Four Mile Brook Mountain (South Tucker), Chase Mountain, Loomis Valley Brook Peak - ATV Trail, herd path, bushwhack, Four Mile Brook Road, East Branch Road - 10-3-2022

Hiking Trail Conditions Report
	Peaks	Four Mile Brook Mountain (South Tucker), Chase Mountain, Loomis Valley Brook Peak, NH

	Trails:	ATV Trail, herd path, bushwhack, Four Mile Brook Road, East Branch Road

	Date of Hike:	Monday, October 3, 2022

	Parking/Access Road Notes:	From Rt 26 in Errol, I drove north along Coarser Brook Rd for a little more than 6mi to its end on the far side of the bridge over the Swift Diamond River. I then turned right and followed Four Mile Brook Rd East then north for about 5mi. I then bore right onto what’s shown on Gaia as Four Mile Spur and followed it for about 1mi to where another road diverged right which I followed to its end in a clearing about 0.2mi NW of the peak. This road, Four Mile Brook Rd, and Four Mile Spur I’d recommend mid clearance for but you could get away with low clearance on at least Coarser Brook Rd. All in all, these roads were in decent shape though.

	Surface Conditions:	Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant

	Recommended Equipment:

	Water Crossing Notes:	Nothing of significance that’s not bridged. I crossed the East Branch on a bridge along Four Mile Brook Road.

	Trail Maintenance Notes:	N/A

	Dog-Related Notes:	Sure

	Bugs:	None

	Lost and Found:	None


	Comments:	Day 337, Peaks 324-326. 1st hike of the day. Glad I did my research on this one and realized that I needed all three of these peaks in a single go as Chase and Loomis Valley do not seem to be accessible from a road shown on Gaia as Four Mile Brook Rd but that starts off of Swift Diamond Rd due to a gate at its start. This is rather unfortunate in my mind as I think hiking these peaks separately would’ve been relatively enjoyable whereas the going between them was a bit of a pain. As others have done, I parked N/NW of Four Mile Brook/South Tucker on the spur road and followed the old ATV Trail for 0.2mi or so at moderate grades to due north of the peak. Here, I turned right into bushes for a short whack of 0.1mi to the summit. Herd paths much of the way but also thick bushes so not the most pleasant. I found the jar without too much trouble. I signed in and noted that one sign in indicated there was another jar a short distance away. I doubted it would still be there but I nonetheless went to check. It still was hanging but I couldn’t get it open. I aimed basically due east off the summit to hit the road just west of where it would appear to cross the East Branch on a bridge. In coming off the summit, I tended a little south of east. I found some herd paths but nothing consistent or an old road as other reports seemed to indicate if I recall correctly. The most consistent was on the bump about 1/4mi east of the true summit. It contoured to the north in a slightly marshy area just west of the knob. It corrected my “off-bearingness” from earlier but also was far from being on my bearing. The herd paths were helpful at times though as the further east I went the thicker the woods got, often with spruce. I guess my point is that the herd paths came and went and were inconsistent. They were a pain in that they were often off-bearing and yet I felt I had to use them as the surrounding woods were often thick. In the flatter areas, east of that knob I got caught up in some very wet grass which was not fun. After this, I entered the woods again which soon became very thick and spruce. No herd paths here. Luckily this was relatively short lived. The woods became more hardwoody as I approached Four Mile Brook Rd. Once on it, I made quick time over to the jct with what’s called East Branch Rd on Gaia. I followed this very briefly to the south before starting my whack to Chase. I did this so that I could attempt to make my way up between two logging cuts shown on Gaia. I think this worked relatively well. I don’t remember anything really brushy or young other than some thick trees in the immediate vicinity of the road. That said, there was a good deal of hobblebush down low on Chase. Not terrible going but not the best either. More pleasant than getting from South Tucker down to the road though. Grades were easy-moderate to start. As the woods opened up more and the hobblebush ceased at elevation, the grade also steepened. Not hard to find. Nice little sign at the summit. I returned roughly along the same line (NW) back to the road. I tried my luck at following a drainage partway down which didn’t turn out to be so nice. Back on East Branch Rd, I followed it north to its end SW of Loomis Valley Peak. I headed NE up a minor ridge atbgenerally moderate grades. Brush nearby so not the best of woods. I found Chase to be more pleasant though this wasn’t too bad by any means. That said, I thought this would be an easy one to just head up and not check just bearing too closely. This led me to wind up in a flat area due south of the peak. Getting between this and the summit was more difficult. Some thickness and a cliff band to go around if I recall correctly. Register wasn’t hard to find. I headed more directly off the summit but got pulled a little too far west and then had to contour or slab back which got a little ugly in some hobblebush. Once back on the road, I followed it back to the jct with Four Mile Brook Rd then follows that north for a little more than a 1/2mi. My reasoning was that 1) I surely didn’t want to go back up to South Tucker the way I’d gone down it, 2) I’d rather not go all the way to the summit any which way, and 3) although there was logging on the north side of the peak where I was headed, I also knew the old ATV Trail was somewhere around there and gave me something to aim for that wasn’t crazy far away. Perhaps I’d luck out and hit it even sooner. Anyway, I whacked up through a grassy clearing and soon entered the woods. Easy-moderate grades soon becoming steeper but in open woods. Some herd paths as well. As things opened up on the NW side of the 2400ft knob, I entered some unique and interesting woods that were easy to move through and pretty flat. I enjoyed this until I came to the logging. I pushed through young growth in the logging cuts for awhile not having terrible going then began to hit skidder roads which was helpful. The skidder roads eventually became filled with slash which wasn’t as nice but I was still able to love at a semi-decent pace. Though roads came and went, I just chose the ones that made the most sense directionally and came out right at my car. If doing this trifecta again, I’d do an OAB to South Tucker, then use the skidder roads with slash to contour and then slab down on the north side of the peak down to Four Mile Brook Rd, then do OABs to Loomis and Chase, then return the same way. Again, these peaks individually aren’t bad but strung together are just a bit of a pain. Gaia had me at 7.5mi with about 2000ft of gain. It took me 6hrs to complete. 28 more days and 39 more peaks to go…

	Name:	Liam Cooney

	E-Mail:	liamcooney96@gmail.com

	Date Submitted:	2022-10-09

	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.