| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Rowe, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Mt. Rowe Trail, Benjamin Weeks Trail, Ridge Trail, Nature Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 20, 2020 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking behind Gilford Elementary School. At the corner of the parking lot furthest from the school, the trail climbs briefly over a large snowbank and then descends. There's no sign for the trail at the parking lot, but it's fairly obvious where the trail goes over the snowbank. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easy crossings with snowshoes for now, and all ice bridges held. If it warms up, you'd need to be more careful on a few of the crossings. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
All trails were well blazed and signed. No major blowdowns. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Most dogs would probably be OK. Larger, heavier dogs might posthole in the softer snow. |
|
 | Bugs: |
None. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
Nada. |
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|
 | Comments: |
This was a very fun hike in a winter wonderland. Mt. Rowe Trail from the parking lot was wide and nicely packed out, though snowshoes are still the best footwear. The lower Benjamin Weeks Trail had seen some use - it wasn't quite as well packed as Mt. Rowe Trail, but it still wasn't difficult, and snowshoes still worked well (any other footwear would've involved postholing 3 feet with every step). The upper section of Benjamin Weeks Trail, however, had only been used by one snowshoer since the storm last week, and they seemed to be going downhill at a fast pace, resulting in them only barely packing out the trail. We basically had to pack out that section of trail ourselves, and I was sinking up to 2 feet into the snow with every step even while wearing snowshoes. Needless to say, snowshoes are absolutely mandatory on this section, since you will be postholing 3-4 feet with every step otherwise. It was tiring work, but we ultimately made it up to Ridge Trail. We could tell that we were getting close because the roar of the snowmaking machine was getting louder.
Ridge Trail was mostly packed out well by skiers, but there were a few sections with lots of deep postholes going up Mt. Rowe. The views from the open ledges near the summit of Mt. Rowe were phenomenal, with the Gunstock ski area in the foreground, and then the rest of the Belknap Range, Lake Winnipesaukee, and the Ossipees further out.
Mt. Rowe Trail descending was generally in fairly good condition, with the skiers and snowshoers smoothing it out and the microspikers adding their divots (and sometimes postholes) to it. There are lots of intersecting ski tracks, so be careful to stay on the packed-out snowshoe route (which is generally pretty obvious). There's one place where the packed route slightly diverges from the actual trail (i.e. where the blazes are), but they rejoin shortly. At the end of the hike, we took the Nature Trail behind Gilford Elementary School - it was somewhat beat up by barebooters, so we packed it down with snowshoes.
We used snowshoes for the entire hike, and we strongly recommend that everyone do the same. It made the whole hike much easier and more pleasant for both us and the hikers who will come after us. We saw some snowshoers, some microspikers (who looked like they were having a tough time), and some skiers. I honestly do not understand why some people are so reticent about wearing snowshoes - many types of snowshoes (including the ones we wore) provide much better traction than spikes, they prevent you from postholing with every step (which is extremely exhausting), and they make the hiking experience better not just for you but for the hikers who come after you. It is winter in New Hampshire - please wear your snowshoes! |
|
 | Name: |
GN |
|
 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-12-20 |
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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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