| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Owl's Head, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Lincoln Woods, Black Pond, Bushwhack, Lincoln Brook, Bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 17, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
About 30 cars at Lincoln Woods today. Plenty of parking. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nice bridges forming along two of the three crossings leading up to Brutus. The third is easy to cross. All other crossings were easy. (Note the bushwhacks though - going the longer way looked much dicier for crossings). |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
What to do after a trip to Nashville and too much hot chicken? Hiking to Owl's Head in the middle of winter conditions seemed like the obvious choice.
Flurries all day, so all trails have a firm base but an inch or two of loose snow on top. Not a lot of ice except for the half mile after the bridge where there's a lot more use. I was able to bareboot to the base of Brutus before throwing on snowshoes for the ascent and trip all the way back to Lincoln Woods.
The trail conditions cheat sheet is:
Lincoln Woods - Lots of use, so well packed with 1-2" of new soft stuff on top
Black Pond, BP bushwhack, Lincoln Brook Trail - Crunchy base with some loose stuff on top
Brutus - Very well packed by a combo of snowshoes and butt sledding. Bring snowshoes with televators to make it way easier. Seems to follow a pretty steep line, so traction is definitely needed.
Ridge - Meanders a bit, but is well packed by snowshoes.
All in all, pretty good shape. Not super packed down or fast, but in good enough condition for a decent day out. |
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 | Name: |
Chad |
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 | E-Mail: |
chadwik66@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-01-17 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.instagram.com/p/DTof73wkXV1/?img_index=1 |
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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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