Trails Used

Webster-Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

Trail was a mix of wet leaves, some water running down trail, some mud - lots of rocks. Rocks were wet but with some grip. Ledges up high were grippy - no problems. The summit was totally fogged in, cold and windy. Trees on top were covered with rime ice but ledge was not. No problem going down just be careful picking your way and thanks to the trees in the ledges to hang on to. Poles were helpful. Met over 20 people on the way down and 2 men in shorts on the way up. Key takeaway was that we should have started later to let the fog burn off and reveal the wonderful view of Mt. Washington. Good day with friends.

Parking

Only car at 7:00 Lot full at noon and folks were parking on the road.

Water Crossings

No problem on only significant crossing - jump over, be careful of slippery rocks. Long legs are helpful.

Wildlife

None

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Webster Cliff Trail, Crawford Path, Mount Eisenhower Loop, Mount Clinton Trail, Dry River Trail, Saco River Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

A wonderful overnight backpacking trip to some southern Presidentials and the Dry River Wilderness. Webster Cliff Trail is in good shape although there are a couple wet spots. Crawford Path and Eisenhower loop were great and I’m sure there are many trail reports from the past weekend detailing those hikes. I mostly wanted to report on Mount Clinton Trail and Dry River Trail as I know those are less commonly used. The White Mountain Guide doesn’t lie— Mount Clinton Trail REALLY requires care to follow at times especially now with the fallen leaves. Do not expect blazes out on these wilderness trails. But if you seek peace and solitude at this busy time of year it can be found :) Pay attention to branches that are laid down intentionally to keep you on the trail, and when the trail seems to go into the riverbed, that is correct. You’ll see the cairns on the riverbed rocks. Dry River Trail was a fall delight and the foliage was perfect and worth the PUDs. A Mizpah Hut croo member advised us that the water crossings would be safe but the Dry River Trail may be excessively muddy, so we were pleased to find almost no muddy spots! Saco River Trail back to the junction with the AT was a blue blaze haven after getting out of the wilderness area. You’ll have no trouble following that one.

Parking

Extremely busy leaf peeping weekend but plenty of spots by the AT crossing on route 302 :)

Water Crossings

The most notable crossing on Mount Clinton Trail near the junction with Dry River Trail is currently safe and rock-hoppable. Those with short legs like myself may need to take care to avoid getting wet feet but the crossing itself is not dangerous at this time.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Edmands Path, Mt Eisenhower Loop, Crawford Path, Mt Monroe Loop, Tuckerman Ravine Trail, Southside Trail, Davis Path, Isolation Spur, Bushwhack, Isolation West Trail, Dry River Trail, Dry River Trail, Mt Clinton Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Jackson Branch, Webster-Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

Big loopy loop to tag all my summit goals for the day and avoid the morning highland center - Crawford path - Pierce clusterfuck disaster of tourists. Started up Edmands at 10am and the southerns were pretty dry except for many puddles and muddy leafy messiness on the flats. Summit of Washington was a total zoo and significantly calmer once I left Tucks and crossed Boott Spur. Medium muddy and swampy on Davis path, only wipeout of the day was me falling on my ass 50' down off the summit of Iso. From Iso express, about 10 paces north, there is an obvious faint line (old trail corridor, animal highway or local knowledge?!) that is really rough for the top 50 yards then lovely woods down until another rough bottom 50 yards to cross the stream and hit Iso west as the base of where it does the obnoxious zig outta the drainage to climb up to North Iso. Much drier until crossing Dry river and from the bottom of the cutoff up past the hut, over Jackson and down to the branch junction was a muddy, swampy wet mess. Headlamp on a mile below the hut and it was a very peaceful night. The bottom stretch down and out was pretty dry and uneventful. 20 miles and 7 summits

Parking

Overflowing in the am, very quiet after dark

Water Crossings

All rock hops

Wildlife

N/A

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson (Jackson branch), Webster Cliff, Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop

Trail Conditions

Notes

Beautiful views! Lots of yellow in Dry River watershed. More reds north and west of the Presidentials. Many people out today, as expected , but generally good trail etiquette so no major holdups and ascenders were generally allowed right of way by almost all. A few signs of people going off trail in the Alpine Zone, but no where near as extensive as I saw in northern Presidentials last week. I went down Eisenhower loop north of the summit and then back on Crawford Path; no crowds and the expansive view over Dry River watershed made for a great lunch spot.

