| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Doublehead Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Eastman Brook Trail, Thompson Road, Doublehead Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking area for Eastman Brook Trail had not been plowed since last storm, about 4-5" to plow through. No problem for my Subaru. Cotton Mtn. Trailhead had been recently plowed. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blowdowns here and there. All trails were well marked. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Was kinda cold |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Doublehead Mountain, Mt. Livermore
Eastman Brook Trail, Thompson Road, Doublehead Trail, Old Highway, Prescott Trail, Crawford-Ridgepole Trail, Old Mountain Road
This was two separate hikes in the Squam Range. Just 2-3" of snow in more sheltered areas and down low, 4-5" in the hardwoods, 6-8" higher up. Some impressive little drifts on Crawford-Ridgepole north of Mt. Livermore. I decided to wear snowshoes car to car for both hikes. They were not needed at lower elevations, but I'd rather wear 'em than carry 'em, and the televators came in handy on the steeper section of Doublehead Trail.
Eastman Brook Trail was a new one for me, having just opened in 2020. Pleasant little well-marked trail that meanders through some lowlands before hitting Thompson Road. From here it's 0.3 mile east to Doublehead Trail. Thompson Road and the beginning of Doublehead, to the viewpoint, were snowmobiled (on, like, 2" of snow - haha). Viewpoint is complete with a picnic table and a register.
Lower down, you pass by a bunch of stone walls and a couple of cellar holes. Higher up, Doublehead Trail becomes steep and fun, climbing 1300 ft. in about a mile. It was well marked with yellow blazes and plastic diamonds. I still managed to go off trail a couple of times but corrected on the way down. The ledges were awesome. On my return, a barred owl kept flying ahead of me for maybe a quarter mile. I badly mimicked a "Who cooks for youuuuu...?" call, and it took off for good.
Next hike originated from Cotton Mtn. Trailhead. I walked the 0.2 mile to Old Highway "trailhead," an unsigned turn off someone's driveway. Well marked with plastic diamonds though. The trail/road itself is very eroded; thinking winter is the best time to do this one. The Prescott Cemetery was cool; stopped and read a few headstones.
Prescott Trail was a nice snowshoe. Followed the tracks of deer and coyote, breaking trail in 5-6" of powder. Crawford-Ridgepole was untraveled to the top of Mt. Livermore. Nice switchbacks up to the summit! For the first time this day, I encountered other human prints on the summit: un-snowshoed folks had come up from the western end of Old Mountain Road. This is also where I found the deepest snow of the day, and there were some impressive little drifts there. Glad I wore snowshoes.
Old Mountain Road, eastern side, had not been traveled recently. There were some sketchy ice flows higher up. At the bottom, I did the short out and back to Burleigh Farm Road before returning to my starting point. Didn't see anyone else all day.
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 | Name: |
Snowflea |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-01-22 |
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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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