| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Hale, NH |
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 | Trails: |
North Twin Trail, Fire Warden's Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, May 26, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The lot at the end of Haystack road was somewhat more than half full at 8:30am. Some vehicles had left by early afternoon, and there were a couple of cars on the end of the road itself. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No real crossings on this route, although there is a "large drainage" flow to cross just short of the 1 mile up North Twin where the Fire Warden trail takes off; crossing that was an easy enough rock hop. The flow down the Little River had me wondering about the crossing another mile up, for those out doing the Twins. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
That first mile of the North Twin Trail is in good shape, with nothing to report. The Fire Warden Trail also is in good shape, as easy to follow as any typical trail in the whites. There are the usual step-overs and easy duck under leaners. About 20 minutes or so from the top there is a large chunk of tree right on the trail, with a herd path around it. Some work with a small saw could clear a good part of it, but the remainder is quite dense, and the effort needed to clear that is not easily seen. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None today, but this route up Hale would be a cinch for almost any dog, although after today it might need a bath afterward. |
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 | Bugs: |
There were some flitting about, notably on the descent, when the temperature had climbed a bit from the overnight low in the 50s. They didn't seem to be biting. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
At the shelf on the trailhead kiosk there is one of a pair of microspikes. I found a pair of sunglasses on the way up FW, and I left them on a log, quite visible. Up top, another hiker asked if we had found them. The owner was going down a different way. Ultimately we picked up the glasses on the descent and left them at the owner's truck. |
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 | Comments: |
This was my first trip up the Fire Warden trail, and I was concerned about locating where it branches off North Twin. There was always the phone app and offline map, which shows the trail. But before the hike, I found a 10-minute video online, excerpts from the hike up NT and FW. Key to the location of the start of FW is the descending set of seven wood steps on NT nearly a mile in from the trailhead, with the piece of old steel rail from long ago. Someone in the video is heard saying the start of FW would be another 300 ft past that staircase, and that is about right. The video showed the start of FW, but the angle was too low. A slightly higher angle would have shown what clearly is a well-established herd path heading up and then sharply back relative to NT. FW does provide an easy path to the top of Hale. |
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 | Name: |
Pappy |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-05-26 |
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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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