| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Tunnel Brook Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, May 1, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Long Pond Road is not usable as a through road (another person told me there was a blowdown blocking it further up), however Tunnel Brook and Blueberry Mountain trails are both accessible. The road has a few potholes so take it slowly. Room for maybe 2-3 cars at the trailhead - I was the only one all day. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
At least 7 major crossings, and a bunch of minor ones. The crossings definitely took some thought, as water levels were fairly high and some of the rocks are slippery. I slipped and fell in, getting an arm and a leg wet, on crossing #6 (the middle one of the three major crossings north of the ponds). Expect your boots to get wet. If you're careful enough, your feet should be able to stay dry though. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The trail south of and around Mud Pond is fine. But the bypass just north of Mud Pond is a blowdown fest that's basically like bushwhacking. If not for the blazes, I wouldn't have been able to follow it at all. More blazes also needed around the first river crossing there as well. (More info on that below.) Several muddy areas, but nothing too bad considering the time of year. No signage issues. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
I suppose. |
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 | Bugs: |
They're coming out - I saw a few. They weren't bothersome. Yet. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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 | Comments: |
This was an enjoyable hike that turned out to have a little more adventure than I expected. The four river crossings before the reservoir were all doable with some thought, but at the reservoir I noticed a bridge across the brook, and a dirt road on the other side. I filed that away as a possible return route to avoid the crossings.
The climb up to the height of land was straightforward, and I encountered some very small patches of snow (of trace depth) starting around there and continuing for almost a mile. It was mostly off the trail, and it wasn't an obstacle at all. The view of Mud Pond from the campsite (which has a nice stone chair to sit on) was very good. Soon after that, though, the trail reached a point where a well-trodden path went straight, but to the right was a yellow blaze just in front of a large tangle of blowdowns. I assumed the blowdowns couldn't possibly be the trail, so I continued straight, but after a couple minutes I came to a stream that was uncrossable without getting feet wet. It turned out the tangle of blowdowns actually was the trail. Luckily, there were a few blazes to follow through the tangle, but there was no footbed or trail corridor at all - without the blazes, following the trail would've been practically impossible. On the other side of the large tangle of blowdowns was a stream crossing, which wasn't too difficult, but on the other side there were no blazes and no trail corridor. I basically had to bushwhack along the stream, through a very rough and rocky area, to reach the point where the trail became obvious again.
The reward for that effort was great, though - excellent views across a pond to the slides on Mt. Clough. The slides had water running down them in many places, probably from snowmelt higher up. On the next river crossing, I misjudged the slipperiness of one of the rocks (it had water flowing down it), and slipped and fell in, getting my left arm and leg wet. Luckily, it was a warm, sunny day, and my clothing and limbs were dry in a couple hours. The final major river crossing also required some thought, but I was able to stay dry when crossing it. The rest of the trail to the former trailhead on Tunnel Brook Road was straightforward.
The road walk was obviously very easy, and in fact this part of the road is definitely still drivable. Interestingly, the road had ruts that looked fairly recent. Is it still possible to reach the old Tunnel Brook trailhead by car somehow? I continued down to the junction with Benton Trail, where I turned around.
On the hike back, I was able to correct some of the mistakes I made on the way in, and didn't fall in on any of the river crossings. I had had an idea, though - maybe once I reached the reservoir, I could take the dirt road on the other side back to the Glencliff Home, and then road walk back to the trailhead. This would avoid the four river crossings in the southern half of the trail. So I followed the dirt road, which was clear and easy to follow, down to the Glencliff Home - except when I got there, there was a big gate blocking the road just before reaching the buildings. To the right of the gate was an old fence that I could've climbed over, however just before reaching the gate there was an opening leading to a large open, sloping field. I followed the field downhill hoping there would be a cut-through to the road leading to the Glencliff Home. Unfortunately there wasn't, so I had to bushwhack back along a steep sidehill, cross a small stream, and scramble briefly up the other side to get to the buildings. From there, it was a simple road walk back to the trailhead.
The moral of the story for this diversion is that 1) The whole thing is probably not worth it - I'd take the trail back if I did it again, and 2) If you really want to do this, just climb over the fence next to the gate. I should point out that not once did I see a single "No Trespassing" or "Do Not Enter" sign anywhere on this diversion, so using that dirt road is not against the law. It makes me wonder why the gate is there - if it wasn't, that dirt road would be a handy way for hikers to avoid the four water crossings on the actual trail, and people could even bike up to the reservoir if they wanted.
Long story short, the hike was a little bit more of an adventure than I anticipated, but I still had a great time. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-05-01 |
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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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