Parking

Mobbed!

Water Crossings

No issues

Wildlife

None

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Crawford Connector, Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop, Webster-Cliff Trail, Webster-Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

I knew it was going to be a delightfully windy day which was exactly what I hoped for. I could hear that wind moving as I headed up Crawford Path closer to Pierce. The trail was pretty wet with many areas of standing and running water and squelchy mud. The rocks were all wet but were pretty grippy overall. I headed to Eisenhower first and initially it was in the clouds but as I got closer the clouds lifted and I got all the views. The winds ramped up nicely as I headed up the summit cone which made for some interesting hair in my selfies. I had a quick snack and was off to mountain #2. Things out in the open were drying off nicely but any portions of the trail that was more sheltered were still wet. The trek up Pierce was dry which was nice. The backside of Pierce down to the hut alternated between wet and dry trail so some care was needed given the steepness. From the hut to Jackson was mostly wet with some definite muddy sections but that is one of my favorite sections and I only saw a handful of people. Jackson was windy and above treeline was dry but once I descended the slabs everything was wet and muddy. Just use care in this section and you will be fine. This was an incredible day. Like make me speechless kind of day. It was nice to see the Teal Goat in the parking lot and to be able to chat for a few. This gridded out Pierce for G2. Still lots more work to be done though.

Parking

I got to the Mt Clinton lot around 7am and was surprised to find lots of open spots. $5 to park or the WMNF pass. When I finished there were cars parked on both sides of the road all along the highway. Holy humans, Batman.

Water Crossings

All easy ones today.

Wildlife

Not an issue at all today.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Saco Lake Trail, Crawford Path, Webster Cliff Trail, Mount Eisenhower Loop Trail, Mount Eisenhower Trail, Dry River Cutoff, Mount Clinton Trail, Webster Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

The rain stopped basically when I stepped out of my car, and after that it was absolutely beautiful all day! It's beginning to feel like fall, with cooler temperatures and crisper air. The southern section of the Presidentials is generally easier terrain, and a great place to hike for all ages. There were lots of families with kids out hiking, and everyone seemed to be having a great time! Mount Eisenhower trail is a bit narrow and overgrown in parts, but otherwise is a great trail and a hidden gem! Great views into the Dry River Wilderness while descending from Mount Eisenhower. Dry River cutoff was a bit difficult to follow in parts, especially around the river crossings at the low end of the trail. I lost it briefly a couple times but was able to re-find it pretty quickly. The ended up being a nice loop, and I completed 3 more trails for the Redline, and Mount Pierce, Mount Eisenhower, and Mount Jackson for September!

Parking

Very busy in Crawford Notch at 8:30, but oddly I was able to park at the almost empty small parking lot for Saco Lake trail, which was exactly where I wanted to park.

Water Crossings

All easy to rock hop

Wildlife

None that were bothering me

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson Trail, Webster Cliff Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

Morning hike for Cody's 52WAV and 4K hikes. Lower trail was fairly dry with occasional soft mud/wet spots. But at higher elevations the trails were pretty wet. The potentially slippery wet rocks and some mud made for slower going. Multiple muddy stretches along the ridge. Slabs on the ridge and on Jackson were mostly dry. Views were OK today, some cloudy haze.

Parking

Parked in lot along 302. Plenty of space early, but road side was all remaining on return.

