| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Starr King, Mt. Waumbek, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Starr King Road, Starr King Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
You can definitely get in the TH lot with good tire traction, the last year with my end of season winter baldies, had me parking in the winter lot 🤡 |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Wet/Sticky |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One Tree over top of Kilkenny |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Leave them in the hell they come from. None yet. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Laid down the first set of tracks on the trail today after yesterday’s, yes … snow ❄️ Not time to hang up the snowshoes yet, the trails in higher elevation do have snow & ice, which I’m not sure anyone heading from the southern parts are aware… there was trace depth at start, 2” as I gained & higher elevation was 4-5” of powdery loose snow. I wore my snowshoes at 2” & kept them on to / from same point.. I saw 4 groups with a total of 9 people out barebooting or in spikes following my pioneered effort.
The snow today was not consolidated, is very loosely “packed” if you can call it that, by my couple passes.. as day went on snow was starting to get sticky so idk what’s left after the rototilling booters. The snow is over a solid monorail of pretty much straight up ice. Some sections I got not the best traction & got to practice my fancy footwork as the monorail underneath was otherwise a bit wonky, uneven & such. Wobbled a bit here & there with snowshoes but they’re still I personally feel the best choice for what was there on top. Who knows what will change as it warms up or if there’s any more precipitation.
Not to sound like a bitter old man, but your trail daddy just wants to send a friendly reminder to be safe & keep in mind the shoulder season is unpredictable, plan for possible winter conditions for trail and forecast. I’d hate to see you travel all this way to enjoy the beautiful white mountains, to have it become ‘not a good time bro’
Also, I just really appreciate when people look ahead when planning to see that they may want to expect when they plan their day hikes… that the alpine flowers aren’t growing at 4k ft yet. I mean, there ain’t even leaves on the trees at Waumbek, so please bring more than a water bottle and sneakers. “Spring” is a slow degradation of trails before you get solid dirt under your feet again. Enjoy the ride, anyways 🤷 happy hiking! 🥾
Love,
Your Trail Father
Aka the “Cool” Dad
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 | Name: |
TrailDaddyRik |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-04-08 |
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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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