| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Belknap Mountain, Gunstock Mountain, Mt. Rowe, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Round Pond Trail, East Gilford Trail, Blue Trail, Saddle Trail, Brook Trail, Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 5, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking as usual at the Gunstock ski area. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
A couple of minor crossings on Round Pond Trail that could be rock-hopped. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A couple of blowdowns on Round Pond Trail, but 1-2 feet of snow would bury them for the winter. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a couple of dogs with their owners along the ridge. Dogs would need to be comfortable on long, thick ice flows. I also saw two dogs on Round Pond Trail that didn't seem to have any humans with them - I was several tenths away from any trail junction, and didn't see any other humans in that whole area. One of the dogs was wearing a doggy jacket, so it must have belonged to someone. As I've said before, it is EXTREMELY irresponsible to allow your dogs to get that far ahead of you on the trail, so maybe it's for the best that I didn't see their owners since I would've absolutely chewed them out for that if I had. |
|
 | Bugs: |
None. Too cold and windy. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing. |
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|
 | Comments: |
This was a fun loop in the Belknaps. From the parking area, the start of Round Pond Trail is bare ground, but maybe 0.4 miles in the trail starts to be mostly covered in ice flows. It is possible to bareboot it, but less-experienced hikers may have wanted spikes in some areas (though they would've been taking those spikes on and off). Just after the junction with Overlook Trail, Round Pond Trail intersects with a bunch of old roads, and makes some sharp turns - follow the red blazes carefully. It does a couple of minor down-and-ups to cross small streams - those were fairly easy. Joined up with East Gilford Trail toward Belknap - the stretch where Round Pond Trail coincides with East Gilford Trail is gradual and easy. The next section of East Gilford Trail is where most of the climbing took place. The lower half was mostly ice-free, including the steep pitch right where the forest transitions to conifers. Just above there is where the icy spots begin, however they were avoidable and I could still bareboot. Higher up, there are a few twists and turns at relocations to avoid steep ledgy pitches (that were ice-covered today), but the yellow blazes show the way well. As the junction with Boulder Trail approaches, the amount of ice on the trail increases, and just below the junction with Boulder Trail there's an open ledgy area that was ice-covered. Luckily, just enough of it had snow over the ice for me to bareboot up it, though again, less-experienced hikers will want spikes here. The upper section of East Gilford Trail had several more ice-covered open ledgy areas - if you're stubborn and don't want to put spikes on (as I was), plan your route across the open ledgy areas to avoid the ice. The final short section above the junction with White Trail was smooth sailing. Though there were a few footprints in the snow that I could follow, I didn't see any other humans on the climb up Belknap.
The descent down Blue Trail to the col between Belknap and Gunstock was quick - that section had the greatest snow depths I saw all day (this was the only part of the whole loop, excluding the ski trails, that had more than 2" of snow on the ground), but the snow provided traction and there wasn't much ice. The climb up to Gunstock had some icy sections but they were avoidable. This is also where I began to see other hikers on the trails. The summit of Gunstock was crowded with skiers, but I was able to get a table in the Panorama Pub and eat lunch there since it's the only place that was out of the wind. I'll also mention that the restrooms at the summit of Gunstock were quite nice, and substantially more luxurious than the privies and port-a-potties that most hikers normally come across when hiking.
Descending Ridge Trail was straightforward. The upper section going around the summit of Gunstock was very cold and windy - I guess the wind must have been blowing from that direction. There still wasn't that much ice, and it was always avoidable. The gradual sections were fast-moving. Going down into the col and then up toward Rowe, there were some more icy sections, but they could still be avoided with care. The views from the outlooks near the summit of Rowe were excellent. The road going down Rowe had some ice flows in the upper sections, which were avoidable with care, however they soon disappeared and the steep middle section of the road was completely bare ground. While descending the lower section of the road, I watched the tubing area at Gunstock - it seemed to be quite busy!
I estimate this hike at about 7.3 miles, with about 2,000 vertical feet of elevation gain. Despite all the ice flows, I barebooted the entire hike, and experienced winter hikers will be able to do likewise, but novices will probably want spikes in several sections for the added security. Nowhere was there any possible need for snowshoes. This was an enjoyable day! |
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 | Name: |
GN |
|
 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-01-05 |
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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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