| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Adams, Mt. Madison, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Airline, Gulfside, Osgood Trail, Valley Way |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, March 13, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at Appalachia. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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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: |
This route seemed to survive the recent Postholemageddon pretty well. Up Airline, there is not a lot of snow (and even some bare dirt) up to around 3800', but there is a lot of ice, including some big frozen waterfalls. It wasn't hard to get around these with microspikes, but with 3-6" of snow forecast for tonight/tomorrow I'd probably avoid Airline tomorrow due to the snow concealing the icy sections. From ~3800' up the monorail began, and it was very supportive and grippy with the micros. Once out of the trees and on the ridge, it is mostly rocks with a little ice in between and I switched to bare boots until the last ~1/4 mile to Adams summit where the rime ice covered the rocks and the ice patches. Kept the spikes on for the descent towards Madison hut until the junction with Airline (spikes took a beating). Barebooted to the hut and then up/down Madison. Osgood trail up to Madison is mostly a suggestion so it wasn't hard to find a route that kept you on ice-free rocks. Not nearly as much rime on Madison as on Adams.
Spikes back on for the descent down Valley way. Very narrow monorail for the first 1/2 mile down from the hut, then a mix of ice and rocks for the rest of the way. The last mile is mostly a 1" thick ice path...I enjoyed the crunch crunch of the spikes on the ice as a nice finale.
3-6" if snow overnight will make the rock hopping above treeline a little sketchy tomorrow. |
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 | Name: |
Borealis |
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 | E-Mail: |
kdwelch1@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-03-13 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.strava.com/activities/17713745220/overview |
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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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