| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Jefferson, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Caps Ridge Trail, Jefferson Loop, Gulfside, Spaulding Spring Spur, Jewel Trail, Boundary Line, Jefferson Notch Road |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, November 15, 2025 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Caps Ridge Lot has semi packed snow |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All rock hops |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
N/A |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
N/A |
|
 | Bugs: |
N/A |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
N/A |
|
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|
 | Comments: |
Umm so the road was open and caps ridge was broken to roughly 5500'. Still it took me 3hr 45min to summit and it was extremely deep scoured crusty drifted powder above treeline. The caps were rather difficult but I stayed left along the krumholtz and made it up feeling pretty confident. Snowpack is easy 3-4' deep on the summits already and its only mid November. Was medium challenging following cairns above treeline. Once i started breaking to the summit and down Jefferson Loop to Gulfside was challenging route finding. Pretty easy down Gulfside to Sphinx Col then kept drifting off. I found Spaulding Spring and then broke back up to Gulfside and did a pretty ugly contour break down to Jewel about a 1/4mi below the jct. Hopefully my tracks get blown back in before anyone tries to follow them, very meandering and sidehill sloping.
Once on Jewel the return of postholio was apperant and it was slow going down to treeline, but at least broken out, meh. Gets pretty boney at about 3500' on Jewel and I probably woulda swapped to spikes here if I didn't forget them and the headlamp in the car, sigh. Boundary Line was semi broken and I used my phone flashlight, lol. Road was easy and fast, my only efficient miles of the day |
|
 | Name: |
Heat Lightning |
|
 | E-Mail: |
ecs@mountainlogworks.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2025-11-15 |
|
 | 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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