Also on this trip

Trails Used

Castle Trail, Gulfside, Lowe's Path, Presidential Rail Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

up castle trail to Jefferson. bits of mud here and there but mostly dry, no snow nor ice anywhere on this trail. castles are looking cool like usual. still waiting on spring to come to the higher elevations. from Jefferson went across Gulfside to Adams. Gulfside was all dry except for a 50ft or so area of snow that's a bit sketchy to cross. from Adam's went down Lowe's path. Nice to see a handful of improved sections of trail on there. no snow nor ice on Lowes either. A bit more mud towards the bottom of Lowe's but nothing bad. Bugs started getting really bad the last mile or so before the rail trail.

Parking

lot was mostly full by 8am

Water Crossings

crossing of Israel river at the beginning of castle trail is rock hoppable after looking around for a bit

Wildlife

pretty terrible down low, not much higher up

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Airline, Gulfside

Trail Conditions

Notes

Woke up after not sleeping well multiple nights in a row, but had all my gear packed & food prepared for my planned effort & already took the day off from work. Unfortnately The whole day i ended up feeling off after not fully recovering from a presidential traverse last weekend (achilles/knees/feet), sleeping poorly, etc. This manifest itself in me tripping quite a few times/not being able to hold a regular pace & move efficiently. Anyway.. The forcast was a high of 46 on washington with 20-25 mph winds. There was not a cloud to be seen in the sky all day. I started at 0530 from valley way up airline. The water had frozen overnight & it was about freezing in the parking lot. A great day in my opinion. I brought a single microspike in case it was absolutely needed. Didnt even bother on what remains of the Jefferson snow field. The way to handle this is 'kick in' to the snow and move slow to prevent a slide. Most of the day above treeline it was a bit hard to stay warm, but this was mostly a personal choice (i had the layers to stay warm). Later when i got below treeline i missed the feeling as it was hot and humid (hot for spring). Aside from the mentioned personal issues it was undeniably a choice day to be above treeline and i only encountered a handful of people. The views via Airline are unmatched on a clear day, even feeling off a great day to be up above.

Water Crossings

n/a

Wildlife

soon

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Great Gulf Trail, Sphinx Trail, Gulfside Trail, Mt. Jefferson Loop, Gulfside Trail, Lowe's Path, Air Line, Gulfside Trail, Osgood Trail, Great Gulf Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

Aside from the below-treeline section of Sphinx Trail, which was very wet and like a stream bed in spots, the trails were mostly dry with minimal mud and wet ground. There were only two small snowfields I had to cross, and traction wasn't necessary for either. Definitely have good trail eyes and be comfortable with following wild, lightly used, hard-to-follow trails if you're going deep into the Great Gulf on the Great Gulf Trail or its offshoot trails. Madison Spring Hut was still closed, and there wasn't anyone outside or inside it getting it ready for re-opening- it was still fully boarded up, like it was all winter. Will open on June 4th according to the AMC webpage for the hut. Weather conditions were pretty stellar, with mostly sunny skies, light wind, cool to mild temps, and low humidity. Great day and conditions to do this death march, which ended up being 16.5 miles roundtrip with 6,000 feet of elevation gain.

Parking

Two other vehicles in the Great Gulf parking area when I started and about a half dozen when I ended. Not many people on the northern Presis today at all

Water Crossings

Rock hopped the crossing of the West Branch of the Peabody River due to the bridge still being closed. Had to take a few leaps of faith from one rock to another. All other unbridged crossings were also rock hopped.

Wildlife

Very little until I got to the Osgood Cutoff junction and it had warmed up.

Trails Used

Great Gulf, Osgood, Pine Link

Trail Conditions

Notes

Great Gulf was a great warm up. First two miles went by quickly. Osgood trail was work, nothing too technical. Seemed easier above tree line because of the incredible views. Pine Link I would skip and go down another trail. Overgrown and too many blow downs to count.

Parking

Did a car drop. Parked at Great Gulf and Pine Link. No issues

Water Crossings

No issues

Wildlife

Towards the bottom of Pine Link. Black flies.

Trails Used

Madison-Gulf trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Attempted to summit Mt. Madison via Madison-Gulf trail. Partner and I were not familiar with how steep this trail is and it took us much longer than expected to navigate due to snow / ice on the trail, flooded trails, and overall difficulty of the trail. Above treeline area of the mountain is covered in packed snow / ice still.

Also on this trip

Notes

Two-day guided hiking trip with Redline Guide Chase Hall. Day one: Madison and Adams (10 miles, 5300' elevation gain). Day two: Hale. Guest summiting mountains toward 576 peak goal (currently at 534/576). Day two originally scheduled for Wednesday but moved due to forecast. Photos included but conditions not specified.

