| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Wildcat D, Wildcat C, Wildcat B, Wildcat A, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Polecat ski trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, road walk |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 19, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at Lot C of Wildcat Mountain Ski area, at the bottom of the Polecat ski trail. (Nineteen Mile Brook Trail parking was full when we drove by at about 9:00 am and about half full around 3:00 pm that afternoon.) |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Not an issue. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails are in fine shape -- a few small, head-height, duck-under blowdowns on the ridge trail between the peaks, but nothing major. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Trails are in some of the best shape we've seen in a while -- perfect packed-but-springy snowshoe track across the ridge and on Nineteen Mile Brook. (No postholes anywhere, either!)
We paid our $10 for a hiking pass and went up the Polecat ski trails -- snowshoes necessary to avoid postholing at the edge of the groomed area. Near the top of the trail (and, at a busy section of the ski run) there's some barely covered ice crust, and that was the only time I felt the need for even light traction.
Ridge Trail was lovely and fast-moving. We saw a few folks, but not nearly as many as we thought we would on such a beautiful day.
From Wildcat A, instead of backtracking on the ridge and heading down the ski trail, we opted to head back via Nineteen Mile Brook and the 2.5-mile (or so) road walk on Route 16 -- the ski area was just too busy and we didn't want a repeat of a couple of near collisions from our trek up.
Once past Wildcat A, though, heading down, trail is a bit less consolidated and powdery, until just east of the slide (the trail across which is in great shape), where multiple tracks try to make their way through a spruce thicket across a crust/powder mix. The actual trail is due north of this set of tracks. Once past this, trail is in good shape and easy to follow.
Nineteen Mile Brook Trail was turning a bit soft in sunny sections on the way out -- snowshoes were a must.
An excellent day out, complete with a grey jay on Wildcat A who insisted on sharing our lunch.
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 | Name: |
Pancks and Tesco Heaney |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-03-20 |
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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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