Mt Adams and Mt Madison - Airline, Gulfside, Lowe's Path, Osgood Trail, Valley Way trail - 11-6-2026

Hiking Trail Conditions Report
	Peaks	Mt Adams and Mt Madison, NH

	Trails:	Airline, Gulfside, Lowe's Path, Osgood Trail, Valley Way trail

	Date of Hike:	Friday, November 6, 2026

	Parking/Access Road Notes:	There were 2 cars in the lot when we arrived and 10 in total when we finished. The parking lot is huge so it will hold many cars. No fee to park.

	Surface Conditions:	Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Leaves - Significant/Slippery

	Recommended Equipment:

	Water Crossing Notes:	All easy rock hops. I think most of the little streams were dry or barely running.

	Trail Maintenance Notes:	There are still some blowdowns on Valley Way which require stepping over or going around. The sign at the junction for Watson Path and Valley Way is now laying down. It looks like the post has rotted away.

	Dog-Related Notes:	We saw one good boi hiking with his parents first thing this morning. He is a rockstar among doggos, having completed 8 rounds of the 48. This is tough route for puppers. It's long and has a lot of elevation gain plus the rocks on the Northern Presidentials are really rough on paw pads. Use care with your 4 legged pal.

	Bugs:	I saw some. I didn't eat any. None bit me.

	Lost and Found:	Nothing lost and nothing found. I didn't see anything at the kiosk either.


	Comments:	This was another roll of the dice that paid off big time. Like super Lotto big. The roads were wet driving in this morning and I had resigned myself to another Valley Way slog but the skies seemed like they were clearing so Ellyn and I agreed to take the fun route. Airline was wet down low with plenty of wet rocks and leaves. We took our time and watched our footing. We could hear the winds above us from time to time but they didn't seem bad. We popped out above treeline to discover DRY rocks and views for days. After doing a Snoopy Happy dance and taking a bazillion pictures we continued on. The footing was excellent. We had some wet rocks here and there but they were still grippy. It was so pretty that we decided to take Gulfside to Thunderstorm Junction because, well, Thunderstorm Junction! Lowe's path was dry and had good footing. Adams was glorious - mild winds and all the views but it was cooler so we ate and took another bazillion pictures and then started the tedious descent of Airline. The rocks were mostly dry so we did fine and just took it slow. We saw a person ascending and I recognized her. It was Bo! Woot woot! I hadn't seen her since last winter (or maybe early spring) when we grabbed her at Zealand Hut and added her to our Z-Bonds crew. We chatted for a bit which was lovely. She is such an inspiration! Gulfside to the hut had great grippy footing. We ate again at the hut before heading up Osgood to Madison. Unlike last month, Osgood was nice and dry and the footing was great. The clouds moved in and out as we ascended and we got the most incredible cloud action at the summit. After a kazillion pictures and videos and exclamations over this being such a great day, we finally slowly made our way down. This was one of those days that was so good we didn't want to leave. Valley Way was wet and slick above the tent site and didn't get much better until we were about a mile below it. Then things dried out and the leaves began. They are still pretty deep down low and hide the ankle biters. So watch your step here. HUGE thanks to Ellyn for joining me today and being my G2 assist chaperone. This hike was brought to you by Ellyn's raspberry oatmeal bars which were consumed both on trail and in my car. I had hoped to save part of one for after dinner, but if you know me, that ain't happening. What a gift of a day and spending it with a friend made it all the better.

	Name:	Uki

	E-Mail:	ukisukinaminanu@yahoo.com

	Date Submitted:	2026-11-06

	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.