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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Peary Mountain, ME
Trails
Trails: Peary Mountain Trail, herd paths, snowmobile trails, old roads
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Thursday, April 16, 2020
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: There is a small parking lot almost opposite the trailhead. A few small puddles mud but you should be fine. It could probably hold a half dozen or so cars. I was the only one there. The road in is gravel and had a couple large potholes that snuck up on you as well as some very bumpy sections with many potholes.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: None. Just some water and wet places on the trail.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Other than some signs for the snowmobile trail ax the trail didn’t really have a trailhead. It did have some signs on it with arrow pointing which way the “trail” goes though. There were a few red markers. I think they were used as blaze and not a boundary but I only recall a few. Nonetheless, the trail is fairly easy to follow and is pretty well marked with little arrows, cairns, etc. around the numerous turns around the saddle. The guidebooks description would be helpful as well. The one thing I think it got wrong is that the trail goes straight across the old log yard. It does not bear right.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: None seen but should be a fine trail for them.  
Bugs
Bugs: None noticed.  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: None 
 
Comments
Comments: I was planning on redlining the trails around Burnt Meadow Mtn but the town of Brownfield and property owners have closed public access to the trails and the parking lot was blocked off. This was a great alternative :) It was in the low-mid 40s when I started but the sun was shining where I was (I did drive through some snowflakes on the way up though!). It was also a bit windy and it seemed to get windier. By the time I visited the south summit a second time it got quite cold up there!

The trail seemed a bit unofficial but was marked well enough to follow certainly. It goes on/off snowmobile trail. On the snowmobile trail it was often wet and muddy. On the more trail like portions it was nicer. No snow anywhere. Great views from the southern ledges although clouds did obscure the Presidentials and part of the southern view towards Chocorua. I liked the view at the ledges on the north peak as well although not nearly as expansive.

I noticed an opening in the woods on the ledges just past the north summit on the left and checked it out. It lead to the northernmost summit bump. On the approach it looked like I’d have a view but there wasn’t much of one. Shortly thereafter, the path became more of a road. Perhaps it had been logged recently. I went a ways down exploring before turning back. It seemed like this may lead down to the very nice looking log cabin the parking lot is nearly opposite of.

On my return, just past the northern summit there was some surveyors tape and another herd path that I followed down to the left. It very quickly came to a jct with an old road or snowmobile trail. I took that headed northwest to see if it met back with the road I was on past the north peak earlier. It eventually turned and sort of paralleled it and I turned around. At the jct of the snowmobile trail and herd path again I continued the other direction in the snowmobile trail which I figured would probably dump me out onto the intersection of roads/trails near the saddle. I was correct and it did so very shortly. I then took the trail back up to the south bump where the main ledges are to take some pics as I hadn’t when I was first there before turning around and heading back. A great way to spend the evening! :D  
Name
Name: Liam Cooney 
E-Mail
E-Mail: liamcooney96@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2020-04-17 
Link
Link: https:// 
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