| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Dry River Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, May 20, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Drifts, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
There were water crossings, and with the close proximity to the river, the trail was difficult to follow and could lead to one getting lost on the wrong side of the river. Wading required. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few sections of trail were impassable due to severe washing out and required climbing to get back to trail. Trail markers extremely difficult to find, cairns few and far between. Overall very easy to get lost. Further details in comments below. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Not recommended for dogs or even humans, although we did have our dog with us. |
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 | Bugs: |
Hardly any thankfully. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Mt. Washington was ascended earlier in day 1 of 2 but isn't really relevant in this report.
This was the most poorly maintained trail I have ever been on, likely due to the fact that it is wilderness and that we were the first unlucky (and admittedly misinformed) souls to go through this season. The descent from Lake of the Clouds started with following infrequent cairns and sliding down snow banks trying to follow the trail until getting to the treeline, at which point navigation was nearly impossible due to the waist deep snow and thick trees. The snow persisted for miles, even past Dry River shelter, making travelling just a mile a 2-3 hour nightmare of taking a step, sinking into waist deep snow, pulling yourself out, only to get back to the surface, take another step and sink in again. Eventually, at the lower elevations, the snow accumulations decreased, but the difficulty of the trail did not. It was extremely difficult to follow, due to most of the trail being more of an eroded path flowing with snow melt and rain water than an actual maintained hikable path, which could lead to one easily being lost. Navigation mainly consisted of tracking the GPS to stick to the "trail" as close as possible, and keeping an eye out for old logs that had been cut by chainsaws in previous years. Even with successful navigation, it seemed to be one difficulty after another, with two sections where the trail had been completely washed out recently, leading to crawling on the side of an eroded mound of mud and rocks to try to reach the trail on the other side. Additionally with the amount of snowfall and rain that the area has received, there were water crossings that required wading and frequent smaller streams that led into Dry River. The difficulty persisted until the arrival at the suspension bridge, which was marked as "closed" with a sign due to the railing being broken, but we had to cross it anyways because there was no other way to cross the 100-150 foot wide section of Dry River. After the bridge, the trail became easier and I don't recall there being any other dangerous sections. It wasn't until we reached the parking lot that we discovered the warning for Dry River Trail on at the trailhead bulletin board for the reasons described above. It would have been nice to have known that at the top of the trail rather than the bottom, especially since once you begin the decent into the trail, there is no turning back. I urge the forest management team to make that announcement at Lake of The Clouds where the intersection of this trail is. We were lucky that we were prepared with fitness and most of the proper gear (snowshoes would have been nice) but I worry that others won't be so lucky. |
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 | Name: |
AJ |
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 | E-Mail: |
ajbrockson@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-05-21 |
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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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