| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Rattlesnake Mountain (New Durham), Mt. Eleanor, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Rattlesnake Trail, snowmobile trail, Mt. Eleanor Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, December 4, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Large parking lot near the intersection of Merrymeeting Road and Brackett Road. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Bridged |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Kind of a weird conservation development, in that the trails almost exclusively go through heavily logged terrain.
The Rattlesnake Trail started off at the kiosk as a logging road, becoming more of a footpath after the junction with the trail to Eleanor. Some peakaboo views while ascending and descending Rattlesnake (including glimpses of the Presidentials), but I didn't see any evidence of a grand vista.
A newer portion of the Rattlesnake Trail descends off the east side (noted some footbed work), then converges with the snowmobile corridor for awhile. Shortly after the NH C22 @ 7.8 junction, the Mt. Eleanor Trail ascends to the northwest to the wooded summit. There were some directional views to the northwest from a logging cut, but also no grand vista. I had noted some ledges on the southwest side, but I did not see a herd path (in hindsight, I should have done a short bushwhack to check them out).
The descent off Eleanor and trip back to the Rattlesnake junction jumped in and out of logged areas.
Overall, I this lollipop loop was about 4.4 miles. Could be nice with a few feet of snow to cover the slash and improve views. I would not want to venture onto these trails in muddy conditions and especially not during tick season. With all of the logging, perhaps some view clearing could be warranted on the summits?
Support liberty. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-12-04 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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