| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Avalon, Mt. Field, Mt. Willey, Mt. Tom, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Avalon Trail, Willey Range Trail, A-Z Trail, Zealand Trail, Twinway, Mt. Tom Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 18, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Crawford Depot lot was closed; when I got there around 7:45 AM, there was plenty of roadside parking still available along Route 302. |
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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: |
Crawford Brook crossings (on the Avalon Trail) are solidly bridged. There were a few small areas of open water on the western section of the A-Z Trail, but all were straightforward rock stepovers on snowshoes. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The primary trails to Mt. Avalon, Mt. Field, Mt. Willey, and Mt. Tom (note: I did not travel the section of the Willey Range Trail between Mt. Willey and the Ethan Pond Trail) are all in outstanding condition. They are well-maintained and unobstructed; blowdowns were absent or trivial. The A-Z Trail between the Willey Range Trail and the Zealand Trail expectedly had a more wilderness feel. Yellow blazing was fairly abundant in the upper (eastern) half of this section, but more sparse as I approached the Zealand Trail. There were two substantial blowdowns between 0.5 and 1.0 miles down from the Willey Range Trail, one of which required significant effort to walk around (and through) or awkwardly climb over. The last half mile before the Zealand Trail could use trimming; there are lots of saplings with low branches intruding on the trail corridor (assuming I got it right) and poke you in painful areas. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw several; the main routes to Avalon, Field, Willey, and Tom would all be suitable, though that climb from the A-Z junction to Avalon is quite steep. |
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 | Bugs: |
Amen to winter! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Beautiful day to be out- about 20 degrees with light winds, and given the effort of snowshoeing uphill, I was hiking in just a base layer and snow pants within the first mile. I used snowshoes car to car, but microspikes (assuming the spikes are sharp for the steep sections) would have been fine yesterday for most of the standard route to Avalon, Field, out-and-back to Willey, and Tom. There were a few drifts at higher elevations and along the Willey Range Trail, and the snowshoes were helpful for the televators along with the flotation. With the expected snow Sunday night, I suspect snowshoes will be the footwear of choice until things get packed down again. As expected, the A-Z Trail dropping down from the Willey Range Trail toward the Zealand Trail (I turned around at Zealand Falls Hut) was an adventure. There was a faint but blown-in snowshoe trench for *most* of this, and I could generally discern the intended trail, but it didn't look like anyone had been there recently. I was walking through anywhere from 3-12" of unconsolidated snow, which was especially unpleasant in the deciduous forest on the way back up. Interestingly, my single set of snowshoe tracks packed the relentlessly steep final section back to the height-of-land (Mt. Tom Spur) somewhat better. I sincerely hope that my hard work leaves the trail somewhat easier for the next brave adventurers, and that the new snow didn't obscure the tracks completely. Views from Avalon and Field were magnificent. There were a few people enjoying an afternoon of butt-sledding down the steeps of the Avalon Trail, but the new snow should help prevent those areas from becoming luge tracks. Full details on Unnecessary Climb! |
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 | Name: |
Jason |
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 | E-Mail: |
kurlando7@hotmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-01-19 |
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 | Link: |
 https://unnecessaryclimb.wordpress.com/willey-range-and-zealand-falls-hut/ |
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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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