Mt. Washington - Tuckerman Ravine Trail, Huntington Ravine Trail, Nelson Crag Trail, Sherburne ski trail - 7-9-2022

Hiking Trail Conditions Report
	Peaks	Mt. Washington, NH

	Trails:	Tuckerman Ravine Trail, Huntington Ravine Trail, Nelson Crag Trail, Sherburne ski trail

	Date of Hike:	Saturday, July 9, 2022

	Parking/Access Road Notes:	Pinkham Notch Visitor Center was full when I got there at ~11am, Glen Ellis trailhead was also full. I parked in a mostly full lot next to the visitor center. I would recommend trying to get there between 7 and 9 if you want to park at the visitor center because it fills up quickly.

	Surface Conditions:	Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable

	Recommended Equipment:

	Water Crossing Notes:	All were fairly easy to rock hop.

	Trail Maintenance Notes:	All blowdowns seemed to be taken care of. Going up the Fan on Huntington Ravine was very overgrown. I lost the trail several times. You also have to navigate bush limbs above and tall grass and bushes obscuring rocks and slopes underneath. Climbing up the slabs, I felt there were not enough blazes. As a first time hiker of Huntington Ravine, I felt like I had to guess where the trail was because blazes were too far apart of hidden on the top of ledges. The ski trail is becoming eroded and is not recommended for descent unless you need a faster way out from Hermit Shelter.

	Dog-Related Notes:	Definitely would NOT recommend Huntington Ravine for a dog, too steep.

	Bugs:	Black flies were bad on Huntington Ravine trail if you stopped moving. If you continued moving, they were not too much of a problem. Once you start climbing the Fan, the flies dissipate. I didn't notice any on Tuckerman Ravine or the ski trail, but it was dark by then. Mosquitoes were not a problem, even at night.

	Lost and Found:	There was a hat in the floor of Tuckerman Ravine but due to decreasing light I don't know what colour it was. It should still be there.


	Comments:	First time on Huntington Ravine. I loved this hike. I started at Tuckerman Ravine trailhead and followed it directly to Huntington. Tuckerman's was a wide and rocky trail up to Huntington's, where we turned off. If you bring a dog, please pick up after them or take them away from the trail. Twice in the 1.2 miles to Huntington, there was dog dirt in the middle of the trail, please respect other hikers. Tuckerman's was fairly busy, but not unusual for that trail. Once you turn onto Huntington, it is a lot quieter. Going up, I only saw one hiker going up and a group of 2 coming down. The half mile to Raymond is fairly easy and pretty. There are some brook crossings here but right now, with low water level, crossing is not difficult. The second section of Huntington is much rougher. In short sections, the trail coincides with the river and the trail starts to become more overgrown. The trail climbs partly with a logging road, but only for short stretches. After about 0.5 miles, the trail reaches some large boulders. This is the beginning of the Fan. Bushes start to encroach on the trail more, making route finding slightly more difficult. Some of the boulders here are difficult to navigate over, but are not steep. After climbing across the bottom of the Fan, the trail climbs up for a short distance, and re-crosses the Fan to climb up the right side. Here, shrubs have completely overtaken the trail. If it were not for the blazes, you would never know it was a trail. Footing becomes very difficult as branches and roots have obscured any rocks or holes underneath. Once you get to the slabs, the trail is easier to see most of the time. The slabs are very steep and I would not recommend anyone with a fear of heights or tires easily to attempt this trail. The slabs continue most of the way up the headwall, and you are sometimes required to cross a slab that is almost vertical. I would also really discourage descending this way unless you have belaying material. When I climbed out of the headwall, I was hit with winds over 40mph, not what was forecasted and the summit was in the 40s with even stronger winds. The wrong forecast caught many people today under prepared, so remember that conditions can change and be prepared. No problems on the final section of Huntington or on Nelson Crag. Due to deteriorating conditions, I had to make an emergency descent down Tuckerman Ravine. Coming from this side of the mountain, I would suggest Tuckerman is you best option to get out of bad conditions quickly. Huntington is too dangerous to descend, and all the other routes are longer - this is the quickest way to get below treeline, or at least out of the wind for the most part. At the floor of Tuckerman Ravine, there was a large patch of snow just off trail. Besides a few wet patches on Tuckerman near some of the brook crossings, it was a mostly dry trail and all blowdowns had been removed. Other than that, it was nightfall by the time I made it to the floor and don't know about any other hazards. At Hermit Shelter, I took the Sherburne ski trail all the way down. I was told it is quicker than taking Tuckerman, but the ski trail has some erosion on the steeper parts which makes it slippery, and some areas have tall grasses obscuring hiding the ground below. If you need to get out quick, this might be a good trail, but I have never done the section of Tuckerman between Hermit Shelter and Huntington Ravine, so I don't know how much time you are saving. Only use this if you need to get out quick though, it is usually discouraged to take the ski trail for hiking purposes. Also watch out for bears. While I didn't see any, the ranger at Hermit Shelter said there were bears in the area that were not afraid of people and to be wary at night. Pretty fun hike overall - just do your research and you'll be fine. Happy trails!

	Name:	Mountain goat

	E-Mail:

	Date Submitted:	2022-07-10

	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.