| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Hunt Mountain - Southeast Peak, Gardner Ridge - Middle Peak, Signal Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Hunt Mountain Rd, Power Line Road, bushwhack, Mine Rd |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, November 7, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Spotted a car at the mining road. Nice pull off parking for 1 car there.
Then we drove up Hunt Mountain Road, past the class 6 sign, almost all the way to the power lines in mid-clearance. Road was in pretty good shape. There was a nice pull off just shy of the powerlines.
We didn't look too hard, but there wasn't an obvious parking spot near the class 6 sign that wasn't right in front of posted signs. As others have mentioned, tons of posted signs in this general area, but none of them blocked our intended route. The posted signs on the side of the road disappeared as we neared the power lines. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Champ made friends with a groundhog (I think?) |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We were pleasantly surprised to be able to drive up almost to the power lines. A quick jaunt south under the powerline and short whack to the obvious summit of Hunt SE. Backtracked on the powerlines, past the Hunt Mtn road. Followed the powerlines until a logging road forked to the right, which we followed for awhile until it started to descend and we whacked up towards Gardner , through a short stretch of old logging regrowth, then fairly open woods.
The rest of the traverse was pretty straight forward, except for the col, just north of Gardner middle, which had an old road passing through it (possibly the continuation of the road we left as we ascended Garnder) but the area around the road was full of unpleasant logging regrowth. I had hoped to skirt the col to the SE, but the regrowth made that less appealing. Leaving the col on the NW side instead, we had to cross a mini-drainage and ascend a steep, boulderly slope (the wester edge of the southern spine). Better going once we made it onto the spine. Found some red blazes presumably marking the NW edge of the Garner Mtn Conservation area. In an out of logging areas at this point, with some denser pocket of woods. Found the benchmark at the obvious highpoint of Signal, but no jar to be found.
Descending from here was a bit of an adventure. We went back to the col just SSW of Signal, then headed due south, in thick stuff at times. eventually found what felt like an old road at the edge of the old clearcut, which was pleasant. Followed that for a bit then linked up with the drainage around 2000ft, which we followed for a bit but was heading more SW with a ridge between it a and the mine area. We fought back east, over the ridge and encountered some very thick / unpleasant woods, but were able to navigate around them. We crossed two meaningful/tempting old woods roads before finding the actual mine road, which we must have hit just below the mine. Easy jaunt out from here on the good mine road.
3:50 total time. 20 mins to Hunt SE, 1:10 from Hunt to Gardner. 1:20 from Gardner to Signal. 40 mins from Signal to the mine. 20 mins from the mine to the car.
If I were doing this again, I might try following that southern drainage down from Signal instead of fighting back to the mine.
Trace amounts of snow here and there, but nothing problematic. |
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 | Name: |
Big Al Dente |
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 | E-Mail: |
bigaldentenh@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-11-09 |
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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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