| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt Washington, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Crawford Path, Westside, Gulfside, Great Gulf, Sphinx |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Started from the summit, so there was plenty of parking. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Wet/Slippery Rock |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Ok |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Both Great Gulf and Sphinx had moments when the trail was hard to find. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No way. |
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 | Bugs: |
Dead |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The day started by driving up the Auto Road to the summit. The hiking route was Crawford Path down to LOC hut, then up and across via Westside trail, a right onto Gulfside, then a left down the Great Gulf trail. The Great Gulf trail was difficult, to say the least. The uppermost section of the trail is steep, of course, but we were surprised at how unstable the rocks and small boulders were. Many were loose and every step had to be cautious. Worse, just a bit further down the trail, where the stream and trail merge, many potential footholds were frozen and extremely dangerous and slippery. We made it down safely, but my advice is that you take a different trail unless you have all day and don’t mind some daredevil antics. The climb up Sphinx was tedious and steep, as you’d expect, but nowhere near as treacherous as Great Gulf. Our problem was that we needed to start the drive down the Auto Road no later than 4:30pm and we were running out of time. Sphinx is not a trail where you can go faster. Gulfside to the summit was a grind but not difficult. At just over 8 miles, this was a longer and slower day that you’d think. We started down the road at 4:45 - not too bad. Give Great Gulf a second thought. |
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 | Name: |
Rick |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-10-30 |
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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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