| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Greeley Ponds , NH |
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 | Trails: |
Livermore Trail, Greeley Ponds Trail, Goodrich Rock Trail, Timber Camp Trail, herd paths |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, November 27, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
$5/day to park here. The parking lot was a sheet of ice. My FWD car did okay with it but I was very cautious. It’ll help to put spikes before you get out of the car. Oniy car there at 7:30am. One of three around 2:15pm. Very large lot. Room for at least a couple dozen and probably many more but I’m not sure if they plow the other side of the lot. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The only one that isn’t bridged or trivial is where the trail crosses the Mad River (also where the lower pond spur/ski trail continues straight ahead if coming from the south). It was an easy rock hop today. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
I believe all trails were blazed in yellow except for the ski trail/lower pond spur that had blue diamonds. All were easy to follow and most of my day appeared to be walking along a road. Continuing past the cairn that marks the end of the Timber Camp Trail on the unmaintained path (overgrown and hard to follow or at least tell where it ends as there was hardly a view) I noticed a single yellow blaze.
Some parts of Timber Camp Trail could stand to be brushed back.
Some small debris on the trails. A small but awkward straddler on Timber Camp Trail. A large tree has come down right down the path along the ski trail/lower pond spur. It has a blue diamond on it. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None seem but these all seem like fine trails for dogs. Not too steep and lots of water. They might struggle at the very beginning with all of the ice. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
Livermore Trail, Greeley Ponds Trail, Goodrich Rock Trail, Timber Camp Trail, unmaintained path, upper and lower pond spurs
Tried to do some redlining before Thanksgiving :) I’d only done Greeley Ponds for the Kanc (north side) before so I thought I’d finished Greeley Ponds Trail by coming in from the south and grabbing Goodrich Rock Trail, Timber Camp Trail, and the other spurs along the way. About 12mi with around 2000ft of elevation gain. 30F at the trailhead at 7:30am and 39F when I returned around 2:15pm. You could feel a strong breeze in the woods at times but the wind wasn’t terribly strong. I wore a base layer, fleece, and usually a hard shell on my upper body. I hoped to just wear regular hiking pants today but it was a bit too cold of a start so I threw my precipitation pants overtop them and then took them off on top of Goodrich Rock and was comfortable the rest of the day except for the wetness accumulated on my pants from wet branches.
Put on spikes right at the car as the lot all ice and Livermore Trail to Greeley Ponds was also very icy. The ice transitioned to more frozen granular in Greeley Ponds Trail that you probably didn’t need spikes for but I just kept mine on all day. Goodrich Rock Trall was steeper/rougher than I imagined. Doesn’t gain all that much elevation but there’s some big steps and a tricky section where you have to contort your body underneath an overhanging rock while also stepping around another rock. The “cave†passageway, which I believe was shortly before, was much easier. There was a blue tarp on the backside of Davis Boulder. I climbed to the top of the ladder and stood atop Goodrich Rock at the end of the trail. The ladder felt very secure but is a bit nerve wracking given how long it is.
Timber Calp Trail was more gradual and switchbacked some. My pants got a bit wet from overgrown brush encroaching on the trail here. I continued beyond the end of the official trail (where a cairn, partially covered by snow now is). This unmaintained path gets rather tight through the trees at times but is wide open in others. It goes straight for maybe a tenth of a mile, then turns left as the guidebook describes. It continues, more steeply for a short distance, then seemed to end rather abruptly. At first I figured I just couldn’t find the trail but upon further inspection I think it isn’t emds rather abruptly and the “viewpoint†is very overgrown.
Greeley Ponds Trail is often flat and only goes up a few larger hills. Alsmor the entire section to the ponds is on a wide road. The 0.2mi spur to the lower pond is where the trail turns left to cross Mad River (easy rock hop today). There’s a sign here. The spur is the ski trail that continues ahead. There’s a blowdown I mentioned above along this. The other spurs the guidebook mentions that are along eh pond are obvious enough if you’re looking for them. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-11-27 |
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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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