| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
East Rattlesnake, West Rattlesnake, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Butterworth Trail, Ridge Trail, Col Trail, Ramsey Trail, Pasture Trail, road walk |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 31, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Limited parking at Butterworth trailhead - probably only room for two cars. The actual signpost at the trailhead is small, but there's a yellow sign on the road signifying hikers - look for that. Metcalf Road was quite wet and muddy - recommend an AWD vehicle for that to lessen the chance of getting stuck in the mud. No parking at Col trailhead on Route 113. Parking lots for Old Bridle Path and Mt. Morgan Trail looked fine as we drove past them.
Also, one other note - Route 113 between Holderness and Center Sandwich has an enormous number of frost heaves. Drive very carefully. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nothing major on the route that we used. East Rattlesnake Trail has a major crossing right at the bottom that might have been difficult, which is why we did not use that trail. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All trails were well blazed with metal diamonds of various colors. No major blowdowns. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Didn't see any, but they probably wouldn't have any issues. |
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 | Bugs: |
None yet. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
We found a single black Hillsound microspike while ascending Ramsey Trail. We left it at the signpost at the junction of Ridge and Col trails. (We meant to leave it at the summit of West Rattlesnake, but unfortunately we forgot about it until we had already gone down Pasture and were halfway up Col.) |
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 | Comments: |
What a fun hike! The goal was for me to finish redlining the Rattlesnakes, and sure enough, I did.
We started going up Butterworth Trail. Snow cover was consistent the entire way up - probably 1 - 1.5 feet. There was a clearly packed monorail most of the way, and due to the slipperiness of the snow, micro-spikes were the preferred footwear for that section. A little bit of ice, but nothing too sketchy if you take your time. From the summit, Ridge Trail turns left to go toward the lookout on East Rattlesnake. The lookout area was partly ice and partly bare ground, and the views were excellent.
Going down Ridge Trail toward the col, the trail alternated between ice and bare ground. Spikes were still OK as long as we didn't mind using them on dirt and occasionally on rocks. Col Trail going down toward Pinehurst Road was a mix - some bare ground, some icy sections, and some sections of a foot of snow or more. The monorail was fairly well-defined, and we didn't have too much trouble staying on it. At the bottom, we reached Pinehurst Road and followed it to the trailhead of Ramsey Trail.
No one had used Ramsey Trail for its first 0.1 miles to the Undercut junction - that part was a mix of snow and bare ground. Going up the steep part of Ramsey Trail, there was practically no ice or snow (it is on a south-facing slope, after all), but the rocks were wet, and the rain (which started about this time) made them very slippery. We took our time, and there were certainly enough handholds and footholds to safely climb Ramsey. We took off our spikes for Ramsey, and then put them back on just below the summit of West Rattlesnake.
Sadly, the rain had blocked most of the view from West Rattlesnake by this time. It was there that we met the only other hikers that we saw all day - two people who had hiked up Old Bridle Path. We then descended Pasture Trail - it was a mix of ice, snow, and bare ground, but we were fine with spikes. We then climbed back up Col Trail to the junction with Ridge Trail.
The last section - the northern 0.9 miles of Col Trail - was the only part of the hike where snowshoes were definitely necessary. Col Trail had a very narrow, unstable monorail that made it very easy to posthole. The monorail actually got less stable as we headed down, and by the time we got past the pond, it was virtually gone. We should have put on our snowshoes 30 minutes before we actually did. However, the snow there (which is 2 feet deep) is so soft that you will posthole even with snowshoes. And there are certain sections where there's water underneath the snow - be careful for those. The road walks were no issue.
Thanks Diane and Patty for joining me on this wet, dreary, but still very rewarding hike! |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-03-31 |
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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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