Water Crossings

Rock Hops

Wildlife

N/A

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Webster Jackson Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop, NH 302

Trail Conditions

Notes

Hot humid day in the woods. Dry trail to start, some slippery rocks and mud in the usual spots, overall dryer than I was expecting. Only 2 on top of Jackson, I ate & enjoyed the views knowing it would be busy later on. Steep and wet rock coming down from top, fairly wet to the hut. Bog bridges are starting to show some wear, very deep mud. Refilled water for the climb to Pierce, dry to top. Absolute cluster around the summit, too many here so I found a spot to rest just past it. Still many here but a lot quieter with a nice breeze. Many folks coming from Eisenhower early, really hot for the climb. Wet muddy spots but nice to see many herd paths have been blocked, thank you! Lots of folks here but found a spot to sit with a nice breeze. Somewhat hazy views, was thinking about going down Edman's Path to avoid the crowds but opted not as the road walk sucks. Quick back too no people at junction. Very wet for most of the way down, passed many heading up. Pack plenty of water unless heading to hut as it’s very humid right now in the woods.

Parking

Got a spot in lot by Webster trailhead @ 7 usual craziness @ 3

Water Crossings

Easy step over

Wildlife

Nope

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson, Webster-Jackson (Mount Jackson Branch)

Trail Conditions

Notes

Great morning to go up and down before work. Cool temps, nice breeze up top and a dry trail for this hike make it a dream. Whoever is doing the trail work and maintenance, thank you. It is making a difference.

Parking

Plenty of parking in the notch on a non-holiday monday morning.

Water Crossings

All easy to step over or step on rocks to cross.

Wildlife

Didn't hear or see any. Cobwebs didn't have any bugs in them that I could see or feel when going through them.

Trails Used

Crawford Path, Mizpah Cutoff, Webster Cliff Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

I stayed the night at Mizpah Spring Hut so hiked up there then did an out and back to Jackson. There are some rocky climbs on the north side of Jackson. I had great weather and enjoyed the view from the summit. I'll have a blog post and video of this hike soon.

Parking

I parked on the shoulder of 302. I arrived around noon and there were a lot of cars in the lots and along the road. Mt. Clinton Rd was closed for paving.

Wildlife

They're probably there but I don't remember them bothering me.

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson Trail, Elephant Head Spur

Trail Conditions

Notes

Rocks were a bit slippery from moisture in the air. The trail was busy, but not overly crowded. Most people seemed to just be enjoying the short hike to Jackson to beat the heat - others went on to Pierce. Took the short detour on the way back to visit Elephant Head, which provides a neat view into Crawford Notch for very minimal effort. Best part of the day was taking a dip in Echo Lake in Franconia Notch after the hike to cool off!

Parking

Plenty of parking along 302... I was a bit surprised given the holiday weekend.

Water Crossings

No issues.

Wildlife

It was rather windy at the summit, so the bugs stayed away.

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

This was day #3 of my "hike early and do something small to beat the heat" hikes. The temps didn't seem so bad but the humidity was high again so I was sweating within the first 1/4 mile. The trail was wet from the humidity. Most of the muddy sections were supportive enough to no longer be squelchy. Some of the rocks were dry but many were just sweaty, requiring care on the descent. I still managed to fall once and my shin kissed another rock. It's not a hike for me if I don't fall down so this was par for the course. The trails were busy. I counted 53 people - all except 2 were spotted as I was descending, and I finished well before noon. If you are headed out tomorrow, start SUPER early...

Parking

When I arrived in Crawford Notch there were cars parked all along side the road so I was thinking I wasn't going to get a parking spot but I did. There were only about 7 cars in the lot when I arrived but it was full with more cars on the road when I finished.

Water Crossings

All easy to cross but the high humidity made everything slimy.

Wildlife

I killed a few mosquitoes on my head down low. Higher up the wind kept them away.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Webster Cliff trail

Trail Conditions

Parking

Parked across the street and the Ripley Falls a lot

Water Crossings

Rock hopping

Wildlife

No bugs too windy

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

Slipped maybe 5 or 6 times on my way around this loop, which was frustrating, but it was that type of hike. Slippery roots and rocks and lots of mud. Embrace the wet outside world.

Parking

Free parking all along the road and in the parking next to the depot. Gets pretty full on a good day but clears out after 3-4pm

Water Crossings

Able to rock hop all of them, but the rain brought in lots of water and mud so beware of slippery rocks!

