| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Holts Ledge, Moose Mountain - North Peak, Moose Mountain - South Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Holts Ledge Trail, Trapper John Shelter Spur, ski trail, Moose Mountain Trail, Moose Mountain Shelter Spur, Wolfeboro Road, Fred Harris Trail, Trescott Spur, road walks |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, January 7, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Designated parking for Holts Ledge Trail is just before Dartmouth Skiway. Goose Pond Road has a small parking lot. For Trescott Spur there is no safe place to park at the trailhead, but there is a large lot at the junction of Grasse and Trescott Roads, about 0.3 mile from the trailhead. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Blowdowns/branches here and there... |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
This was a Moosilauke tab mop-up tour. All snow encountered was either negligible or frozen trough, with a very short section of drifting on the way up South Moose, so snowshoes were not needed this day.
Barebooted Holts Ledge Trail/AT south, checked out Trapper John Shelter (how old do you have to be to know who "Trapper John" was?), hiked to the high point on Holts, backtracked to the fencing/peregrine spot, and descended the furthest left ski trail (which was not open to skiers). Near the bottom did a short bushwhack back to the AT to finish Segment #1.
Segment #2: Drove to AT parking on Goose Pond Road and headed south on Moose Mountain Trail/AT. About 3/4 mile up I momentarily lost the trail in very open hardwoods. GPS to the rescue. Traversed over North Peak, checked out Moose Mountain Shelter, and went all the way to South Peak. At this point I did an about face back to Wolfeboro Road.
Descended about 1/2 mile west on Wolfeboro Road, a sheet of ice (!) and the only place I donned spikes. Took a right on Fred Harris Trail and followed it all the way back to Goose Pond Road. Fred Harris, a Dartmouth Class of 1911 Vermonter, was the founder of Dartmouth Outing Club among other accolades. It was nice to see his namesake trail so clearly signed and blazed blue throughout, even though I could find very little information online... admittedly impatient trying to do so in the cold temps and unrelenting wind. (My reason for doing the loop incorporating FHT was both to be adventurous AND to GTH out of the blustery winds up on the ridge.) Upon reaching Goose Pond Road, I had about a half mile road walk back to AT parking. (There IS a parking lot for Fred Harris Trail a bit farther west of where the trail comes out on Goose Pond Road.)
Segment #3: Not wanting to leave the final straggler, Trescott Spur, I headed down to Hanover to knock off this final trail for the Moosilauke tab of the White Mtn. Guide in winter (aka Bluelining). Searched for a safe parking spot at the "trailhead" but finding none parked at the Grasse-Trescott Road lot and did the 0.3 mile road walk. Trescott Spur, a 2008 Eagle Scout project by Matt Geason, is 0.4 mile and climbs almost 400 feet to high point on Velvet Rocks Trail/AT. Fini! |
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 | Name: |
Snowflea |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-01-08 |
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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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