| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
North Twin Mountain, South Twin Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Little River Road, herd path, Haystack Road, North Twin Trail, North Twin Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, January 16, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
$10 in an envelope in the mailbox at 7 Dwarfs, I parked across the street, main lot isn't plowed. Put vehicle description/plate, and hike plan on envelope. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
2 of us crossed the Little River twice so I guess it is bridged, but we definitely treaded softly. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
1 tree blocking trail about .5 mile from the summer trailhead. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Only 2 of us out today, myself and Jim who is working on his 10th grid (yikes!). Bare boots until just after the crossing. 2" of light fluffy snow on top of a solid and not very deep base. He caught up to me at the crossing, where we both put on snowshoes, and then he marched away up the trail at a much quicker pace. The first mile of so after the river is fairly solid, but after that the snow gets deeper and looser. You will definitely need snowshoes for the top half of this hike, so put them on sooner rather than later, imo. There were sizable drifts near the top and between the peaks, and there are places where the trail is obliterated and navigational wizardry is required with the hopeful reward of finding a blue blaze. I was thankful to have Jim's tracks to follow. We both had hoped to do a loop with the Twins/Zealand/Hale but with the deep snow, cold, and cranking wind we both decided an out/back of just the Twins was a better choice. More accurately, Jim decided that while he was fighting to stand on the windy summit of S. Twin, and when I met up with him on his way back down I thought it sounded like a smart choice.
With 4 passes of snowshoes, the good news is that the undrifted in track will be pretty good for snowshoeing (too soft to bare boot). The bad news is that I'd imagine most of the trail between the peaks will be drifted in.
Jim did an out/back of Fire Wardens trail to Hale on his way down, and was the only one to do that trail today. |
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 | Name: |
Borealis |
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 | E-Mail: |
kdwelch1@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-01-16 |
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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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