| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mount Jefferson, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Jewell Trail, Gulfside Trail, Jefferson Loop, Cog Railway side trail back to road |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, March 15, 2026 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
$5 for hiker parking at the Ammo trail head parking lot. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
|
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Sign at the Sphinx Trail/Gulfside Trail junction has fallen over and is covered in ice. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
|
|
 | Bugs: |
|
|
 | Lost and Found: |
Gray MSR snow shoes stacked neatly on side of trail about 1.6 miles from the Ammo Parking lot. Left them as they were in case someone was just offloading and planning to return. One black glove left at trail sign for Cog Railway/Jewell Trail junction. Gray Nalgene bottle that was buried under the snow. If you think it might be yours send me a message. |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
This was it, the final hike of the winter season. Not ideal due to rain, heat, and snow all within the past week, but we are stuck with the calendar that we have. Recent heat set up an ice monorail with many postholes that then received a few inches of dry powder on top making it difficult to spot tricky footing. Snow shoes recommended all the way to the Alpine Zone. Once into the Alpine Zone the trail meanders back and forth in a slightly unclear fashion until you hit the junction with Gulfside Trail. Gulfside Trail is a mix between bare rock and waist deep loose powder/drifts making many footwear changes necessary between microspikes and snow-shoes. This continues unabated to the Jefferson Loop. The cone of Jefferson is icy and hard packed wind slab, but with enough rocks poking out to make it climbable if you are careful. The descent was tricky off the cone and then it was just a matter of returning by our footprints through Gulfside Trail. I hyperextended my knee on the descent due to stepping into a hidden post-hole so on the way out we decided to take the Cog Railway cut-off and road walk to the Ammo trailhead parking lot at the very end. A good winter overall. See you all again in the late Spring! |
|
 | Name: |
5 Līves & +duracell- |
|
 | E-Mail: |
s dot pat dot fitzgerald at gmail |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2026-03-16 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
