| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Liberty, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Bike path, herd path, Liberty Spring Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Basin lot pretty well plowed but fewer available spots than normal with the large snow banks |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Wet/Sticky |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Several small open ones all easy hop overs, largest crossing a rock hop but boots stayed dry |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One duck under just past the tentsite and another approaching Liberty summit both at awkward heights, otherwise no significant issues for this time of year |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Maddie had a great day - no specific hazards for dogs comfortable with the current conditions |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Decided to hit up Liberty today since it's a shorter drive for us and we knew it was broken out - thanks to those who had snowshoes and did the hard work the past two days. Bike path had boot, snowshoe and ski tracks but no snowmobile use since the storm. Herd path was rough broke but had a decent trench. Bareboot tracks entered at the junction with the trail proper and fortunately turned off on to Flume Slide trail - not sure why someone would think that not wearing snowshoes a few days after a two foot snowstorm would be a good idea, but common sense seems like a lost art these days. The track on Liberty Springs was soft and uneven but slowly improved as we gained elevation - unfortunately there was another set of bareboot prints with some very deep postholes that appeared but snowshoes helped flatten things out a bit. There were still some open areas of mud and running water up to about 2300' before the left turn and the start of the steady uphill, wasn't expecting this after the recent storm. Slow going up high on Liberty Springs and once on the ridge but we had some neat peek-a-boo views at the summit across the notch with the clouds blowing in from the east and enjoyed a nice break out of the wind. I figured the trail to Flume might be broken out after the nice weather yesterday but it was not (neither the trail proper or the winter by-pass) - we had entertained the possibility of heading over but after seeing this and knowing that the chances of successfully breaking this whole section out solo would be zero, we happily headed back. The trail above the 1/4 mile FPA sign was garbage with very soft snow and steady large postholes but it was quite a bit better with our snowshoe tracks up and back. The snow definitely softened on our way down but it was still a fairly quick trip out. With the warm weather and rain in the forecast it's going to be at least several days before spikes will be a safe and logical option for any trail - anything less than snowshoes would be irresponsible, inconsiderate and potentially very dangerous, so just use them and leave the trail better than you found it. We got a great workout and didn't see any other hikers all day - fun day out with Maddie while we still have some good snow to enjoy! |
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 | Name: |
Hikes with Maddie |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-03-26 |
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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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