| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Owl's Head, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lincoln Woods Trail, Franconia Brook Trail, Lincoln Brook Trail, bushwhack, Owl's Head Path, Franconia Falls Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, August 27, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
$5/day fee to park at Lincoln Woods. Lot was less than half full at both 7:30am and 7:30pm. Watch out for a hornets nest in the parking lot (it’s signed and blocked off). |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I somewhat miraculously managed them all as rock hops with dry feet. It was a stretch though to say the least and I’m honestly surprised I made it. Water is low in the Whites now which is nice but the crossings on the southern portion of Lincoln Brook are more difficult than I remembered. All the other crossings were more or less your average rock hop. I think it was the crossing of Franconia Brook on Lincoln Brook Trail (the one closest to Franconia Brook Trail) that was the most difficult...possibly the crossing of Lincoln Brook before it. Certainly nothing dangerous though. You just may have to get your feet wet some. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Considering these are wilderness trails, I was very impressed! The guidebook talks about the northern section of Lincoln Brook Trail as being very difficult to follow but recent reports from people I know say it wasn’t a problem. Luckily I found them to be right! Evidently it had a lot of work done to it right around when the 30th edition was published in 2017. I had no trouble following any of the trails other than a moments pause or two at a brook crossing to check if the trail crossed there or continued along the bank. If you’re an experienced hiker, you should have no problem on any of these trails. Still various blowdowns of all types, shapes, and sizes, but most or all were trimmed and none were much of a nuisance. There was one on the Franconia Falls Trail not far from the end of the trail that will hopefully get taken care of soon (not too large but too big for a pruning saw. It’s a stradler if you’re tall enough and a duk/crawl under otherwise). The only blaze I recall was some faded blaze (and exactly one very new looking one!!) on the northern section of the Lincoln Brook Trail where the guidebook says there’s some; even withrout blaze, I found these trails easy to follow. Saw one person on there way out from doing trail maintenance around the beaver ponds on Franconia Brook Trail just above it’s lower jct with Lincoln Brook Trail. Saw another group of 4 that had just done trail maintenance on the upper portion of Lincoln Brook Trail near the (northern) start of the formerly hard to follow part. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw just one on Lincoln Woods Trail running along (on leash) with the owner who was biking out. So long as your dog can handle a VERY long day hike I imagine most experienced hiking dogs could handle this loop except for perhaps the steep and, at times eroded, Brutus Bushwhack. |
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 | Bugs: |
A mosquito or two down low in the morning if you stopped. Same with black flies at the summit. Perhaps more numerous but they weren’t biting. The mosquitos were out and became quite annoying on the way out Lincoln Woods and lower Franconia Brook though. Never put on bug spray. Watch out for a hornets nest in the parking lot (sign and blocked off). I think I got stung by something along the Brutus Bushwhack but I never saw it. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Picked up some small trash. Picked up a bit of glass on Franconia Falls Trai before I realized just how much there was... |
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 | Comments: |
23.4mi with 3700ft of elevation gain. My 3rd time doing Owls Head for the grid. Redlined the rest of Lincoln Brook Trail, a good portion of Franconia Brook Trail, and Franconia Falls Trail.
Other than spraining my ankle on the way down Owls Head Path and getting stung by something(my first time wahoo!!) on my way down the Brutus Bushwhack, this was a great hike!! The loop around Owls Head was much more interesting than the out-and-back to it and only a couple (mostly flat) miles longer with only a couple hundred feet more elevation gain. It’s about as long as the Bonds as an out-and-back from Lincoln Woods but with much less elevation gain). The nicest parts were the beaver ponds on Franconia Brook Trail (the first of which is immediately after its southern jct with Lincoln Brook Trail so even if you don’t plan on doing the big loop you could visit this spot and have a snack:), the 13 Falls area, and the formerly hard to follow section of upper Lincoln Brook Trail where there’s views towards Franconia Ridge.
I didn’t find these trails to be hard to follow at all and while there was certainly areas of significant mud on the lesser used potions of Lincoln Brook and Franconia Brook Trails, the mud seemed to be worse on the well used portions of these trails that are used as the standard route to Owls Head. I took the Brutus Bushwhack both ways as while it’s still very steep and has some rough footing, it still beats going up and down that slide for me. I’d forgotten that Owls Head Path continues to ascend after it meets it though...
My first time on Franconia Falls Trail. Pretty easy trail and the falls are very impressive!! Only 5 people seen on the Owls Head Path/Brutus Bushwhack, about a half dozen on Lincoln Woods, and only a few other than the trail crews on the upper portion of my loop. Nice chatting with Mark on our way out Lincoln Woods Trail :) |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-08-28 |
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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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