| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Ragged Mountain - West Peak, Ragged Mountain, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Ragged Mountain Trail, ski area spur, East Ridge Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, January 4, 2022 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We spotted a car at Proctor Academy on Field House Lane where there was plenty of parking, then drove over to The trailhead on New Canada Rd. This road is dirt but had no snow/ice on it and was suitable for all cars. The trailhead is opposite the trail in a small dirt lot. I don’t recall precisely how large it was but I’m guessing it would comfortably fit about a half dozen cars. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I only recall one brook crossing not two by New Canada Rd but it was a bit difficult. Water was a bit high and many rocks were slush/ice covered so I had to stomp down on the ice to reveal the rock. I dunked a foot but no worries with waterproof boots and gaiters. My friend went slightly upstream and seemed to have good luck. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The trail is well marked with the white trapezoid blazes that mark the SRKG. No problem following it though we just followed the footprints. There were a handful of blowdowns that we crawled over or finagled our way over but I don’t recall where exactly they were. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
They might need a little help on the two “very steep pitches†as described in the guidebook but probably a good hike for most hiking dogs. |
|
 | Bugs: |
None |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
None |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Ragged Mountain - West Peak, Ragged Mountain/The Pinnacle
Ragged Mountain Trail, spur to ski area, East Ridge Trail/Spur
Day 65, Peaks 57&58. A cold start in the morning but it warmed up and was a beautiful and sunny day :) A good time was had with a dear friend combing some 500 highest peaks with SNH redlining :)
The snow was still crusty but not nearly to the degree that it was on my hikes yesterday. Minimal ice on the west side of the mountain but much more descending the southern slopes to Proctor Academy where you will likely be going off trail to avoid some ice flows even with microspikes. Snow depth was minimal the entire hike. We chose to do the traverse starting from the west (New Canada Rd) as the traverse is 350ft less gain in this direction as we’d be going up the very steep pitches with poor footing rather than down them. That said, you could easily traverse in the other direction as well. I’m not realizing it until now, but I don’t think we saw any people all day other than on top of the ski area. The true point is just behind the ski area where the trail comes to it and is marked by a small cairn. Easy to find.
The high point of the entire range, shown on Gaia as “The Pinnacle†and on CalTopo as “Ragged Mountain†was fairly obvious and just off of the East Ridge Trail/Spur to Old Top. We also hiked the spur to the ski area that’s on the westernmost knob of the range. It was a bit hard to follow and we missed a turn on our way up. The hike was about 7.25mi with 1650-1700ft of gain and took us a little less than 5hrs.
300 more days and 307 more peaks to go… |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
|
 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2022-01-07 |
|
 | 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. |
|
