Also on this trip
Trails Used
Avalon Trail, Willey Range Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur
Trail Conditions
Equipment
Notes
Spikes car2car. At 8:30am the trails were firm and the grip up to Field was great with micros, and the trail was very supportive. From Field to Willey has some impressive monorail on the side slope sections...narrow and very deep, but supportive. I'd imagine later in the day as they got slushed up they became more challenging. From Field to Tom the trail is much less supportive and the packed path was not always obvious...stepping a few inches to the side meant a deep posthole. The Tom spur was firm with a couple icy patches that were soft and grippy with the spikes. By the time I headed down from Tom the snow had turned to 'taters and there was much sliding even with micros, and a few postholes. A hiker coming up had tried snowshoes and found them unsatisfactory as well, although I bet they were useful for the Tom-Field stretch by the time he got there. After tomorrow's rain, the cool down on Monday is going to make the trails solid and great for micros. There is still a lot of snow along the ridge, so on days well above freezing there is going to be a posthole fest...try and get out early on those days before the snow warms up.
Parking
Parked head-in by the picnic tables next to the train depot.
Water Crossings
There is a convenient double log across the first crossing 1/3 of a mile from the trailhead, and the 2nd crossing 1/2 mile later is also mostly rock hoppable...possible you'll have to step in 1" of water depending on what a hop means to you.