| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Meader, Eagle Crag, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mt. Meader Trail, Bricket Falls Spur, Meader Ridge Trail, bushwhack, Baldface Circle Trail, Bicknell Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 15, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Watch out for black ice on the roads between 16N in Conway and the trailhead. Water pools in places along the potholes and bumpy roads and then freezes overnight. It would be easy to skid here.
I parked at the Baldface Circle lot and got the short (0.6mi) road walk done at the beginning. I thought I might be the only one in the lot as I thought these trails only got occasional use in winter but it had more than a half dozen cars at 9:45am and was quickly filling up! At least a few were skiers. Only one car when I returned around 5:45pm. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Water was still somewhat high yesterday. There are a number of water crossings on this route although only two that are likely to cause any trouble. Both are of Charles Brook; Bicknell Ridge Trail crosses it right after it departs from Baldface Circle Trail (if ascending, I like me) and the north branch of Baldface Circle Trail crosses it right after circle jct. The Baldface Circle one is more of a challenge. I managed both with dry feet but had to rely on what’s left of a snow bridge on the Baldface Circle one that will likely be gone soon. Without I would have probably gotten wet. Gaiters would probably do the trick. There were some smaller crossings on Mount Meader Trail and even Meader Rose Trail I believe but they shouldn’t be an issue unless we’re flooding. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All trails I was on today were blazed in yellow. They were all relatively well blazed at least below treeline. Mount Meader Trail seemed to be a mix of old and new blazes (mostly new). The spur to Brickett Falls was signed and well blazed. I believe Meader Ridge, Bicknell Ridge, and Baldface Circle trails were all similar below treeline. Maybe don’t always expect to be able to see a blaze but even if breaking trail in winter there are enough below treeline that they should keep you on track. I didn’t see any blaze above treeline because they were probably on snow covered rocks but cairns were visible around Eagle Crag. This was not the case descending Eagle Crag where there were the cairns were either snow covered and/or there were less of them. In any case, expect to have difficult (at least in snow) following Bicknell Ridge Trail above treeline. More on that later but I strongly recommend a GPS if you haven’t followed it before.
There were a few blowdowns mostly or all on Meader Trail and Meader Ridge. I don’t recall any on Bicknell or Baldface Circle. The ones I recall were duck under a or crawl unders. A bit of a pain but no big deal. I tried to clean up large twigs/small branches that had been venerate the snow that were starting to reveal themselves from all the melting. Hopefully it will look a little better in spring now :) |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I saw one unleashed that unfortunately came at me as I was descending Bicknell Ridge Trail. If there’s a chance you’d dog might come at someone then you should have it leashed. Not everyone enjoys having a dog come at them or jump then and people who did not grow up with them may have trouble discerning whether your dog is friendly or aggressive. Please be respectful of other people’s safety and comfort. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Sunday I did a 10mi (Gaia said it was closer to 11mi but I think it’s overestimating even with the short bushwhacks) loop with a short road walk ascending Mount Meader Trail, going across Meader Ridge Trail and 0.3mi of Baldface Circle Trail, and down Bicknell Ridge and Baldface Circle trails. Just under 3000ft I’d gain. Also did the spur to Brickett Falls, and the spur on Meader Ridge Trail.
Both started and ended in 32F at my car. The day started off mostly cloudy but was soon nothing hit sun just as predicted. A friend and I cancelled plans to do a Bonds-Zealand traverse today due to somewhat elevated winds so I was expecting them to be a bit uncomfortable on this traverse. They weren’t bad, however, anywhere other than between Eagle Crag and Bicknell Ridge Trail. Even with somewhat gusty winds, it was still warm and sunny enough to be in just a couple layers (often just a base layer and hard shell) and without a face mask. Beautiful views abounded and it was easy enough to get out of the wind to enjoy them :)
Until last the steep switchbacks on Mount Meader Trail I don’t think the snow was every deeper than half a foot. It seemed deepest at the trails start in fact. I barebooted until near the start of the switchbacks where I put on spikes. The snow was a mostly supportive crust and you’d generally just leave bootprints or sink slightly. Divots of a couple inches were made often enough and a more genuine (although) shallow posthole was made as well but snow depth was so minimal (and occasionally nonexistent) and given that there wasn’t enough snow coverage later on to use snowshoes I wouldn’t recommend them. You could throw them on after the steep switchbacks as the snow depth increased significantly here although it was well packed and snowshoes weren’t really necessary. The switchbacks start off not so steep and deceive you before the crazy part comes. Some melting in there and the snow was, at other times, glazed so that if you dropped your hiking pile as I did several times, it may just slide on down the mountain for a few hundred feet. Although not icy, it was hard to get enough purchase in just microspikes although crampons aren’t really necessary either.
Once a I came to Meader, and jumped on Meader Ridge Trail I began sinking more often and I put snowshoes on around the high point of Meader. I tried bushwhacking to the high point but nothing seemed recognized and several bumps seemed like good contenders. That was the only time I postholed above my shin (just above the knee) all day and was my cue to put my snowshoes on once back on trail. Some open spots on Meader Ridge Trail near some water. Be careful as you come to the good view East shortly before the spur. There’s a steep drop there that I’d call a no fall zone. The view from the spur (signed and for redliners:) has a nice view still but is overgrown in some directions.
I continued along the ups and downs on Meader Ridge until I came to treeline shortly before Eagle Crag. Ideally I would have taken my snowshoes off here. They got banged up a bit on rock up there and given how large they are and that some alpine vegetation was showing, it wasn’t a great combo. Once at the jct with Bicknell Ridge you’d be fine to use them again. Although Bicknell Ridge is exposed off and on for a long time, I was protected from the wind there. Between Bicknell Ridge and treeline before Eagle Crag was very exposed to the wind although there was some shrub in between. You’d get cold very fast up there.
Finding my way down Bicknell Ridge was a challenge. From the jct, follow the direction the sign is pointing briefly, then bear right near some trees. I think I tried three other “lines†down before I got it right, consulting’s Gaia almost every time. They were all near each other and in a very small area but there was no indication of where the trail went. I did not see any blazed or cairns although they could have just been covered by the snow. No trench either. On a group hike to Speckled Mtn recently, the trail was generally obvious even on the ledges and you could usually just folllow your nose but that was not the case here. Don’t think it would have made much difference going up but I could be wrong. I personally wouldn’t do it in winter without a GPS unless you’re familiar. Luckily as soon as I headed away from the jct I was out of the wind so that I wasn’t in a rush. Once I found the right line things were a bit easier but still had to consult Gaia. I tried a few different ways sometimes just to make sure I redlined everything ;) I didn’t see any blaze until the trail enters treeline. Some ledges after this but these were a little easier as if you looked VERY carefully you could see a little rock that was the top of a covered cairn a couple times. I tried to unearth one a bit but the crusty snow wasn’t conducive to that. In any case, mostly smooth sailing once you hit treeline and once you hit the last ledges at the intersection with Eagle Cascade Link, you’re in the clear. Abrupt change to hardwood forest shortly thereafter. I took my snowshoes off at Eagle Cascade Link but divoted lots and should have left them on until the jct with Baldface Circle Trail. I met some people with just microspikes a bit above the Eagle Cascade Link that had done the same. Lots of bare trail with water in it between Bicknell Ridge and Circle Slippery Brook. I finally took my spikes off t the end of that to stop banging them on the rocks. Of course from there on it was very icy though...oh well. Just remember to leave tour spikes on at that lower portion of Baldface Circle Trail.
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-03-16 |
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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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