| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
The Nubble, Peak above the Nubble, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Haystack Road, Forest Road 304A, herd paths, bushwhacks |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, May 6, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
There is room for a small number of cars at the gate on Haystack Road, depending on parking skills. I do not have first-hand knowledge, but have read other reports indicating you should park so as to allow service vehicles to use the road.
The road itself is in good shape, no ice, snow or mud, but there are 4-5 significant trees/branches covering most of the road, all in the first .5 mile. They have all been trimmed or moved to allow vehicles to drive around them. They will probably need to be removed before opening the road to the public.
The distance from the gate to the Forest Road 304A "trailhead" is approximately 1.8 miles, uphill both ways.
I noticed driving by Sawyer River Road the gate was open both in the morning and the afternoon. The official road status on WMNF facebook page is closed, but has not been updated since May 3. (Zealand Rd is still closed.) |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None on the traditional herd paths. The ones I encountered on my bushwhack were easy stepovers. (I sometimes followed the drainages to avoid some more difficult conditions.) |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The major issue with these footpaths is downed trees and branches. Many of these are easy stepovers, but others require care in going over, under and around, at least for an elderly hiker. I can't think of another hike I have done on my quest for the NEHH that has had as many trees to navigate, but I haven't done Scar Ridge yet.
There is a minor issue with melting ice puddles (ankle deep) in the col between the peaks. Thankful for waterproof boots. There is also a tangled mess of blowdowns in this section requiring a significant bushwhack around.
See comments section for snow/ice info. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
There are a few streams down low on Forest Road 304A (culverts run under the road) and some slightly off the lower herd path, but nothing on the middle and upper sections. If your dog has difficulty navigating through downed trees or branches, this would not be a good trail. Also if you have difficulty following the herd paths, there is true bushwhacking required. There are also a number of very steep pitches. So if your dog is capable of handling these conditions, it could be doable. (Did see some doggie doo doo on the trail near the summit of PATN, so some have successfully done this.) |
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 | Bugs: |
A few started buzzing about on the lower section in the afternoon. As the ice melts, the bugs emerge. Nothing's perfect. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Other than constantly losing and refinding the herd paths, nothing today. |
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 | Comments: |
Patchy ice appeared in the 3200-3400 foot range just below The Nubble, mostly avoidable or easily navigated without traction. A few patches were at a significant pitch and would be tricky upon descent. More extensive patches of both ice and consolidated snow in the summit area and down to the col, can be navigated with care without traction, but micros would be helpful and more secure. Coming from the col up to PATN there is unavoidable nearly monorail, snow (both consolidated and soft) and unavoidable blue ice or ice flows, some at a significant pitch. Micros might be OK for some, but I put on Hillsound Trail Crampons to be on the safe side. I kept them on for descent to the 3200 foot area where the ice first appears to make descending safer. However, since there was significant dry areas between ice patches the traction picked up some leaves and mud, but were still able to provide good footing on the steep icy pitches. None of the soft snow patches were deep enough to post hole.
I missed the first turn off FR 304A, .22 miles in marked with a cairn. I was under the impression this turn was further up the trail, and I didn't read anything about a cairn, so I went .2 mile beyond the turn before noticing I was off track. When I doubled back, I didn't go far enough and would up bushwhacking on what looked like a path. I was moving on the same heading about 50-100 feet parallel and refound the correct path when I need to move around some significant blowdowns. There were several instances where the path was covered with leaves with apparent forks, especially in blowdown areas, and more often than not I wound up following a path that turned into a true bushwhack. Although there were clear openings through the forest, the footing on these paths was full of leaves, branches, etc, so going was real slow. I was always able to navigate back to the correct herd path, eventually. About .5 mile from the Nubble, the path was more defined and the only navigation issues with taking side trails to viewpoints, accidentally but turned out worthwhile.
The path between the peaks was relatively easier to follow as the path was narrow and bordered by thicker tree growth. Much of this segment was snow/ice covered and when there were forks or paths around blowdowns, it was a little difficult to select the correct one, but they eventually merged back together, so maybe it doesn't matter.
The PATN summit canister and summit sign are on two different trees visible from each other. I did not try to open the canister.
Aside from the footing issues due to bushwhacking and blowdowns, the other challenging factor is that there are several extended steep pitches with a lack of flat footholds, so it was necessary to try to maintain grip with the toes and forefoot and careful use of trekking poles. (Two younger 20 something hikers passed me on the way up and they did not seem to have the same difficulty, so this may just be a personal or elderly issue.)
I met a total of 3 other hikers, which I didn't expect. One was having similar difficulties staying on the correct path. The other two (mentioned above) I only encountered on the easier to follow segments and we didn't chat much (they were moving too fast) so don't know if they had problems or not. |
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 | Name: |
SpartyHikerfromME |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-05-06 |
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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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