| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Haystack Notch, Miles Notch, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Haystack Notch Trail, Miles Notch Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, October 20, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Roadside parking on 113. Plenty of room just a few dozen feet north of the trailhead to pull off for one or two cars. More room further south. Luckily it’s not well used. We were the only ones there. The combined trailhead for Miles Notch and the eastern portion of Haystack Notch Trail was also empty. Looks like it’d just be roadside. Huge divot you’d have to avoid right by the trailhead. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The first four crossings from the western trailhead of Haystack Notch were all your standard rock hop. Look for yellow blaze and cairns on the other side of the 2nd (maybe 3rd?) crossing as one of the crossings wasn’t very obvious. Unlike the guidebook described, we didn’t find the first one to be harder than the others. Although these first four crossings were all easy, the last three crossings on the eastern end of Haystack Notch were much more difficult. The crossings were much wider, much deeper, and really flowing. It looked like we’d have to wade on the last one or two (and there wasn’t a very nice spot to do so) but we miraculously were able to rock hop!! If it were even slightly higher, then we would have had to get ourselves wet. The crossings get harder the further east you go. Also, we crossed a very small brook/tributary at least a few times while bushwhacking to try and find Haystack Notch Trail. Not high or deep, but it’s not a planned crossing so there’s no rocks to hop on and the bank is hard to get up/down on. Just another thing to contend with if you lose the trail like we did 🤪
All the crossings on Miles Notch Trail were very easy. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Haystack Notch Trail could really use some work. We couldn’t find any semblance of trail for about a mile (shortly past the notch to just after the wilderness boundary). Others have had better luck but it seems by all accounts that the trail disappears for at least a quarter mile shortly after the notch in a wet, grassy section. To our surprise there was fairly descent yellow blazing on both trails whenever they weren’t in the wilderness area. When they were inside it you were on your own though. And in the case of Haystack Notch Trail, that was quite difficult. No cairms, surveyors taps, trimmed trees, or anything to indicate where the trail might go. We met a couple of Cohos Trail maintainers shortly after we started up Miles Notch that had been on Haystack Notch Trail just a couple weeks ago tracking the trail with a GPS for future maintenance. They’d planned on blazing it too as they were very concerned about someone getting lost in there. I didn’t connect the dots at the time that they’d be blazing in a wilderness area. Not sure if that just hadn’t occurred to them or if they didn’t care or what. In any case, I appreciate their hard work and personally wouldn’t mind some blaze there. Don’t recall much in the way of blowdowns when we were actually on the trail other than one very large one towards the middle/end of Miles Notch that may have obscured the trail |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None seen. Dogs would probably be okay on these trails. Mostly nice grades, no scrambles, and lots of water. Don’t lose ‘em while you’re bushwhacking your way throughout Haystack Notch Trail though! |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
A traverse of Haystack Notch Trail (west to east) and Miles Notch Trail with another redliner. So glad I did this with someone else as I would not have felt very comfortable out there on my own and would have turned back if I couldn’t have found the trail.
To Haystack Notch, Haystack Notch Trail is pleasant enough, but shortly after the notch you come to a grassy muddy area where the land rises up to either side of you (there’s also a drainage/stream/maybe even the actual trail to your right). We weren’t sure which way to go but we saw prints that looked to be human and since two other redliners were out there Friday, we figured that was likely them and tried to follow their footsteps across the very muddy, grassy area. We trail hunted for awhile once on the other side. We considered going down the drainage, on the sidehill on the other side, or climbing to our left to the top of a hill. We sort of split the difference and bushwhacked partway between the hill and the drainage. We continually looked for the trail, checked our GPS’s (which always said we were very close to if not on the trail but we never saw it even when it showed that we crossed over it) and just trudged forward in hopes of finding it again. About 3 hours were spent doing this until we’d travelled about a mile (in the proper direction) and found the trail. Nice bushwhacking conditions but it still wasn’t fun. We wouldn’t have done this if we didn’t have 2 GPS’s, a spare set of batteries and Gaia GPS on my phone...good things I’m learning compass skills soon!! 😂
Once we stumbled upon the damn thing it was overgrown but easy enough to follow for an experienced redliner. There’s a 4 way intersection at one point. Gaia and your intuition indicate you just cross to the other side bit you actually go right briefly then go left into the woods (yellow blaze here but not at the original 4 way which would have been very helpful). There is not mention of this intersection in the guidebook. The trail continued to be followable to the end making three difficult water crossings (we somehow managed to rock hop with dry feet though!). It eventually comes into an open area near the end and seems to make a circle but we found our way out (I think there’s a shortcut but going most of the way around the circle worked too). That area would be tick heaven in summer.
We finally reached the end, took a break, and headed out Miles Notch Trail. MUCH easier to follow but the trail maintainer couple we met said Red Rock Trail was very difficult to follow so beware. Just keep an eye out for when the trail leaves the road and enters the wood as indicated by a small arrow. Some other roads/paths coming in here that you may be inclined to look at a GPS to make sure you’re going the right way but I believe you just stay straight until the arrow. Quite a bit of climbing to the notch (and some at a moderate-steep grade). No blaze in the wilderness area but you’re only briefly in it. One spot near the cliff/bouldery area just after the notch where it wasn’t immediately clear if the trail descended to the right towards the boulders or stayed straight/left at the same height. We stayed left and shortly came to a cairn. There’s a significant climb up the hill not too far from the end of this trail. We didn’t note any logging activity in the last 1.5mi like the book suggested there might be. Stay straight near the very bottom where a wide road comes in from the left.
We wondered if we would have had an easier time staying on Haystack Notch Trail if leaves hadn’t covered everything. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-10-21 |
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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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