Little Haystack, Lincoln, Truman, Lafayette - Falling Water, Franconia Ridge, Greenleaf, Old Bridle Path - 9-22-2026

Hiking Trail Conditions Report
	Peaks	Little Haystack, Lincoln, Truman, Lafayette, NH

	Trails:	Falling Water, Franconia Ridge, Greenleaf, Old Bridle Path

	Date of Hike:	Tuesday, September 22, 2026

	Parking/Access Road Notes:	The lot on the east side of I-93 was perhaps 1/3 or more full at 8am, maybe less so at 4:30pm.

	Surface Conditions:	Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable

	Recommended Equipment:

	Water Crossing Notes:	Water flows still remain low, so we had no crossing issues. Waterproof footwear always simplifies this - hunting for dry rocks was a non-issue.

	Trail Maintenance Notes:	The trail going in the lowest part of Falling Water looks more like a well-tended tourist path through the woods. There still are some potentially slippery ledges and a couple of scrambles going around the falls, one a short hands-and-knees affair for us aging OTHH. Once up on the ridge, of course, while very rocky, progress was a lot faster, especially uphill, and that well-traveled stretch is holding up just fine. As Uki noted, the top part of OBP has some slick spots. There are a couple of short, smooth-surfaced, broken ledge surfaces to descend carefully. Once below where the trail crew were working on stair building, we soon were mostly on the newly reworked trail, with all those cut stone stairs. It's fast-moving and in good shape.

	Dog-Related Notes:	we did see quite a number of pups along the ridge, all well-behaved.

	Bugs:	None, as expected this time of year.

	Lost and Found:	I found a small gold-colored earring on the upper part of FW. The closure was not tight, so maybe that's why it came off someone. I showed it to the others, put it in my pocket again, and later found that it wasn't there. It must have come out with a hanky at some point.


	Comments:	This was a great, unbeatable early fall day for this rather special OTHH outing. At the top of Lafayette, Marie finished her over-75 round of the 48, and Pat finished her over-80 round. We were a large group for this occasion, with four of us doing the loop clockwise at a faster rate (still kids, barely past retirement age!). Back at the parking lot, we did a tailgate celebration, despite being tired and thoroughly worn out by the long day on rocky trails.

	Name:	Pappy

	E-Mail:

	Date Submitted:	2026-09-23

	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.