| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Major, North Straightback Mountain, East Quarry Mountain, West Quarry Mountain, Rand Mountain, Mt. Anna, Straightback Mountain, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Mt. Major Trail, Brook Trail, Straightback-Major Link, Quarry Spur, Dave Roberts Quarry Trail, bushwhack, Mack-Anna Link, Anna-Straightback Link |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 20, 2025 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Mt. Major parking lot was about half full in both the morning and afternoon. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The large crossing on Mack-Anna Link and he two crossings on Brook Trail were somewhat elevated, but still rock hops. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Some blowdowns at various places. I was able to get past them all. Signage is generally good. There is a new Posted: Private Property sign where DRQT meets Old Clough Road. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a few, they'd do fine, but I'll repeat what was said yesterday: don't leave bags of dog poop along the trail. The bags along the lower Mt. Major trail are still there. |
|
 | Bugs: |
Saw a few, but they stayed near the ground (probably because it was very windy) so they didn't bother me. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
This was a long loop around the eastern Belknaps. I hadn't hiked the upper Mt. Major trail in a while (8 years?), so I decided to do it today. It's quite steep and ledgy in places, but the exposed ledges were dry, and nothing was too difficult. There's just one very small patch of ice remaining next to the trail, and in no way does it affect the difficulty of the trail. The summit of Major was empty when I arrived, which wasn't too surprising considering it was very windy today. Brook Trail heading into the col, and then Straightback-Major Link and Quarry Spur to North Straightback, were in good condition. There were a few tiny patches of snow near the trail in the vicinity of the Quarries, but I never had to step on them (and they'll probably be gone in a few days anyway).
The next thing of note is that, where Dave Roberts Quarry Trail meets the Old Clough Road, there's now a Posted: Private Property sign leading to the north along the old road. There's another sign there as well that says "No Exit, Former "Old Clough" Logging Road Privately Owned + Land Under Construction, Do Not Follow". I had noted in past reports that there was a similar sign at the lower end of Old Clough Road (where its connecting trail meets up with the bottom of Reed Road Trail), but there hadn't been a sign at the upper junction, which could have resulted in hikers descending Old Clough Road without realizing it was private property. Maybe the property owners read my reports and decided to remedy that. Either way, the loop hike that Old Clough Road previously made possible is not an option anymore. Maybe a new trail could be built that goes through the Quarry Mountain Forest (owned by the SPNHF) to meet up with the bottom of Reed Road Trail, that didn't interfere with the new housing development?
I did an out-and-back to Rand, and then embarked on a bushwhack almost directly south, with the goal of meeting Mack-Anna Link as close to its major brook crossing as possible. First I followed the continuation of Old Clough Road, which was rough, wet, and muddy, and had many blowdowns. The road took me a little further west than I wanted to go, so at the end of the road I turned left into the woods, and tried to either descend gradually or stay roughly on contour. The woods weren't terribly thick, but they had plenty of blowdowns, small creeks, and even an old stone wall. I ultimately met up with Mack-Anna Link maybe 100 yards before the big river crossing, and had lunch at the crossing.
The trails up to Anna, over to Straightback, and into the col between Straightback and Major were in good condition. Brook Trail was its usual rocky and eroded self. My final note here is that I'm not overly fond of the new relocation on the lower Mt. Major Trail, mainly because it's a bit longer than the old trail, with a whole bunch of unnecessary switchbacks. We don't really need to make trails here the same way that they do in the Western U.S., where trails are three times as long as they need to be because of their billions of switchbacks. This is especially true on lower mountains like the Belknaps - I'd understand it more if the trail climbed a 4000-footer. So I followed the old trail down, and it was perfectly fine - the footing actually isn't too bad, and since it's an old road it's easy to follow. Moral of the story is that relocating a trail should not result in the trail becoming 50% longer than it was previously.
Despite the strong winds, it was a clear and sunny day, and the trails were mostly dry. Fun day in the mountains! |
|
 | Name: |
GN |
|
 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2025-04-20 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
