| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Cardigan, NH |
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 | Trails: |
West Ridge Trail, Clark Trail, South Ridge Trail, Ranger Cabin Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, May 16, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
When we arrived around 9:45 the lot was pretty much full and people were beginning to park in more creative, but appropriate, spots. When we left shortly past 2pm, a LONG line of cars was parked alongside Cardigan Mtn Rd. I wasn’t thrilled about this as it made a narrow road narrower, thus making it even more nerve wracking driving down. Not sure what once would do if you ran into a car coming the other direction. It would have been tricky. I believe there is a small winter parking area at true bottom of the road where people can park when the road is gated. I would encourage people to park there rather than alongside the road. I believe the winter lot was empty... |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nothing of any significance that isn’t bridged. That said, things were very wet and there were lots of puddles and such to negotiate. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All trails were pretty well blazed. West Ridge Trail is blazed in orange as is South Ridge Trail except above treeline where it is blazed in white. The switch of colors could get confusing for some. I wonder what the purpose of this is. Clark Trail was blazed in white and I believe Ranger Cabin was blazed in orange. The trails were even well marked above treeline although in winter it would be a real struggle. All signs were in good shape and I don’t remember any blowdowns! Maybe just some insignificant stepovers? There’s a lot of trail creep and herd paths going on though :/ |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a few and I believe all but one were leashed and well behaved. The one that was unleashed was a bit obnoxious as it just ran all about the parking area. Luckily it was at the end of our hike. Please leash your dog if it’s going to be like this. It scared my mom when it ran up behind her. It also could have been hit by a car. Not cool. |
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 | Bugs: |
I was surprised at how mild they were. The only place I noticed them was at the car when we finished and even that wasn’t very noticeable. Some of my companions said they noticed them towards the end of the trail and thought they were bad in the parking lot. I have a feeling they’ll be worse tomorrow with less wind. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
My father and our new friend were great and packed out a lot of trash! Kuddos to them :D The trash wasn’t prolific but it was bad. I guess that’s what happens on popular trails like these. The N95 mask found on South Ridge Trail did make me laugh when I first saw it though 😂 |
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 | Comments: |
A great hike with friends and family :) We did the West Ridge - South Ridge Loop (West Ridge Trail —> Clark Trail —> South Ridge Trail —> I did an out-and-back on Ranger Cabin Trail —> South Ridge Trail back to West Ridge Trail —> West Ridge Trail to car). Personally I would have rather done the Manning - Mowglis Loop but I was outvoted so we did this instead. I don’t my companions knew just how well travelled it was. First time in a while I’ve felt like a Trail is “crowdedâ€. Many people social distanced from us but a few would not move when we passed them which was frustrating to see. One kind way to perhaps solve this, is to just pull out a mask and put it on as you pass people like this. Maybe they’ll clue in. The summit wasn’t that busy though as it was pretty windy and cold and without any sun so people weren’t staying. Only a handful of people on on the other trails we were on though. South Ridge is much less crowded.
Things were very wet from yesterday’s thunderstorm. Lots of mud, puddles, and wet rock with one slab even having running water down it. I didn’t see a lot of slipping and sliding so it was very manageable though. My feet definitely got soaked a couple times in trail runners but the advantage to trail runners is that they also dry faster :) These conditions, along with people trying to social distance has led to A LOT of trail creep unfortunately.
I knew there wouldn’t be any snowpack but I was surprised to still see some ice and even something briefly resembling a monorail. These were, at times significantly below the summit as well. I think the first spotting of snow/ice was between 2500 and 2600ft. I had microspikes and chose not to use them as it was very minimal and most snow was off trail and not really noticeable to most. There is some ice on the trail that IS slick but again, most people won’t put in the effort to put on spikes as it really is minimal. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-05-16 |
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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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