Owl's Head - Lincoln Woods Trail, Black Pond Trail, bushwhack, Lincoln Brook Trail, bushwhack, Owl's Head Path - 3-18-2023

Hiking Trail Conditions Report
	Peaks	Owl's Head, NH

	Trails:	Lincoln Woods Trail, Black Pond Trail, bushwhack, Lincoln Brook Trail, bushwhack, Owl's Head Path

	Date of Hike:	Saturday, March 18, 2023

	Parking/Access Road Notes:	Plenty of space at Lincoln Woods parking area at 7:15am. The restrooms are operational.

	Surface Conditions:	Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Postholes

	Recommended Equipment:	Snowshoes, Light Traction

	Water Crossing Notes:	The bridge at 1.8 mi on Lincoln Woods Trail is out; the recommended workaround is to rock hop just to the right of the bridge (when going north). The major stream crossings on Lincoln Brook Trail had snowbridges. The many minor tributary crossings could be hopped in one jump.

	Trail Maintenance Notes:	Many small branches to push aside on Brutus bushwhack and the upper part of Owl's Head Path.

	Dog-Related Notes:	We saw a few.

	Bugs:

	Lost and Found:	We saw one hiking pole standing in the middle of Lincoln Woods Trail, where there is a wooden guardrail (maybe about 1 mile up the trail). We left it there.


	Comments:	Conditions were nearly perfect. There is an easy-to-follow snowshoe track all the way to the summit. Just off the trail, the snow is about 3 feet deep in many places, so there are opportunities on the sides of the trails to posthole! Lincoln Woods Trail is especially packed; the other trails had many postholes, but someone paying attention could avoid them. On a warmer day, the loose snow will soften by the afternoon, perhaps making snowshoes the better choice. Some sections of Brutus bushwhack are very steep; probably snowshoes with televators (or even crampons with ice axe) would be best here, though most of us got by with microspikes. At the northern end of the Black Pond bushwhack, where it dead-ends on Lincoln Brook Trail, there was no sign of anyone having come from the east via the Franconia Falls bushwhack. At the top of Brutus bushwhack (junction with Owl's Head Path), we did not see evidence of anyone having come up the lower part of Owl's Head Path.

	Name:	mathbp

	E-Mail:

	Date Submitted:	2023-03-18

	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.