| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Jefferson, Adams, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lowe's Path, Randolph Path, Israel Ridge Path, Gulfside Trail, Mount Jefferson Loop |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, April 18, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
First car at Lowe's Store at 7am |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All low and easy to cross |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Pretty decent amount of cleanup to be done on Randolph, including two crawl-under blowdowns, |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Saw a couple - they are coming |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Picked up tons of spring melt off trash - along with a grey winter hat. |
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 | Comments: |
It was a beautiful day in the northern Presidentials to tag Jefferson and Adams for my April grid. Thinking there would be more winter trail conditions left on the northern slopes - and always being wary of the Jefferson snowfield - I brought my snowshoes and crampons, but they got a free ride all day.
After parking at Lowe’s store and heading up Lowe’s Path, I headed for Jefferson first. Conditions lower down were the usual spring mix of run-off and mud, but there was pretty minimal ice. After turning onto the Randolph Path, there is some unstable monorail between 4,500’ and treelike, but it’s pretty easily navigable without too much post-holing. Not worth putting on, or bringing snowshoes, for.
Above treeline, it’s basically fully back to summer conditions and talus hopping, except for the few snowfields that are still hanging on. The Jefferson snowfield is still pretty substantial, but with the warm temps, easily crossable without traction.
Jefferson was beautiful and I had all of it to myself, with a little wind and lots of sun. After running into a few Presi-traversers on the way back towards Adams, I kicked more steps down across the snowfield. Depending on experience and exposure tolerance, descending the snowfield without traction may be a little spicy for some people. If we get another big freeze, then you’d definitely still want traction crossing it.
I passed a couple other people on the way over to Adams, including finally meeting Eric, but I was surprised how few people they were for such a beautiful day. As per usual, the wind was ripping across Adams’ summit, but the warm temps and bright sun make things pretty nice.
After that, it was time to get my legs retrained in talus hopping all the way back down to Lowe’s. |
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 | Name: |
ges |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-04-18 |
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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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