| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Crotched Mountain, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Bennington Trail, Abandoned Bennington Trail, unnamed trail, herd paths |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, August 24, 2021 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Room for two vehicles at the trailhead on Mountain Rd. in Bennington. The Class VI portion of the road is in excellent shape and looks to have been regraded past the trailhead. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The one small brook crossing on Bennington wasn't an issue. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No official maintenance on Bennington. Several blowdowns, most of them easy stepovers. The old blazes are still up, but the orange paint on them is faded and worn off. The major issue on this trail is water. It was everywhere today, both standing on the trail and running down it. There are no water bars. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
|
|
 | Bugs: |
Mosquitoes were plentiful. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
One blaze orange handkerchief, which I carried out. |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Wet, wet, wet on this route today. As mentioned above, Bennington had a lot of water from bottom to top.
The abandoned upper section of the trail was literally a running stream. That said, it's still very easy to follow and is clearly getting use. Near the top, I hopped off the abandoned section onto a newly yellow-blazed but unsigned trail which connects the summit of Crotched to the top of the ski area. Makes for a nice short side trip with some additional views.
The yellow-blazed trail coincides with the final section of the abandoned Bennington Trail up to the fire tower site. From there I took the herd path down to the picnic table viewpoint and then other paths to cut back over to Bennington.
Incredibly high humidity levels today. I swear this hike was in New Hampshire but the air felt like Louisiana. |
|
 | Name: |
KenM |
|
 | E-Mail: |
kmacgray@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2021-08-24 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
