| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Tripyramid, Middle Tripyramid, South Tripyramid, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Livermore Trail, Mt. Tripyramid Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 16, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We got a late start at 11:30am and Was surprised to find plenty of parking available in the Tripoli Rd lot. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
There are a couple of minor streams near the bottom of the Mt. Tripyramid Trail when descending from South Tripyramid. Easily crossable with boots on by stepping on rocks. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The Mt Tripyramid Trail has virtually no cairns or markings on the North Slide. The presence of those would have been very helpful because it is often not clear which route might be safest. There were some cairns and a couple of faint markings on the South Slide, and those were helpful. The rest of the Mt Tripyramid trail had almost no markings but was easy to follow nevertheless. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw none on the Mt Tripyramid Trail. |
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 | Bugs: |
Black flies and mosquitoes at various places along the way, especially on the Livermore Trail and the South Slide. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I'd previously read a blog post about this hike that described it as Jekyl and Hyde, and having now done it, I couldn't agree more. This trio of mountains contains a stark combination of what I have experienced as among the easiest and the most challenging trails in the White Mountains.
The hike starts with a 3.3 mile walk from the parking lot along Livermore Trail. Livermore Trail is actually a well maintained dirt road. It is smooth and wide, and lots of people were biking and lots of families were walking on it. It ascends so gradually that you barely feel it.
When you finally step onto the north end of the Mt. Tripyramid Trail, things start to look and feel like a mountain trail. I'm guessing that you go maybe 4/10ths of a mile before you reach the bottom of the North Slide. At first, things don't seem too bad. It is steep and the rock is loose, but there are places to put one's feet. Before too long, however, you hit the bare rock and the hard work begins. The rock ascends at a 45 degree or greater angle much of the way, and you make your way up by trusting your boots, using whatever crack you can find to place a hand or foot into, hugging tree trunks when available, and using branches and roots as lifelines. It is a 2-handed, 2-footed ascent for a good deal of it. But don't forget to turn around when you find the level spots and take in the views that, by the way, get better and better the higher you get.
After completing the North Slide and finding the teeny tiny cairn that marks the summit of North Tripyramid, you'll find that the portion of the Mt. Tripyramid Trail that takes you to the Middle and South Tripyramids is unremarkable and quite easy. Once you get to the South Slide, things get interesting again due to its steepness and the loose rock, which makes for a careful, somewhat slow, and somewhat tedious descent. Fortunately, the South Slide seemed shorter than the north, and you have beautiful views to take in. Once reaching the bottom of the South Slide, you enter the woods and find yourself on a smooth dirt part. It is then a leisurely walk back to the Livermore Trail, and an even more leisurely walk back along the road to the car.
As a note, we had already done Tuckerman's Ravine up Mt Washington, the Flume Slide Trail up Flume, and the Cathedral Trail up Katahdin. I found the North Slide to be most similar to the Flume Slide, but steeper and with significantly more bare rock and less trees to grab onto. Fortunately, the North Slide was quite dry today. Nevertheless, it must have still had its perils because as we were beginning our trek along the Mt Tripyramid Trail on our way to the North Slide, we met with a team of a dozen rescuers who were carrying a man in a stretcher who had broken his ankle on the North Slide this morning. As a result, we were extra mindful to take our time and to try to be strategic about our routes up the rock faces. |
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 | Name: |
KLBS |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-07-17 |
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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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