| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Galehead Mountain, South Twin Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Gale River Trail, Garfield Ridge, Frost Trail, Twinway |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, October 28, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the designated parking area (signs, kiosk, hiker symbol) off Gale River Rd. This lot could easily hold 20 cars. The lot is about 1.6 miles or so up a nice gravel road, passable by any car. So, if coming from Twin Mountain, look for Trudeau Road signs about 5 miles from the stoplight in Twin Mountain. On the right is the paved Trudeau Rd, on the left is an obscure gravel road, tucked in the trees, also labeled FR 25. This is easy to miss as I did. Once on FR 25, you will bear left at a fork, then turn right onto FR 92 (Gale River Rd). There is a hiker symbol sigh at this turn.
I ended up missing the first left and turning left onto Gale River Road, which I had been over in snowshoes and was familiar with, (which there is a small plowed area before the gate on this gravel road in winter) and following this around to the Gale River parking area. Whatever. I got there. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Surprisingly, after a night of rain, water levels were not that high. The only two significant water crossings (thank you AMC for rerouting 1 mile of this trail after Irene in 2011 to avoid more treacherous water crossings) were still mostly rock hoppable. Shoes got more wet from the mud rather than the water crossings. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
None worth tackling this year. 2-3 blow downs on Gale River but they are small and don’t obstruct the trail. Just step overs. Excellent signage. Water bars were clear on Gale River. Leaves clog the remaining trails but it’s too late to do anything. They will soon freeze then succumb to snow. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No issues for dogs on these trails. |
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 | Bugs: |
Humph. Later blood suckers! See you in the spring! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Route: Gale River Trail > Garfield Ridge Trail > Frost Trail > Twinway to South Twin summit > then back the way I came.
After Thursday’s foray into the Pemigewasset, I was curious about this area. I loosely planned on attacking the Bonds from this approach but was checked, yet again, by the Whites. I kept to just Galehead and South Twin (again). Too much mud, wet rocks, and overall cloud gloom. Plus this approach to the Bonds is 22+ miles and I started way too late for that distance anyway. Totally executable on drier, earlier start days.
Gale River Trail: straight forward, simple to follow. There is blue blazing on the reroute that was created after hurricane Irene in 2011. Excellent blazing. No other blazing until Garfield Ridge. See water crossing notes above. Super muddy, but that’s what I get after a night and morning of rain...
Garfield Ridge: short section that had some white blazes and was simple to follow. Wet rocks. Lots of wet rocks...
Frost: un-blazed but clear foot path. Excellent signage just past the hut (hut is now closed). Quick ascent to this 4000 footer summit. There is an outlook (signed) below the wooded, viewless summit. Nice carin at summit.
Twinway: this is a 1,150 foot elevation gain over 0.8 miles. Yup. Straight up, AT style. But there are no exposed areas (meaning there are no steep rock slabs where precipitous drop offs are close). Even with wet rocks and snow in the cracks, it is not treacherous. Just steep and demanding of concentration (don’t knock out your front teeth with your knees!!). Though I lost a lung on this ascent, I felt comfortable with the ascent and did not fear falling to oblivion.
Still got an unvisited 4000 footer and redlining done despite the wet conditions. No other persons encountered on these trails. |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-10-28 |
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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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