| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Ricker Mountain, Vista Peak, Woodward Mountain, Bone Mountain, VT |
|
 | Trails: |
Ski trails, access road, bushwhacks, Woodward Mountain Trail, woods roads |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, July 13, 2014 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Bolton Valley ski area main base area parking. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Only crossing of significance was on a woods road coming off the north slope of Bone Mountain, which was crossable without issue today. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
|
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
|
|
 | Bugs: |
A few deer flies in the upper elevations, otherwise minimal. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Started from near the main base area (the start of the access road up the ski trails had a gate and sign on it, which I assume was there to prevent folks from driving up...we steered clear of this area and climbed up near the condos), eventually getting onto the gravel work roads up to the top of the Vista Quad. From there, we dropped north on the Vista Glades ski trail, then took a right onto the access road to the communication towers on Ricker Mountain. The access road had some areas of mud and standing water.
While there is a small bump above the tower on Ricker Mountain (some views), the recognized high point is to the east (there's also a false summit with cliffs prior to reaching it). From the west and south sides, the short bushwhack had some steep and scrappy parts. There are some ski glades that ascend to the col between the false (some views if you push around) and true summits from the north that could be a little easier.
We then doubled back to the top of the Vista Quad and hopped onto the Woodward Mountain Trail (ski area boundary above the chairlift), which led to a sketchy wooden observation tower atop 'Vista Peak' shortly thereafter. If you don't like shaky ladders/observation towers, this one isn't for you. Great views if you climb it though, even with the heavy haze today.
The Woodward Mountain Trail appears to be maintained for nordic skiing/snowshoeing with a wide corridor. Slow going due to being overgrown with ferns/grass and hidden mud. While the USGS shows two similar 3,100 contours, we found the recognized highpoint on the southern of the two, a short but scrappy bushwhack east of the trail.
From there, we dropped off the side of Woodward Mountain, in generally decent mixed woods, aiming for the col on Bone Mountain. We fortunately did not try to beeline, as there are major cliffs on that side of the mountain. In addition, the col has some cliffs, so we had to approach from the northeast. The recognized highpoint is wooded, but if you push around to the south side of the contour, there are excellent southern views from the scrub atop the cliffs.
For the descent, we dropped off the northside of the mountain from the false peak, initially in thick woods that soon gave way to quasi gladed spots. A few hundred vertical feet down, we hit a woods road which we followed for awhile, then dropped down to another one which led to the brook (draining from Goose Pond). On the other side of the brook, the main woods road apparently leads to the Timberline condos (lower base area on the access road). We turned and went uphill instead, occasionally following old woods roads, bootleg ski trails, open glades, and occasional cliffbands. We eventually popped out atop the Timberline Quad chairlift, then followed a work road back down to the main base area. |
|
 | Name: |
rocket21 |
|
 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2014-07-13 |
|
 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
|
|
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. |
|
