| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Gunstock Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Unnamed trails, Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, May 28, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking lot is being constructed off Belknap Mountain Road (just north of Hoyt Road). Looks like it'll be about 5 spaces, more or less. No room to park roadside, so I parked a 0.2 mi south where there was a shoulder. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Occasional flies, but not terrible. Did pick up two ticks in the grassy areas down low. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
A new complex of trails is being developed on the west side of Gunstock Mountain. The trails are not fully marked or established, so I would not recommend hiking them at this juncture if one is unfamiliar with off-trail navigation.
From the top of the field, I followed an old woods road, which soon had new blue plastic blazes. Looks like a side trail is flagged as well. Around 0.5 miles at about 1,400 feet in elevation, the road reaches a ledge with 180 degree views.
Thereafter, it was more of a footbed with yellow and blue blazes initially. I took yellow on the ascent; the blazes soon end, but there is occasional yellow flagging. Looks like it's following a mountain bike trail. Vague in a few places. Neat where it crosses the original Gunstock rope tow; ironically I encountered a couple of ski legends just above this spot. The trail hits the Ridge Trail near the viewpoint spur.
On the Ridge Trail after the viewpoint spur and then the on-trail view, the new blue-blazed trail hits the ridge. Plastic blazes are obvious, but the entrance is currently brushed in. This trail descends steeply in places and then reaches what I understand to be an old mine. Below this, the trail slabs in open woods (vague with no established footbed and a few gaps in blazing) back to the blue-yellow blazed stretch.
The upper portions of these trails may not hold up well to increased foot traffic. The lower portions may fare better due to being on old woods road beds. The BRATTs are not formally involved in this project or laying out the trails.
Though this complex doesn't lend itself to looping multiple peaks, it may soon become a popular approach to Gunstock, in that it has that excellent view ledge, the old mine, and never comes close to the existing ski area prior to the summit.
Humid morning with temperatures in the 70s. Trails were damp and slippery from last night's rain, but never encountered any mud. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-05-28 |
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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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