| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Hurricane Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Glencliff Trail, Hurricane Trail, Hurricane Mountain Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, July 25, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room in the Glencliff lot. I was the second car in this morning, the only car in the lot when I got back. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
A couple of easy rock hops (though the rocks were wet and slippery), and one nice bridge. Nothing difficult. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
No blowdowns that I can remember, and evidence of several having been cleared. Several parts of the trail, mostly at the top of the ridge and on the east side, had standing and running water from the rain this morning. The trail is well blazed and easy to follow, including at the relocations. All signs are in place and painted orange to make them more visible. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No issues. |
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 | Bugs: |
I sprayed on 25% DEET at the trailhead, and wasn't bothered. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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 | Comments: |
I didn't have a lot of time, so I decided to head up to Glencliff and redline my one remaining trail on Moosilauke - Hurricane Trail, from Glencliff Trail to (almost) the Carriage Road. It rained heavily on the drive up, but was just sprinkling when I arrived at the trailhead. The hike up the west side of Hurricane Trail is straightforward - mostly good footing and not a lot of mud. There's just one steep pitch on the final climb to the ridge, and it has stone steps to use. A previous report described parts of this section as seeming like a bushwhack, but I disagree - a few sections were somewhat brushy, but there was never any doubt about where the trail went, and nothing was really that bad. Compared to the Kilkenny Ridge Trail hike I did a couple months ago, this was a breeze. The flat section at the top of the ridge has a series of bog bridges - some of them are slippery, so be careful. The spur to the viewpoint was well signed and easy to follow, and I'm sure the view would be very nice on a sunny day, however the mountain was in the clouds today so I didn't see anything.
The descent down the east side of the ridge was noticeably rougher, wetter and more eroded than the west side, though it's clear some trail work has been done on this section. At one point there was a series of pink flaggings going around an eroded section, so maybe the DOC is planning a relocation there. The large relocation on the east side is easy to follow and has a nice bridge to cross a brook. Just below where the relocation rejoins the original trail, there was a small but interesting series of cascades on the brook. The rest of the descent was uneventful, and I was able to recognize where I turned around the last time I was here (https://www.newenglandtrailconditions.com/nh/viewreport.php?entryid=59593). I retraced my steps over the ridge and back down the west side to the trailhead.
Overall, this was a relatively easy hike - the climbing is really not too bad, and the wet rocks and roots were only an issue sometimes. The only other people I saw were AT thru-hikers on Glencliff Trail and at the trailhead - I didn't see anyone else on Hurricane Trail. The whole hike took about 4 hours. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-07-25 |
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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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