Wildlife

Rare occurance of little to no bugs. The wind and rain must've kept them away.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson, Webster Cliff

Trail Conditions

Notes

Beautiful hike, lovely views, varied terrain - lots of fun!

Parking

Parking lot was empty at 5 am, full when we finished in the late morning!

Water Crossings

Water crossings were pretty easily made, levels are running higher due to recent rains.

Wildlife

The bugs were nonexistent first thing in the morning due to cooler temps and windy conditions. Blackflies and mosquitoes became more abundant on the descent - just keep movin' and you'll be fine.

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

The rain has turned the trail into a mud pit. Some places aren't a big deal, others are a squelchfest of epic proportions. There are quite a few areas of running and standing water on the trail and all the rocks were wet. The scramble at the top required care since the slabs were wet but I just took my time ascending and descending and was fine. Hopefully the sun today dries things out a bit more to make that area a little easier. The trails were super busy today. I counted almost 30 people! Conditions today had me really missing winter when all those rocks are all covered up and I can make this a much quicker hike. :)

Parking

I was the second car in the lot but the first one must have been a car spot because I was on silk blazing detail the whole way. Plenty of room for quite a few cars in the paved lot.

Water Crossings

I crossed the large crossing a bit upstream where there were more flat rocks. I had no issues.

Wildlife

Pretty much a non-issue until I got close to the summit. HOLY bugs batman. I ran up, tagged the summit and ran for my life cursing them. It didn't help.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Crawford Connector, Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop, Webster-Cliff Trail, Webster-Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

What a GREAT day for these. The winds were lovely and pushed me around just enough and the skies were gray and angry looking for a good portion of the day. BEST weather! The trails are in fine shape if you don't mind wet and muddy feet and legs, which I do not. The rocks were still a little wet in places requiring care but overall conditions were good for making quick time. I had every summit to myself which is crazy. The hut is open and was busy so I cruised past. Most of the time I saw no one on the trails at all. I saw the most people on Webster-Jackson and folks seemed to really be having a lovely day.

Parking

I parked off Mt Clinton Rd. $5 to park or the WMNF pass. Lots of room. I was the second car in the lot.

Water Crossings

Easy rock hops even for those of us who are vertically challenged.

Wildlife

It was plenty windy enough to blow them away.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop, Monroe Loop, Gulfside, Jewell Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

No snow/ice on the trails all day (there were a bunch of people who drove up the auto road and then hiked down to a chute on Clay into the Great Gulf and they said it was great. Mitzpah hut was open and had water and the usual items for sale. Nobody was around. Sherman Adams cafeteria on Washington was open (kitchen was not open) but you could get water and snacks and sweatshirts, etc. Things I saw today: A glider using the thermals over Monroe. A guy doing a Presi traverse looking for tape as the sole of his shoe was coming off. (he was trucking) A guy trying to do a triple Presi in 24 hours. (Appalachia-Crawford-Appalachia-Crawford). Yikes! Mt. Clinton Rd and Jefferson Notch rd still closed.

Parking

Parked at Cog ($10/person/day). There is a credit card machine in the hiker lot. Rode bike to Jackson TH.

Water Crossings

Nothing remotely challenging

Wildlife

None.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Webster Jackson Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Crawford Path

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

As you can imagine, the trail conditions are a mix. Really nothing all that unbearable or that you can’t get around. Not much to say about Webster Jackson trail, wet in spots.. but the monorail that was left was short enough distance and reasonably easy to navigate without traction. Any exposed rocks towards summit were bone dry. Webster cliff was not a swamp. It was actually not super muddy, could get around any wetness if you pay attention.. I found this section surprisingly enjoyable per others personal aversion to their previous experiences.. not bad at all for my first full send between these two peaks. The only part of Crawford path with monorail is just as you get into trees (coming down from summit) it was pretty built up but solid and didn’t require my spikes. Rest of trail is wet in sections.. dry down low. Just want to say, overall just keep an eye on the rocks as you place feet and otherwise assume if you step in the mud it could consume your foot. Overall not incredibly poor drainage but there could be some work done to help this out a bit.. I’d bring the rock spikes just in case but likely just end up mostly carrying them. Have fun, be safe & happy hiking 🥾 ❤️ traildad

Parking

Looped from the Crawford train station

Water Crossings

Not a problem on the Jackson crossing

Wildlife

We speak not of these

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

A few muddy sections down low, maybe one hundred feet or so of monorail left just before the final pitch up to the summit, and some glaze ice covering rocks that you can pick your way around it. no spikes needed anymore for this one. Cold but comfortable early morning. Good views of the Willey Range and Carrigain from the summit, all the higher peaks were in the clouds.

