare ground and rocks but the first 1.5 miles or so of Liberty Springs trail is a total stream, complete with waterfalls. I put spikes on around mile 1.25 or so. It was right where the monorail starts in earnest. The monorail is seriously being undermined by the sheer amount of water running under it so any thinner spots of ice and/or packed snow are breakable. I broke them all. There were some areas of just bare rock with flowing water that I just hiked up with my spikes on. Closer to the Liberty Springs tent site things became better with packed snow and blue ice. The ice mostly was grippy but there are still sections that are bullet proof. At the junction of the Franconia Ridge trail the monorail was initially less pronounced but I managed to find it and stay on it. The summit of Liberty is bare rock. The trail between Liberty and Flume was less hard packed. Being the size of an average 5th grader paid off well here. I stayed right on top with no postholing but if you are larger than I am, you may have a very tough time on this stretch. The warmer temps were softening things up on my way out making the trail a little slushy. Start early if you can and have a good sense of humor. This can either a totally miserable hike or a really fun one where you splash through all the water and mud and call it a great day that is far better than one spent sitting on the couch. I am definitely in the latter category. |
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 | Name: |
Uki |
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 | E-Mail: |
ukisukinaminanu@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-04-15 |
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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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