Trails Used

Valley Way, Osgood Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

Bareboot all the way, up and down. Carried spikes but never needed them. Valley Way is pretty dry the first two miles then becomes a bit wet, nothing too tedious or impeding, though some rocks were a little slick when wet (and also when dry). There's about two sections of monorail hanging on in the last .25 mile stretch right before the hut. (It's not the entire last .25 miles, just two separate short sections.) Some parts are stable, some breaking off. It takes up a good portion of the trail, but there are certainly rocks to choose from along the edge, and some parts it was a one foot on the monorail and the other on the rocks. Coming down this section was not as difficult as I imagined when I went up - it was more of the same, one foot on the monorail the other on the rocks, or both on the rocks. The sections are so short that it would probably be overkill to spike it. Osgood Trail to the summit was totally bare. A bit windy up there, but everything was out of the clouds by the time I summited and the views were epic as always. Saw almost a dozen people, all young men, some in questionable attire for the 25 degree weather above treeline - they seemed fine, just cold.

Parking

Over a dozen cars in the morning but no issue finding a spot

Water Crossings

Nothing to note

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Valley way, Osgood Trail, Gulfside Trail, Airline, Lowe's Path, Randolph Path, Amphibrach, The Link

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

The last half mile below Madison Spring Hut had an elevated and slippery monorail. We all barebooted up with no issues. If I descended this way, I'd probably put on rock spikes. Above treeline is almost all snow free, outside of a few patches in the scrub. Lowe's Path and Randolph Path are snow free and in great shape!

Parking

Quiet day at Appalachia

Water Crossings

Easy rock hops as of 4/28

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Valley Way, Airline, Airline Cutoff, Osgood, Star Lake, Lowe’s Path, Gulfside, Airline, Scar, Scar Loop, Scar, Valley Way

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Summer conditions for 80 percent of the hike. 1.6 miles to around 2.2 miles on Airline from Appalachia has ice covered rocks and trails. Melting fast. Airline Cutoff to Madison Hut has a raised monorail that is quickly falling apart, leading to some postholing. Star Lake trail has some hidden snow in sections where the sun hasn’t hit it yet leading to some postholing. Some spots looked to still have 6 or so feet of snow between the lake until you get to above tree line but navigating wasn’t terrible and didn’t need traction. Some snow and ice on Osgood (AT) between Lowe’s Path Junction and Airline Trail. Easy to navigate around and use exposed rocks. No traction was needed. Little wind, lots of sun, and 360 views. Great day in the northern presidentials!

Water Crossings

All water crossings on Valley Way were easy to navigate.

Wildlife

Some buzzing but not attacking.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Airline, Gulfside, Osgood, Airline Cutoff

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Airline is bare until about 2,700’ (~1.6 miles) when traces of snow appear. About 2,800’ crusty snow, white ice, frozen boot prints, and black ice become consistent and warrant traction. 3,200’ to about 3,600’ had significant ice flows. Above that went back to crusty snow, white ice, and black ice all the way to Adams summit. Gulfside and above-treeline had 2-4” of snow in places. Firm early in the morning but got packed and became soft and slick late morning. There was a bit of monorail on Gulfside in the treed area closer to the hut. Descending Airline had all the same as in the morning but was softer and had good grip with spikes, even the ice flows. I expect it will refreeze/firm-up overnight warranting traction. Ascending Madison from the hut began with soft packed snow and mini-monorail but quickly became more rocks than snow all the way to the summit. Airline cutoff had 2-3” of soft snow.

Parking

No issues in lot.

Water Crossings

Minor rock hops.

Wildlife

None

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Crawford

Notes

Started around 2 AM for sunrise on Madison, hiked the ridge crossing multiple peaks. Perfect temperature, clear skies with cloud formations. Hiker wore shorts and t-shirt, resulting in significant sunburn. Noted sloppy spring season conditions expected to improve.

Trails Used

Daniel Webster Scout, Osgood

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Trail is very well marked esp on the talus fields. When below tree line if in doubt, follow the fall line. A lot of this trail is a drainage that is wet but there are no major water crossings.

Parking

Trails NH said the campground road to the trail was open. This was not true. It was only open to the building at the start of the campground which was still closed.

Water Crossings

No major water crossings. All were very manageable stepping on rocks.

