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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Adams, NH
Trails
Trails: Air Line, Gulfside Trail, Valley Way
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Saturday, November 22, 2025
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Less than a dozen vehicles at the Appalachia lot, both at the start and the end. The lot might ice over tonight (was pretty wet), so keep that in mind if you drive into the lot tomorrow morning. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Postholes 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes:  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: All trails used were in good shape. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Not an ideal day for dogs on the Northern Presis... 
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: For the most part, there was full snow coverage from trailhead to summit (save for some scattered patches of wet ground on the trailbed down low). A few inches covered the ground below 3,000' or so, then about 6-12" from there to a couple hundred vertical feet below treeline. Above that point, snow depths could be measured in feet more often than not.

Wore spikes on the lower halves of Valley Way and Air Line and snowshoes on the upper halves of both, as well as on the short section of Gulfside between Air Line and Madison Spring Hut.

Weather conditions started out relatively calm and unassuming, with the summits of Adams and Madisom starting to go in and out of the clouds (as the Higher Summits Forecast predicted). However, once above the Air Line Cutoff, weather conditions and visibility took a nosedive, with temps dropping and sleet falling, and visibility dropped low enough to make route-finding on the upper 1/2 mile of Adams tricky at times.

Needless to say, those "You Are Entering an Area with the World's Worst Weather" signs are there for a reason- in conditions like those on Adams today, even experienced and seasoned hikers can have difficulty, and inexperienced, un/unprepared hikers can easily and quickly end up in big trouble.  
Name
Name: Spencer 
E-Mail
E-Mail:  
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2025-11-22 
Link
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.

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