NewEnglandTrailConditions.com
NewEnglandTrailConditions.com:
MA
|
ME
|
NH
|
RI/CT
|
VT
|
Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Lafayette, NH
Trails
Trails: Franconia Notch Bike Path, Skookumchuck Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail, Greenleaf Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Plenty of parking at the Cannon Tramway parking lot, just across I-93 from the trailhead to the Greenleaf Trail. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Not an issue. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Skookumchuck Trail has three small blowdowns, one duck-under and two step-overs -- Silky Saw-able -- on the final uphill ridge that heads south after the trail turns away from Skookumchuck Brook (well past the long set of rock steps). Greenleaf Trail is a bit brushy (fir trees and maple saplings) in spots on the section west of Eagle Pass. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs: Not too bad -- mosquitoes near the numerous muddy/wet sections of the Skook west of Skookumchuck Brook, and one or two annoying black flies coming down the Greenleaf Trail, before Eagle Pass. Breezes on the ridge kept most bugs at bay. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: One of our favorite loops that uses quieter, less-traveled trails up to Mt. Lafayette, and allows for solitude on North Lafayette with its sweeping views of the Pemi Wilderness. Saw just three or four people until Mt. Lafayette, which was busy (of course), and then just three people past the hut, heading down Greenleaf Trail.

Plenty of early morning shade on the bike path, and then the Skook. Didn't get any real heat/sun until the ridge, at which point the breeze cooled things until the hut, where the Greenleaf Trail is nicely shaded.

Still some ice/snow in the rock hollows at Eagle Pass.

Wanted to get in one pre-summer-crowds-on-Lafayette hike, and also before the hot temps later this week. Lovely day...  
Name
Name: Pancks and Tesco Heaney 
E-Mail
E-Mail:  
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2023-05-31 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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.

Copyright 2009-2024, All Rights Reserved