| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Halls Ledge, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Halls Ledge Trail, Bog Brook Trail, Wildcat River Trail, Wild River Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, August 3, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking is on the paved surface of the Rocky Branch trailhead lot (plowed in winter). Normally this is a straight forward, very short walk on NH 16 to the Halls Ledge trailhead. However, there is bridge maintenance work right now which has removed the normal road shoulder. There is nowhere to safely walk over the bridge. Due to the high speeds on NH 16 and me traveling with my son and a dog, we elected to ford the Ellis River. This is about 20 feet wide, with the largest depth at my thigh. It is fast moving so exercise normal fording caution. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
See parking notes, we had to ford the Ellis River (not normally part of the trail). The water crossings on Wildcat River, Bog Brook and Wild River trails present no obstacles other than creative rock hopping if you want to keep your feet dry. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A couple of blow downs on Halls Ledge that are blocking the trail. Wildcat River and Bog Brook have several overgrown sections. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Great trails for dogs. |
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 | Bugs: |
Mosquitos mostly. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Route:
Halls Ledge > Bog Brook > Wildcat River trail > Wild River Trail > Bog Brook Trail > Halls Ledge Trail > end.
Trails:
Halls Ledge: well blazed in yellow (combination of yellow blazes, yellow flagging tape, and yellow duct tape) to the WMNF boundary sign. After this it is unblazed. All junctions with the ski trails are well signed. Footbed simple to follow. Steep section coming out of the notch but nothing is exposed or covered in slick rock. Nice view of Washington at the picnic table on clear days. Cool viewpoint courtesy of the Jackson Ski Club. Interesting old cellar holes and remnants left from the farms that occupied this land.
Bog Brook: the 0.7 miles between the parking area on Carter Notch Road and the junction with Wildcat River trail is not blazed. The footbed is well defined and simple to follow. The remainder of this trail is blazed with blue diamonds. So very helpful! Very muddy trail, but fun and fast due to its gentle grades.
Wildcat River Trail: nicely blazed in yellow (at least to the junction with Wild River trail). Footbed easy to follow. All signs up and very informative. Super mellow trail up to the junction with Wild River trail. We elected to backcountry camp off this trail past the junction with Wild River trail. We had to seriously hunt for a site. I recommend following the Wild River Trail for a bit instead. The slopes are MUCH flatter and the trees less dense. Way more camping options on that segment.
Wild River Trail: this refers to the 1.1 mile segment between Wildcat River and Bog Brook trails. This portion is not blazed. It is nearly flat with an excellent footbed aside from the several inevitable mud pits that plague the entirety of this trail. The mud pits are negotiable and never long. I really liked this segment. Beautiful in the morning sun with soft song birds and footstep muting ground cover. The forest is much more open through here giving you a true sense of walking back in time.
We encountered a few persons on these trails, most of them on the Bog Brook segment between the parking area off Carter Notch Rd and the junction with Wildcat River trail. We saw no one on Wildcat River. Shame. That is a really nice trail. Can’t wait to hike the rest of it! |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-08-03 |
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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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