| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Falling Waters Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 16, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Got to Franconia Notch parking lot at around 7:45am, still quite a few spaces available at that point. When we finished our hike around 2:30pm, the lot was overflowing with cars, hundreds parked on the side of the road in either direction on I-93. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Falling Water Trail has several water crossings, there were plenty of ways across, though sometimes you had to get your feet a little wet. Not an issue if you have proper footwear (we saw way too many tennis shoes yesterday) |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Looked like some fresh trenches dug for water management. Franconia Ridge Trail had some rebuilt rock boundaries to keep people off the alpine vegetation. No issues anywhere though. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Lots of doggies out yesterday! Many off-leash, against the rules of NH State Parks (http://www.nhstateparks.org/planning/pet-friendly-parks.aspx). Had to warn people that there were forest rangers on the ridge who would fine them for having off-leash dogs. If humans aren't allowed to trample the alpine vegetation, why should their pets be able to? Aggravating to see it happen. |
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 | Bugs: |
A few pesky bugs at low elevations, not worth wearing bug spray though. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We went up the Old Bridal Path first, hoping to avoid the inevitable traffic jam going up Falling Water. We got pretty lucky and didn't have to deal with too many people on our way up to Lafayette. After that, though, we had to constantly pull off to the side to wait for people to pass. Too many large groups, all spaced out and going slow and not aware that they were holding up people waiting to go the other direction. This area is the epitome of no trail etiquette. Lots of inexperienced people with jeans, tennis shoes and cotton hoodies clutching a single bottle of water, standing in the middle of the trail taking pictures, trying to push past you on a trail section that's only wide enough for one person at a time, playing loud music on their phones while hiking... it really has a negative impact on our experience. We're trying to escape into nature, not feel like we're walking on a crowded sidewalk in Boston. Maybe it's time for Franconia Notch State Park to limit the amount of parking at the trailhead. Too many people disrespecting the trail and the environment. Saw a lot of litter and a lot of people walking on alpine plants off-trail. Needs more visitor management to reduce the impact of so many people at once.
Ranting aside, our hike was pretty great. In and out of the clouds all day, clouds rolling all around us, sometimes we were able to see for miles and miles, other times we couldn't see 100 feet ahead of us. It made for a much more interesting day than just a regular boring clear sunny day. Light rain on Lafayette, stopped as soon as we got off the summit. Hot at the base of the mountains, cooled off once we got to about 2500 feet and were able to feel a breeze. |
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 | Name: |
Ian Tomello |
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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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