| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Kineo, Black Hill, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Three Ponds Trail, Mt. Kineo Trail, bushwhacks, Donkey Hill Cutoff |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 20, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lot near Stinson Lake, nobody there, just a tractor parked. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Significant, Snow - Spring Snow, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No trouble rock hopping today |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
I took out a large birch crown and trunk that was blocking the snowmobile portion of Mt. Kineo trail around 2000 ft elevation. There are more smaller ones on the hiking trail part higher up but no issue ducking around so I left them. I swept rotten leaf debris off one of the bridges. There’s beer cans in the woods at the trailhead, I meant to pick those up but forgot. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
A pole and a hat on the ground at trailhead. |
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 | Comments: |
Still snow out there, patches right from the beginning, and plenty of mud as the ground is still thawing. I didn’t carry snowshoes, but almost wanted them for the 1.8 mile round trip bushwhack to Kineo summit and back, random postholing knee deep made it tedious, but otherwise the woods weren’t bad. From the HOL I stayed on the sunny south side of the ridge. I signed in at the summit and climbed a tree for views. I saw much moose sign and used their paths. I even saw a dead moose - just bones and fur - down lower on the snowmobile trail. I took Donkey Hill cutoff around the back of Black Hill for trail tracing - it had a lot of snow to posthole through, but nice pond views. From the flooded 3 ponds junction, I was happy to bushwhack up high over the much drier hill, and sign in at the jar. Then I had to scramble around some steep cliff areas to get down the south side, and came out on 3 ponds trail a half mile up from the Carr Mtn trail, and it was a quick walk out from there. 6 hours for this hike, then I drove up the road and did Downing and Eagle Cliff to finish the day. |
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 | Name: |
Carl G |
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 | E-Mail: |
calxjohnson@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-04-20 |
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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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