Parking

Plenty of parking available across the street from start of trail

Water Crossings

Easy rock hop at the moment

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Crawford Path

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Installment #3 for the banged up knee. The start of Webster-Jackson is wet and muddy in all the usual places. There are some areas of ice and packed snow here and there but it was pretty easy to get around it. About .5 from the summit I just put the spikes on to deal with the monorail. As soon as I got the scrambles, it was clear of ice so I took them off. The slabs were dry and grippy. Heading down Webster Cliff trail, the first ledge was clear but from there on out there was some ice. Not enough to warrant spikes but I did get creative with my descent. Back into the trees the snow started so I put on my spikes only to round a corner and see they were no longer needed. This pattern continued all the way to the Mizpah junction. The monorail is defined in places, and not defined in others. Sometimes it's stable and sometimes it's not. There is plenty of water and mud on the trail. Conditions just were slow through this stretch. The ascent from the hut was clear of snow and ice and pretty easy for about .5 miles. I did wind up putting the spikes on (and left them on because I was so tired of the on and off) for that stretch that descends. The summit of Pierce was clear of ice and snow. As others have said, the monorail on Crawford Path is steep and narrow. I took my spikes off at the junction for the Mizpah cut off only to put them back on again for a little longer. The ice in that stretch is soft and nice and grippy. I finally took the spikes off for the last .75 miles or so back the Crawford Connector. Glad to have gotten these before the rain.

Parking

I parked in the Mt Clinton Road parking lot and walked the road to start at Webster-Jackson. $5 to park or the WMNF pass. Restrooms were open and well stocked. Love that!

Water Crossings

No issues with the crossing on the Webster-Jackson trail. Levels were low and I gracefully crossed with the skills of a water buffalo.

Wildlife

I saw fewer flying creatures today than I did yesterday. They are out but not bothersome.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Webster Jackson Trail, Webster Cliff Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Trail between Jackson and Webster had intermittent monorail but not much ice. See trail report from 4/29 for more updated trail conditions on the Jackson side of the trail.

Water Crossings

All rock hoppable

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Edmands-Crawford-Webster Jackson

Trail Conditions

Notes

Wanted to warn people not to use Edmands Path for the next few weeks. Major logging operations with a few hundred trees felled across the road from Crawford Connector all the way to Edmands Path. It’s a jungle gym sometimes five trees deep. Monroe to Jackson dry or walkable snow until 1/2 mile after Mizpah towards Jackson from there spikes a must with steep monorail and ice. The summit cone is dry but Webster-Jackson side has an ice path for a mile down. I recently built a free toolkit with route data for aspiring gridders in summer and winter see link below.

Parking

Mt Clinton Rd completely blocked see below

Trails Used

Mt Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Trail isn’t super dry, can get around the mud mostly with hugging side trail, wet rocks/ roots.. basically ice scattered lower elevation. Water crossing was high, I opted to cross the log instead of hurdling across the rock. Had bareboot until junct where Webster / Jackson split & went rock spikes. Mostly Ice / solid monorail heading up & where trail starts to become exposed, its bare rock. Great day to beat the rain, no gnats yet. Couple gentlemen out today also in spikes. Trail was warming up and getting softer but not considerably but one guy said he postholed so maybe stay center as much as you can. Happy hiking 🥾

Water Crossings

Went up beyond trail & went over the log since water was high, for the big one.. other little ones can hop

