| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Orange Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Manning Trail, Holt Trail, Vistamont Trail, Skyland Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at the AMC Cardigan Lodge. Shem Valley Road is plowed (as usual) and easy to drive on with a small, front-wheel drive passenger car. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None were an issue. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Blazes on Vistamont Trail are faded in several places, mainly south of the water crossing, where the trail is in open hardwoods and sometimes tricky to navigate in winter. There are at least two very large blowdowns in this same area -- they've been there for a few years now. We made our snowshoe path around them and then joined up with the actual trail a bit later. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The snow quality on these trails, away from the popular ones that head straight up Mt. Cardigan, is some of the best we've seen for several years -- deep, dry powder on a somewhat compacted base. No need to go further north.
We broke out the Vistamont Trail through a consistent 1.5-2 feet of snow, and more, up top, on the ledges that head to the summit of Orange Mountain. There were just the two of us, so trail is broken but not consolidated.
Trench is deep enough, though, that even with the 1-2 feet of snow forecast through the weekend, it should be visible for some time.
No traffic evident on Skyland Trail, heading south to Crane Mountain or north to Rimrock.
Very quiet on the trails today; saw just a couple of people all day, and only near the lodge. |
|
 | Name: |
Pancks and Tesco Heaney |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-02-11 |
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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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