| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Middle Mountain, Mt. Crag, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Austin Brook Trail, Gates Brook Trail, Middle Mountain Trail, Peabody Brook Trail, North Road, Yellow Trail, Cable Car Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 4, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Trailhead for Austin Brook Trail (south side of North Road) is plowed. Room for 3-4 vehicles if parked smart. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Austin Brook is frozen enough to safely cross (at least for my body weight). I also did the cable car crossing. Heehee |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails were all well marked and easy to follow, even through recently logged areas. I did lose the trail a bit going up Middle Mtn. but retraced my steps and got the correct trail segment. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Route: Austin Brook --> Gates Brook --> Middle Mtn. --> Peabody Brook --> Road walk --> Gates Brook (w/ out and back to MMT) --> Yellow --> Cable Car --> Mill Brook Road --> Yellow --> Austin Brook. Turned out to be exactly 10 miles.
Spikes for the first couple of miles - frozen boot tracks. Snowshoes for Middle Mtn. - unbroken mostly 3-4" w/ legit 8" of powder (whee) coming off the west side. Bareboots for 1.2 mile road walk (although it WAS icy) and first part of Gates Brook. Snowshoes for Mt. Crag - had been traveled by many feet from summit down to AB, so could get by w/ spikes here. Cable crossing was fun and always makes me smile.
Really enjoyed this hike, especially Middle Mtn. (and its short summit spur), which felt more remote than it really is. Being winter, views up to Bald Cap Peak were frequent. MMT actually gets surprisingly close to the cliffs. Saw many animal tracks throughout. The logged over areas of Gates Brook Trail are, I think, much nicer covered in snow!
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 | Name: |
Snowflea |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-01-05 |
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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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