| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Galehead Mountain, Mt. Garfield, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Gale River Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail, Frost Trail, Twin Brook Trail, Franconia Brook Trail, Garfield Trail, snowmobile trail, Gale River Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, September 19, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Early morning there was plenty of parking, but by 1:30 p.m. both Gale River and Garfield parking areas were full with cars parked roadside - Garfield parking area was significantly more full and overflowing than the Gale River. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No issues. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Man, there were a lot of dogs out today. |
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 | Bugs: |
None. Nada. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Galehead Hut is fully shut down - water is not available.
Did a loop over Galehead and Garfield with a side trip down into the Pemi to 13 Falls. Twin Brook Trail was a pleasant surprise - just a great trail with easy grades. 13 Falls is really nice; low water levels made for easy exploring around the Falls. I would have liked to have spent more time checking it out. Franconia Brook Trail was surprisingly muddy in places. Nothing that couldn't be easily avoided, just surprising to see the mud given the dry conditions.
I really avoided the crowds until I got to the summit of Garfield. Wow. It was like a pilgrimage or something. Last .2 to the summit was stop and go traffic, and the summit was packed. I did not stay long, which was kind of a bummer, and hightailed it out of there to avoid the crowd on the descent.
About 1 mile +/- before you get to the Garfield Trailhead, there is a really decent snowmobile path on the right (descending) that provides a bit of a shortcut to the road and cuts off a little mileage and elevation on the road walk back to the Gale River Trailhead. |
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 | Name: |
DEL |
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 | E-Mail: |
dlefevre@tarbellpa.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-09-19 |
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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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