| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
South Hancock, North Hancock, East Hitchcock, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Hancock Notch trail, Cedar Brook trail, Hancock loop trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, January 13, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lot is very choppy ice but wasn’t very busy on a Tuesday, only 2 others. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easy rock hops, very shallow |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blowdowns, not hard to get under currently. There are some bow downs on Cedar near the HOL that probably won’t be popping back up, these were most annoying. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
I saw some spider-like bugs crawling on the snow actually. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Trail conditions have changed since, but probably even more packed now. The section between South and North is like a car-wash, luckily it was cold and dry snow, but you’ll be brushing trees the whole mile. Also quite drifted so tracks disappear. The jays were mean at the outlook, and wouldn’t let me eat in peace. Anyway, the real adventure began breaking out the trail up to the HOL on Cedar Brook trail and then thrashing around in spruce traps to get to East Hitchcock. My second time here so I knew it wasn’t too bad from that direction. I don’t think I’d attempt to get to the others from here but it was easy to get back and when I wasn’t in the spruce traps it was actually pretty supportive snow. I don’t know how the current rain will affect the snowpack, but it could set up a nice base for bushwhacking hopefully. |
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 | Name: |
Carl G |
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 | E-Mail: |
calxjohnson@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-01-15 |
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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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