Trails Used

Davis Path to col

Trail Conditions

Notes

Epic. 2.2 miles from lot across the bridge to rock slabs, stay right, trail is poorly marked up on the slabs, do not be bamboozled, I'd be remiss if the warning fell on deaf eyes, so be warned. Go right. The summit was glorious, 365 degree views. Sun. No breeze.

Parking

wide open 5 cars when i pulled in around 8am

Water Crossings

none

Wildlife

yep, all kinds; mosquitoes, blacks and gnats

Trails Used

Davis Path, Crawford Spur

Trail Conditions

Notes

A visit to Mt. Crawford today for another four-hour volunteer wilderness monitoring shift for the Forest Service. I've done this several times now and this was the busiest it has ever been. I counted close to 30 hikers, which is far more than in the past. And it wasn't even a weekend. Most were only going as far as Crawford but two went out to Resolution and Stairs. Ground conditions started wet due to overnight rain and it was raining on the drive through Twin Mountain in the morning. The upper ledges were fortunately dry with just a few slippery spots to be mindful of. Rain was in the forecast for the afternoon but didn't materialize and skies were a mix of sun and clouds with a pleasant breeze. Good to chat with folks up there, including one with a unexpected local connection. Small world.

Parking

Plenty at the Davis Path lot of US 302.

Wildlife

Mosquitoes were brutal and voracious down low, especially in the morning. At the summit, there were, surprisingly, still some black flies around but the breeze mostly kept them at bay.

Trails Used

Davis Path

Trail Conditions

Notes

Blustery day in the Dry River Wilderness with clouds blowing by very quickly. There was a bit of rain on the drive in as we approached the trailhead, then dry to start the hike. A bit more rain as we began the climb, but we stopped the showers quickly by putting on our raincoats. The rest of the hike up, summit and halfway down was excellent - sunny and great views. With ~1 mile left, the rain came back, heavier, and soaked us the rest of the way to the car...still a great day in the Whites!

Parking

Plenty of room at the Davis Path trailhead on 302

Water Crossings

Either dry streams or low water with rocks to hop

Wildlife

Mosquitos were biting down low, even with bug spray. No problems up high

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Davis Path

Trail Conditions

Notes

Great conditions on Davis path and the spur trails. No spikes needed! Gorgeous day. Wildfire burning over by Frankenstein Cliff. You can see in the first pic how it looked at 12:30, then again how bad it was at 4:30. Crazy how it blew up.

Parking

Maybe 5 cars there. Supposedly a local homeowner by the trailhead has a dog that attacks other dogs, but we did not see it.

Water Crossings

No issues.

Wildlife

No sightings.

Also on this trip

Trail Conditions

Notes

Barebooted about a mile, then put spikes on until Stairs Col. Switched to snowshoes from Stairs Col to Crawford Spur due to punching through firmer snow. Icy conditions under new few inches, especially up to Stairs.

Water Crossings

No issues with water crossings. Only wet section was between Crawford and Resolution.