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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Tom (Fryeburg), ME
Trails
Trails: Mt. Tom Trail, West Ridge Trail, Menotomy Road
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, April 19, 2020
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: There’s a small sign welcoming hikers but not motorized vehicles (except to park of course) for the Mount Tom Trail. Could only fit a few cars there without blocking each other but I was the only one there at 5:30 and 7pm. There appears to be a new parking area for West Ridge Trail as you no longer need to park on the side of the fire road as the guidebook indicates. The parking lot was mid-sized and could easily fit over a dozen cars. There was one car when I drove by around 5:30pm but it was gone when I got down just past 6:30pm.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Maybe a small stream or two on West Ridge Trail. Nothing of any significance.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: West Ridge Trail is well blazed in white but Mount Tom Trail is unblazed although it’s still easy to follow. Good signage where the two trails intersect and where West Ridge Trail intersects with old roads. Not much in the way of blowdowns. There was a small-mid sized step over or two partway down West Ridge Trail. Note as there is now a parking area for the trail, the very bottom of it was likely rerouted just a bit as it starts from the parking lot not the road next to it.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: None seen but these should be a fine hike for dogs.  
Bugs
Bugs: I think there may have been some (they were definitely out on my hike earlier in the day in York/Berwick ME) but I was moving fast so they weren’t bothersome.  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: None 
 
Comments
Comments: I decided I wanted a little more after we finished our hike to Second Hill near Agamenticus so after a quick stop home for food, I headed further north to redline these two trails. I think it was still around 60F when I started and not much cooler at 7pm when I returned.

The Mt Tom Trail is on a muddy, wet mess of a road to start which wasn’t the nicest. A nice easy grade for trail running except it doesn’t have very good footing. Part way up, the trail becomes a trail rather than a road and is quite nice although it also steepens some in here. Soon enough, you reach the jct with West Ridge Trail, and it’s short and mostly flat walk from there to the summit. You can’t see too much from the summit. Pleasant Mtn is right in your face and you can also see Pleasant Pond and through the trees to Lovewell Pond.

West Ridge Trail was nice. Definitely steeper in sections, but also lots of flat sections and it has good footing. I jogged down parts of it which felt great :) This turned into a bit of a trail run and I was happy to be moving fast. The trail intersects sigh some other roads and paths but is signed here and generally well marked. You pass by some cool foundations as you near the parking area. It was a 1.2mi Road walk back to the car with a bit of elevation gain.

The trails were mostly dry with occasional mud other than the road at the beginning of Mt Tom Trail which was a bit more messy. Nice hike :D  
Name
Name: Liam Cooney 
E-Mail
E-Mail: liamcooney96@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2020-04-21 
Link
Link: https:// 
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