| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Adams, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Valley Way, Air Line |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 10, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Appalachia is plowed but very icy. Any car can get into it, though. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All open but easy to rock hop |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blowdowns on the way up. Someone came by and cut some limbs during the day--THANK YOU--so many fewer now |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Almost totally windless, warm day for Adams. In short: the mix of 1) above freezing temps, 2) rain, and 3) freeze created hardpacked crunchy trails below tree line and a lot of ice above tree line.
Valley Way starts out pretty bony but fills in a bit more as it ascends. It never really becomes overly deep, though. Our group all used spikes from the trailhead to the hut, which was the clear best choice. Snowshoes would be absolutely no use right now, and indeed would make things harder as there's a good bit of rock sticking up and some short, mildly icy sections. At the hut, we switched to crampons on the recommendation of others who were descending both Adams and Madison. This proved to be the best option. While there are some stretches of rock without much ice (i.e., your crampons will be on rock some of the time), the majority of the stretch from the hut to the summit of Adams is very icy. A couple in our group did it in microspikes; while it was doable for them, it was not straightforward or pretty. K10s would probably have been fine in lieu of full crampons, but I emphatically recommend bringing something more aggressive than spikes if you're going up Madison or Adams in the coming days. It's way icier than I've seen in a long time. |
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 | Name: |
IanB |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-01-10 |
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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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