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Cog Railway, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop, Trinity Heights, Crawford Path, Mt. Monroe Loop, Mt. Eisenhower Loop, Webster-Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Barebooted most of the way up the Cog until the just before the Jacobs Ladder section. Upon meeting Gulfside, there was a section of hard ice that was sketchy at first, and softening up fast when returning. Over to Jefferson was mostly icy trail with rocks poking through and rime ice on the boulders that was melting fast in the sun. I barebooted from around the Jewell Junction to Jefferson and stayed that way until the sketchy side hill spot before meeting Great Gulf on the way up to Washington. There’s enough exposed rock to just rock hop around all the ice, just pay careful attention your foot placement. I honestly barebooted 95% of my above treeline travel today, but I like to walk on the wild side, rather than destroy my spikes in one day. Everyone I passed had spikes on. Spikes were useful for the descent down Washington in places, when coverage was more consistent, and the climb up Monroe. I took them off at Monroe and kept them off until the climb up Pierce, save for maybe a couple brief soots. Firm monorail in the scrub sections, and grippy frozen granular. You could bring snowshoes for here, but you won’t want to use them, the monorail is too narrow. From the hut to Jackson was an absolute highway. I did use spikes here, and was able to make easy work of the ledgy flow ice spot. Jackson summit and ledges were bare. I took spikes off when the snow became inconsistent at the Webster-Jackson split. From there, any remaining snow/ice was avoidable or low consequence enough that it could be bare booted. Beautiful day, where the heck was everyone? I only saw about a dozen people and had every summit but Pierce to myself.

Trail Conditions

Notes

Perfect hiking conditions with no breeze at the top. Boulders towards the top were slippery. Suggested to hike before snow melts too much.

Parking

Parked directly across from the trailhead

Water Crossings

Water crossings were only tricky in one spot, but manageable with careful steps

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Mount Webster and Jackson Loop

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Summit ledges were bare rock. Grey jays observed.

Wildlife

Grey jays visited during hike.

Trails Used

Webster/Jackson trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

The trail is deceiving. Thought I would be able to bareboot further up the trail. Decided early on to put the spikes on and keep them on. There were bare batches off and on but eventually it turns into snow covered trail and quite firm for 60 degrees. Summit was devoid on any snow or ice. Beautiful views. Coming down was fine and was able to skirt most of the icy sections. All in all a quick 3 hour jaunt.

Water Crossings

Not a problem especially if you use the rotten tree to cross the big one.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Mount Jackson trail, Webster Cliff trail, Crawford path

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Barebooted first 0.2 then spikes until mile 2. Snowshoes up to final ascent to Jackson then back to spikes because of the new snow. Coming down to go to Pierce I used an axe to help otherwise it would have been a problem. Snowshoes all the way to Pierce summit. Switched back to spikes to go down. When the snow started melting, I went bareboot to the car because of it clumping immediately on my spikes. Thankfully I didn't fall on any ice the rest of the way. All the snow at the bottom was gone when I got back. Ten degree start forty degree finish.

Parking

Free plowed parking at Jackson TH

Water Crossings

No issues going up to Jackson

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Bare ground, rocks, ice, and patchy snow until the Webster-Jackson split. Above the split, the trail transitions from a dusting of snow on ice to complete snow coverage around 3200'. The trail is firm but a little choppy from freeze-thaw cycles. Some icy spots just below the open ledges, ledges are mostly bare rock and easy to navigate. Started off in studded winter trail runners, then put on rock spikes at Bugel Cliff until the ledges, where I removed them. On the descent, I wore sharp Hillsounds to the Webster-Jackson split so I could move faster, but it would have been fine with rock spikes on, just slower. From the split, I put the rock spikes back on and removed them after the water crossing (studded winter trail runners). Cold morning, conditions are not great, but not awful, just on the slow side with ice hidden underneath the new dusting of snow. Snow above 3000' in the woods will be hanging around for a while until it really starts to warm up at elevation. Great views from the top before the snow squalls came through.

