| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Church Mountain, Grafton Knob, Crane Mountain, Orange Mountain, Cardigan Rimrock, Mount Cardigan , NH |
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 | Trails: |
Orange Road, Knowles Hill Road, Church Hill Road, Skyland Trail, West Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, July 12, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking is probably the trickiest part of the hike. Per the AMC guide, I parked in Alexandria Four Corners. There is just enough room on the side of Orange Road, before the first driveway on the right, to get 2 maybe 3 cars. These are the coordinates of where I parked: 43.60827753976946, -71.87922105774295. You have to pull pretty far into the ditch to be off the road. The edge is fairly flat though, so you should not get stuck, but might be harder with a low-clearance vehicle. There is a big turn around further up Knowles Hill Road (43.61195066312928, -71.87768818298541) which also looked possible, but there were "No Trespassing" signs across the street, so didn't want to risk it. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Only one is the tiny footbridge on the West Ridge Trail |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few minor blowdowns along Skyland which could be cleaned up |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
ALL of them were out, but was moving fast enough to avoid most of them. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I wanted to check out the longer, more difficult approach to Cardigan and Skyland definitely fit the bill. After the short road walk up Knowles Hill Road, turn onto Church Hill. There is a gate with a "Private Turnaround" sign on it, but hikers are ok. After a steep little climb past the camps along Church Hill Road, you will see a sign on a tree for Skyland Trail, which leaves the road going left.
Even being pretty remote and lightly used, the trail is very well blazed with white paint and cairns on the open ridges. There is very little undergrowth and for the most part you are moving through fairly open woods. There is plenty of moose droppings along the trail and I woke up a cow on the backside of Grafton Knob on my way in. The area was clearly farmed and you cross stone walls and cellar holes - including on that still has it's front steps.
The views across the open summits of Crane and Orange get progressively more beautiful. There are some slabby sections along the way covered in pine needles, which are a little slippery. Take care especially on the back side of Orange, where the trail is right along a 20'+ cliff.
I did not see anyone until Cardigan Rimrock and then more people once I hit the West Ridge trail. Views from the summit were excellent, being able to see all the way to Washington. After that I followed Skyland back to my car, for a 10 mile round trip. |
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 | Name: |
ges36 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-07-12 |
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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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