| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Potash Mountain - South Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Potash Mountain Trail, Bushwhack, Downes Brook Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, June 27, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Everything was rock-hoppable, though I did intentionally step on a submerged rock on the northernmost crossing on Downes Brook Trail. I'm sure I could have found a dry path across, but I was so close to the car and had a change of shoes there. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Champ tore a dew claw :( Poor guy made it through the whole hike without complaint though. H/T to the emergency vet in Ossipee for taking care of him on a Saturday. |
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 | Bugs: |
negligible |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We went up Potash and started whacking where the trail turns sharply to the north, just shy of the summit. This was a mistake as this was a cliffy area and we ended up too low, SE of the col and side hilling. If I were doing this route again, I'd go to the true summit and launch the whack from there as it looks less cliffy to the SW of the summit. It remained fairly thick after the col as we ascended South Potash. Took us 50 mins to get to the summit once we left the trail and I wasn't excited to do that stretch again, so we audibled and descended to Downes Brook trail. This worked out pretty well. We initially aimed for Downes Brook around 1950ft, but dense woods kept pushing us a bit further north, extending the whack slightly. But no cliff bands and no awful woods. We hit the trail a short distance west of the brook crossing around 1900ft. A quick jaunt out on Downes Brook trail, with numerous water crossings to navigate.
Took us 3 hours total. 1 hr up to Potash, 50 mins of whacking over to S Potash. 30 mins down to Downes Brook, then 40 mins to the car on Downes Brook. If I were doing this again, I'd be tempted to out and back via the Downes Brook route. |
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 | Name: |
Big Al Dente |
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 | E-Mail: |
bigaldentenh@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-07-01 |
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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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