Wildlife

Only saw one mosquito

Trails Used

Valley Way, Osgood Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Great day to hike the Presidentials. Mostly dry, easy going up to the Valley Way tentsite. From there to the hut, the trail got much wetter, with some lingering monorail—fairly stable in spots. I put on light traction for about 0.2 mile as a precaution, but otherwise didn’t need it. Incredible undercast from the summit, and definitely windy.

Parking

Appalachia Trailhead parking lot had plenty of available spots when I arrived at 7:30

Water Crossings

Minor water crossings, rock hopping

Wildlife

None

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Valley way, gulfside, airline

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Bare booted on dry tail (meaning no snow) almost up to Madison hut. Spikes needed for a short distance. Removed spikes at the hut to summit Madison and didn't put them on again. Airline trail had only one small section with frozen snow/ice. Easily avoidable

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Valley Way, Lowe's Path, Gulfside Trail, Edmunds Col

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Navigation errors added approximately 1 mile to the hike. Descended wrong way off Adams near Star Lake and had to backtrack. Stayed on Israel Ridge Path after split on Gulfside Trail instead of continuing to Edmunds Col, not noticing error until reaching Randolph. Clouds and wet rocks slowed progress significantly (2.25 hours longer than February attempt). Light traction needed in trees and on Jefferson snowfields. Hiker is completing a monthly challenge with 14 peaks done and 16 remaining for April.

Parking

Car was alone in Madison Hut lot at both 06:00 (start) and 14:00 (finish).

Trails Used

Valley way, Osgood Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

I was surprised to find bare ground with small patches of ice and snow for almost 2 miles up Valley Way. Significant ice flows above the jct of Watson Path. These softened considerably by the time we descended. Eventually encountered the elevated monorail that was stable on the ascent but not on the descent. From the hut we started in our spikes but took them off as soon as we hit the rocks. There is no ice or snow from there to the summit. There were quite a few people out enjoying the mild temps above tree line. Glad to be able to put in this trail report as there hasn’t been any recent reports in this area.

Parking

4-5 cars at Appalachia at 7:30am

Water Crossings

All easy to cross

Wildlife

None

Trails Used

-

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

A bit of a monorail forming between the tentsites spur and the hut but it was all very solid.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Air Line, Gulfside, Osgood Trail, Valley Way

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

It may be spring on paper, but it was still winter on the Northern Presis, especially above 4,000 feet. Below that, there wasn't a whole lot of snow, with about two to three inches of fresh powder from last night. Since I was the first (and possibly the only) one up Air Line today, I did the honors of tracking it out. Parts of Air Line below 4k feet were very icy, with that fresh powder obscuring some prolonged ice flows; crampons were not overkill, and I did indeed switch to them on this section. Similar deal for Valley Way, although the ice wasn't as bad. From 4K feet to treeline, snow depths increased significantly and quickly (3+ feet easily), with stable monorails either starting to form or already formed. Lots of rime ice above treeline, as well as fresh snow hiding ankle-twisting gaps in the rocks; felt like I was playing Minesweeper with my foot and trekking pole placement. No views from Adams due to summit fog, although I did get some views from Madison, including a few really nice undercast views. Although we're now almost to April, I would definitely still carry all the standard winter gear (micros, snowshoes etc.) for a while if attempting any of the 4Ks. After all, you never know with spring shoulder season...

Parking

Only about five or six other vehicles in the Appalachia lot when I started, and a few additional ones when I finished.

Trails Used

Valley Way, Osgood Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Micro spikes from start to finish. The snowshoes got a free ride today, as I didn't really see a need for them. Valley Way was covered in a nice fresh 2 inches of snow that fell last night. This was very helpful as the trail was mostly covered in ice under the snow. About a half mile from the Madison Hut, a monorail is developing and the edges are getting steep on the cliff side. Use caution and take your time. I got to the top of Valley Way as another hiker was coming down from Adams. He seemed happy to see me and said I was the first person he's seen all day. After reading the trail reports from today, he must have been Spencer. We chatted at the hut and the again on top of Madison. Hope you finished you hike safely. Very windy and with just micro spikes, the push to the summit of Madison took longer than I would have liked. Crampons would have been more helpful here, but I don't have them yet, so it was what it was. Most of what is above the hut in elevation is covered in rime ice. Very cool to see if you haven't yet! The hike down from Madison took some time due to the wind being pushy. Valley Way back to the car was nice and easy after the first mile or so from the hut. I'd recommend taking which ever tracking your comfortable with because they will all be useful. Enjoy!

Parking

Plenty of parking along the lot off of Rt. 2. Looks like it could hold 20 cars.

Water Crossings

Only a couple spots to hop over, nothing of significance.

Wildlife

The bugs are coming... but not yet!