| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Speckled Mountain, Durgin Mountain, Butters Mountain, Red Rock Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Great Brook Trail, Red Rock Trail, Bickford Brook Trail, bushwhack, Miles Notch Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, August 15, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked at the small parking area for Miles Notch Trail and began walking toward Great Brook Trail. It doesn’t look like the trailhead as been moved yet as the guidebook suggested it may be soon. We were the only two cars there all day. Some nice folks in the “neighborhood†had free vegetables out and we took some. So kind! 😊 Hut Rd eventually turns to gravel and has some holes so don’t take it too fast. The road has some sharp turns as well. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All crossings were easily rock hopped. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
These trails are lightly maintained, mostly being in the Caribou-Speckled Wilderness. Not too many blowdowns I recall (one very large one at a pain in the ass height to crawl under somewhere on Red Rock Trail and another, not too too much further east, which was a spruce to get around) but the paths are obscure and, at times, are very overgrown. This was mostly true of Red Rock Trail. One part in particular, I believe as it scoots around the south side of one of the bumps of Butters Mtn, where the footbed, while still there, isn’t immediately visible as the trees have just grown up so much. Great Brook Trail was blazed surprisingly regularly down low. Relatively fresh looking yellow blaze. The blazing stopped at, if not before, the wilderness boundary though. Also, be sure not to miss the left turn off the road and onto the trail 0.8mi in. There’s a small, easy to miss arrow on a tree. I think there was also a double yellow blaze on a tree shortly beforehand. Gaia matched up with reality here best I could tell. Red Rock Trail wasn’t blazed either as it’s within the Caribou-Speckled Wilderness. Miles Notch Trail has a couple yellow blazes once it was out of the wilderness area but they were very, very few. We did notice an occasional arrow tacked onto a tree on Red Rock Trail though including one that was being gobbled up by a tree. There was at least one on Miles Notch Trail as well where it crosses a small stream. I don’t recall if the ledges were ever really marked with cairns. There was a small cairn where the Red Rock Trail passes what looked like an old road (the guidebook describes a beaten path) at the col between Red Rock and Butters Mtn to indicate that the trail crosses this road/path rather than follows it. The trail is obscure looking on both sides of this old road. I was very curious to know the story behind this path/road... |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
This would be a long hike for some dogs and you’d likely need to bring a lot of extra water for them but they should be okay. Didn’t see any although we saw what looked similar to dog prints...wonder what it was!? |
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 | Bugs: |
The mosquitos got annoying on the way down in the evening but all in all not bad. The mosquitos always seem particularly bad in this area and seem to hang around much longer. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
This was my final hike in the Speckled Mountain Region tab for redlining. It was my last tab to break in and my first one to finish :) I was very happy to have the company of a fellow redliner I hadn’t hiked with before. A nice day and a good hike to finish this tab on!
Route: Great Brook Trail —> out on Red Rock Trail (and teeny tiny piece of Bickford Brook Trail) to Speckled Mtn and back on Red Rock Trail to —> Miles Notch Trail to car
The 550ft of elevation gain on Miles Notch Trail was most unwelcome at the end of the day. I’d done this before but didn’t remember it being so nasty. You literally ascend out of the hardwoods (partially) again 😂 It just felt absolutely absurd.
Great Brook Trail was a nice warm up although it had some steeper than anticipated pitches near the top where it gains most of its elevation. Sort of similar with Miles Notch Trail. All of these trails had generally soft footing but this also led to some sort of loose, gravelly, leafy footing on the steep pitches which wasn’t always the best. I imagine that some of these trails down low are really chocked full of leaves in the fall. Red Rock Trail also has some steep pitches but was generally a nice ridge rock with good footing. One or two, very small, but tricky ledges/rocks to scramble up without a whole lot to hold on to. Lots of nice, low elevation ledges. It reminded me some of the Belknaps in this way :)
About the spurs mentioned in the guidebook if you’re redlining...
The only one given with a distance is the one described as obscure on Red Rock Trail on the east knob that’s leads to a very good view. It’s easy enough to see if you know where you’re looking. There’s a semi-defined footbed. It was very helpful to use Gaia to see when we were on the East knob though AND first to come to the better defined path just 10yds west of it. The better defined one leads to a very restricted view. Not much to see there. If you’re looking out to the “viewâ€, maybe 45 degrees to your left you can see some rock/ledge where the other spur will lead you. Once back at the main trail, walk 10yds and it will also be on your right just like the guidebook says. Just keep your eyes peeled for a barely defined footbed. It leads to a really “WOW I wasn’t expecting that†type of view. Very cool. Exercise caution with young kids or dogs as there are sheer drop offs on the cliff here.
The guidebook mentioned another spur just east of Durgin Mtn. If coming from the east as we first ddI, the trail bears left, where another path (which you could easily continue on so pay attention to where the trail turns left here) continues ahead. I think this path is just people who didn’t see the trail turn BUT after just a couple steps, there’s an ill defined path herd path to the right. That’s the view spur the guidebook is talking about. It gets real tight for a bit but quickly leads to an open ledge looking toward Caribou Mtn to the north :)
Just after the main trail veers to the left, we bushwhacked to the true summit of Durgin Mtn on our way back from Speckled. It’s not far from the trail although there were a bunch of similar looking high points and it was a bit further off trail than we thought so it may take a few. There’s a small cairn (maybe three rocks) there.
We were in cloud on Speckled and it even rained on us a bit earlier in the day. Not the best given that the trail was overgrown. Our legs got very wet. The sun eventually came out as we headed east toward Butters though. Just saw two people on Speckled, one person on Red Rock Trail, and another on Miles Notch a short ways off trail. Maybe looking for a tentsite??
The trails were mostly dry except for when it rained 😜 The occasional ledge was wet and there were some spots of nasty mud to avoid but not too bad. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-08-16 |
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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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