| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Cole Hill, Cooley Hill, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Blue Loop, Red Trail, Red Vista Spur, Yellow Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, December 26, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking at its upper end was partially blocked by a blowdown when I got there, but a utility crew (I presume) cut through it. The parking area is icy, road sanding stopped just below it in a tow zone. It has a modest slope to it. My AWD had no problems in it. The main access roads were fine now that utility crews have been through there. A quick glance as I drove by Jericho Road off 116 showed the gate as open and signed No Parking suggesting that logging is going on and the trail may be closed. I suggest anyone wanting to hike from that TH to call the USFS. There were non signs of anyone having come up Cooley Hill from that direction. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Minor drainages, most covered over. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The Sugar Hill area was hit hard by the recent storm and I ran into many line crews on my drive in. They took out one that was at the parking as a new house is going in beyond. There is a real wack arounder at the main kiosk. There were numerous blocking blowdowns on the trails, especially on Red and Yellow in the area of their intersection, along with lots of smaller ones on Yellow below Cole due to small striped maple & pin cherry. That section also had many small branches in the trail. I flicked/kicked/picked many on the other trails that had more manageable numbers, but there are still a lot of them. The Cooley Hill section of Yellow fared the best. For the most part the trails are well signed or blazed, although several of the blowdowns had signs on them. The main sign post where Blue Loop West and Yellow diverge just up the ledge from the main kiost at the start was down and the sign partially frozen in water so I could not pull it out and reset it. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No problems for a pup. I saw dog prints on the Blue and lower Yellow. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Blue Loop (East), Red, Red vista spur, Yellow
The trails are mostly crusty snow, from just a little to maybe 2", with small pockets of bare ground or ice, and on Yellow between the two Hills stretches with just enough granular snow that snowshoes would have been better. I carried mine but these stretches weren't long enough or hard enough to justify putting them on and off. Whoever did a loop of Blue and Yellow below Cole (yesterday?) included someone wearing the most rugged stabilicers and if I had a pair that fit my Snowburbans that would have been my choice over spikes. These are also bike trails in non-winter, and they will need lots of work to get them ready for it next year. Many of the blowdowns are multi-stem messes and some include some large stems, both of which would be best cleared by a chain saw or one of those ax ground crews. These also provide access to backcountry skiers but they need snow and it just isn't there. Having said all of this, for a hiker at this point it is mostly pretty easy going, slowed down a bit at times by wacking around the biggest tangles and annoyed a bit on Yellow's lower section. There are several nice vistas. |
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 | Name: |
Zero |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-12-26 |
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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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