| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Sugarloaf Mountain (Benton), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Sugarloaf Mountain Trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, October 21, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Page Road, on left 2nd green gate--it is open and there is a sign hikers welcome, foot traffic only. There is plenty of room to park near gate on side of road |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
bridged on access road, no water on Sugarloaf Mountain |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail is being maintained, new blazes, swath cut through former clear cut area, no blowdowns and a new ladder highest up but no new ropes or lower ladder--too difficult/dangerous for most |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
why not if you bushwhack all the way but taking the actual trail impossible unless your dog can rockclimb. |
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 | Bugs: |
Ticks, we both found a couple crawling on us. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We had heard that trail work had been done to re-open the abandoned Sugarloaf Mountain Trail (according to my 1976 AMC guide long ago it was maintained by Camp Walt Whitman). We met the owner of the property at his storage trailers about a half mile up the road. He told us he was happy and hoped that the trail would be recognized in the future. He also told us it was possible to bushwhack around the cliffs by hugging the base of the cliff and going around to the south. (Once I had whacked around going to the north and it was crazy hard like the Polar Caves). He hoped we'd be able to take the trail all the way though...
Route is blazed along private road past the house and just after crossing over a new large culvert there is a trail sign pointing to the right. Trail now leaves the road and enters a grown-in clear-cut area and thankfully path has been cut and blazed through what would be a horrible whack (probably where we picked up the ticks). At the top of the grown-in cut area the trail follows along a stone wall on a nice old logging road, notice all the apple trees on the left. Trail turns hard right, cairn and blazes mark the way (logging road past here is more grown-in and dead ends at what was a log landing). Leaves covered the worn foot bed but trail was easy to stay on with the new blazes. Trail climbs steeply to the base of the cliff. At one point down low we looked up at the cliffs and we saw a bright new ladder. I knew this new ladder must be the replacement for the higher up ladder. I hoped there would be more new ladders below, but when we reached the bottom of the cliff there was only old twine hanging down and nothing new to aid the first vertical pitch. I climbed and started to make my way up but came to my senses and didn't risk a hard fall. I did this climb in 2011 on rotten ladders and old ropes I had no idea if the more difficult climbs just above might be un-aided too. We decided to bushwhack along the bottom of the cliff to the south (right) and it was wonderful, nothing scary or difficult. We arrived at a cleft that was easy to scramble up and we landed on the top of the ridge at a wonderful open ledge with grand views south and west! From here we whacked north to the recognized highpoint. (ok what kind of fools abuse registers by ripping out pages and stuffing a brownie up inside???). Big views on Sugarloaf! Becca wanted to go back down the trail to see how far we could go and we made it all the way down to the new ladder and down the ladder but no further. A few of the old wood railings nailed to trees still exist and the remains of the old ladders have been stuff under a nearby ledge (that answered my question what happened to the old ladders). Knotted ropes are rotten, we both thought it would be foolish to trust them. We hiked back up to the summit. The quickest and easiest way back would have been the route we had come up but we thought it would be fun to whack north towards Black and then wind our way around Sugarloaf below. Good fun on a nice day. If only more good ladders could be installed this would be a challenging fun trail to have back. Well worth the whack around to the south. |
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 | Name: |
Nordic Gal, Becca Munroe |
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 | E-Mail: |
amybike@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-10-22 |
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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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