Parking

Decent sized pull off lot across from trailhead on 302

Water Crossings

Downed tree about 20' upstream you can cross, or you can rock hop across, watch for glaze ice on rocks.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Cog, Crawford Path, Mount Eisenshower Loop, Webster Cliff Trail, Webster Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

After climbing up the Cog in snowshoes, it is boney or fully open enough from 5,500’ on up to bareboot all the way across the summit of Washington. Between Washington and Monroe, crampons were definitely good to have on. I went with full crampons (Grivel G10s) this time of year given the hardness of the ice. You can get by with micros, but the actual purchase of crampons helps a lot. There are many fully open sections on southfacing trails, but plenty of ice and still a significant snowfield. The northeast side on Monroe is still very snowy and steep, but bare on top. We took off crampons after the summit of Monroe and barebooted all the way to the northeast side of Eisenhower. There are a few sections of deep snow amongst the trees, but it’s not that bad and has a firm monrail. The summit cone of Eisenhower is totally bare. Once back in the trees on the south side of Eisenhower there is still plenty of deep sections of snow. Snowshoes are still very helpful here and make moving a lot easier. Except for the summit of Pierce, it was snowshoes all the way to Jackson. For the most part the summit of Jackson is completely free of snow and ice, but as soon as you are back in the trees on Webster-Jackson, crampons are very necessary and we kept them on until we could see the road in Crawford Notch. It was definitely good to get these done while there is a decent amount of snow and monorail left, but things are going to get very messy soon!

Parking

First and last car in Crawford that day

Water Crossings

Things are melting quickly, but still crossable

Wildlife

Starting to emerge at Lakes of the Clouds :-(

Trails Used

Webster Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Trail starts off mostly bare with patchy ice. It quickly changes to mostly covered with exposed rocks. Mix of a lot of ice and hard packed snow. The exposed rocks at the summit are almost completely free of ice and snow. Micro spikes did the job.

Parking

We were the only 2 cars in the lot

Water Crossings

Still some ice/snow bridges hanging on. The bigger crossing is open but easy enough to cross. Water level was ok

Wildlife

None

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Trail was packed and fast today. Icy at steep sections around Bugle Cliff. Last push before summit was not an issue today.

Water Crossings

All still bridged

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

I started in my Hillsound spikes until I reached the junction with the Webster turn off (trail was a bit boney) and then put on snowshoes. There was plenty of ice on the lower section, but there was about a half inch of fresh snow covering most of it making it much easier to navigate. About half way up from the junction, there was running water under the trail. You could see it bubble up in areas and in those areas there were several postholes. Snowshoes kept me afloat. Heading up the cone, once again the snow covered any ice. However, the wind gusts were strong making it difficult at times to maintain balance, but I managed. Heading down the cone, I used nearby trees or my poles to help prevent losing my balance or sliding. Overall, the conditions were much better than I expected. With cool days ahead, it will be a great hike over the weekend.

Parking

Parking lot had plenty of room with 3 cars present. I chose to park on the side of the road near the trailhead due to the icy conditions of the parking lot.

Water Crossings

Snow bridged

Trails Used

Webster-Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Only one other person out before me today, and he did a great job breaking trail. Huge thanks. I started in bareboots, but quickly threw on snowshoes as the snow got deeper and the ice underneath it got more slippery. With two sets of snowshoes the trail is clear and getting packed, but could use a few more folks to really get it in nice condition. There are post holes here and there, but all are snowshoe sized and fairly obvious. Trail is in very decent condition for March and should get faster over the next couple of days.

Parking

4-5 cars at the lot closes to the trailhead all afternoon.

Water Crossings

Bridges across all water...for now

Trails Used

Webster Jackson Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

After the freeze thaw cycles, and with new snow, the trail has a thick layer of ice. Most people were in microspikes, but I chose to switch to full crampons and I was so glad that I was carrying them! The summit had very little ice to grip into, but wasn't an issue at all. The monorail is very narrow, and there are tons of deep postholes on either side, but with the cold temps everything was very stable today

Water Crossings

No issues

Notes

Winter summit attempt with pastel sunset. First winter ascent for this hiker. Post appears to be a retrospective reflection on winter photos.