| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Zealand, West Bond, Bond, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Zealand Rd, Zealand trail, Twinway, Zealand spur, Bondcliff Trail, West Bond spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, February 16, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Lot off of Rte 302, plowed, some ice under so be careful. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All bridged and easily crossed. |
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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: |
With the LW trail closure, a trip to the Bonds required a little more planning than normal. We were a group of three and we utilized Zealand Hut to break up the mileage into manageable chunks, doing an out and back to Mt Bond. Didn't need BC (already got that before the LW trail closure) so we did not head down there. Huge shout out and gratitude to JustRob and the other crew of two (maybe four?) that stayed at the hut Sat / Sunday, and broke out some of the trails ahead of us.
Zealand Rd - well tracked, bareboot or spikes, saw a few folks in skis. Zealand trail - well tracked, bareboot or spikes, again saw a few folks on skis too. Above the hut, the Twinway was well broken up to Zeacliff - snowshoes or spikes would be ok here, although we preferred snowshoes for the televators. By the time we set off from the hut Monday (2/16) up to Bond, there had been 6 sets of snowshoes all the way through to Zealand, five to Guyot, and 2-4 to West Bond the previous day (2/15). We added three more Monday (2/16). Snowshoes are definitely needed above Zeacliff. There is a ton of snow in the woods up there. The snowshoe trench above Zeacliff is very deep and still soft. There is also a lot of pushing / shoving, climbing over and crawling your way through frozen trees that are weighted down snow. You will be walking bent over and stooped over for sections, especially of you are tall. Guyot summit is windblown / wind slab with some ice under, and lots of exposed rocks. Once off of Guyot summit and back in the woods to West Bond, there is a lot of snow again and it is still very loose as this section has seen less traffic. We did not see the spur to the Guyot shelter along this stretch, so either the track that is laid out misses it completely or the sign is just buried under all the snow. From West Bond to Bond there was only one set of old ski tracks before us that looked like they came over from the Twins, so we broke that section with snowshoes. Bond summit is windblown with a light covering of snow and ice. There were no snowshoe tracks coming up from Bondcliff. It looked like maybe the ski tracks went down that way, but they were faint and difficult to see.
So the track is there from the hut to Mt Bond, it's still soft meaning you'll need snowshoes, and expect to be pushing / shoving / climbing under-over through the trees so plan on more time than you would normally need to cover the distance. |
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 | Name: |
Dexter |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-02-17 |
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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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