| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bean Mountain, Kennedy Hill, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bushwhack, access road, woods road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 26, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the Pillsbury State Park gate on Route 31
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
These two peaks are on the New Hampshire 2000-Footer List. From our parking location we strapped on our snowshoes heading west in open woods at moderate grade. Just after 1900 feet of elevation we started seeing some moose tracks as the woods tightened up and turned to conifers. We skirted south for a bit then turned southwest to avoid this section and things leveled off. Once back in nice woods we began climbing moderately again and soon we started hearing, then seeing windmills and soon enough we hit the recognized high point of Bean Mountain. There was a small handle bolted to the tree by no jar / note pad to sign in. I keep forgetting to bring one up.
After a few photos we set off dropping down heading northwest, picked up the windmill gravel access road, then turning north heading toward Kennedy Hill. We followed this road for about a mile or so until we were just west of the summit. We then jumped off the road and started bushwhacking up a steep section toward a windmill that was between us and the summit. After crossing the windmill and its access road we continued bushwhacking in nice woods at moderate grade to the recognized summit and again finding a small handle bolted to the tree by no jar / note pad to sign in.
For our return trip back to the truck we retraced our steps back to the access road, followed it for a short distance to the 1950-foot col. From here we started bushwhacking southeast heading toward the truck. At first, we were on what looked like an older logging / wood’s road, crossed some drainage and soon we hit some thick and nasty stuff. Lucky that didn’t last too long and we pick up several older logging / wood’s roads with lots of moose activity. Nice open views due to previous logging, lots of wet area and a beaver dam that was easy enough to snowshoe over due to the cold temps. Soon we hit rout 31 and had a short walk back to the truck.
Really nice hike with my beautiful bride clocking in just under 6 miles and 1200 feet of elevation gain +/-. Snow depth was hard packed and anywhere up to 10" .
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 | Name: |
Brian Bond |
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 | E-Mail: |
brianbond@comcast.net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-01-26 |
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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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