Also on this trip
Trails Used
Welton Falls Road, Old Dicey Road, Elwell Trail, Oregon Mountain Trail, Back 80 Trail, Lower Manning Trail
Trail Conditions
Notes
This was a fun loop that was 99% new to me. I headed up Welton Falls Road from where I parked, and the junction where Back 80 Loop turns left and Old Dicey Road swings to the right is well-signed. Old Dicey Road is a steady climb that isn't too steep. At the point where Old Dicey Road swings to the right, if you look straight ahead you can see where the trail enters the woods, but there's no distinct footpath to get there across a short open area. At the next open area, there's a blaze on a fallen post at the start, but no other markings are immediately visible - bear left and you'll quickly see some yellow blazes just into the woods. The junction with Elwell Trail is pretty close to there. I took a right onto Elwell Trail, since I wanted to redline the entirety of Oregon Mountain Trail. Elwell Trail is a twisty footpath that is rough in sections and indistinct in others, but experienced hikers can follow it pretty easily. It ascends into a beautiful area along the ridge (reminiscent of higher-elevation ridgelines in the White Mountains), and then meanders around before reaching the junction with Oregon Mountain Trail. Oregon Mountain Trail is also narrow, occasionally indistinct, and has a lot of ups and downs, but is very scenic. There's a sign for the summit of Oregon Mountain. Soon after this point was where I met the only two other hikers I would see all day (not counting when I was eating lunch at Cardigan Lodge). Trails in this area are clearly lesser-used - there were some sections where the rocks and ledges on the trail still had moss on them. This was a very nice ridge walk. The junction with Carter-Gibbs Trail was well signed, and the western junction with Elwell Trail featured a boulder with a plaque on it commemorating Camp Mowglis. The portion of Elwell Trail from here mostly descended, and had a few sections where undergrowth partly obscures the trail, but the trail corridor is usually pretty clear. I wasn't sure what I would think of Back 80 Trail, since I knew almost nothing about it, but it turned out to be a nice trail that was pretty quick. The upper part goes next to some open pond/marsh areas that were nice. There were a few rougher sections, but overall the trail was fairly smooth and a gentle descent. There's an old cellar hole right at the junction with Back 80 Loop. From there, the trail follows a wide but somewhat eroded old road back down to the Cardigan Lodge. It was lightly to moderately raining during this section, however the trail is nicely sheltered by broadleaf trees the whole way, so I didn't really feel the rain that much. I had lunch at the Cardigan Lodge - they have potable water outside that hikers can use. My final trail of the day was Lower Manning Trail. The trail starts off smooth and easy, and gradually becomes rougher as it approaches and then follows Fowler River along a sidehill. Much of the trail is along a sidehill, and some sections are full of roots, but other sections are nicer. Be aware that the trail crosses the river twice - once above Welton Falls, and once below. The spot just before the first crossing can be confusing if you don't realize the trail crosses the brook (there's a herd path that peters out quickly), but once you know the trail crosses, following it is much easier. The first crossing is a straightforward rock hop, but in high water this could be tough. The trail went along another sidehill and then reached Welton Falls. The rock formations are fascinating, and the waterfall itself was still nice even though water levels are fairly low. The water crossing below the falls was mostly on ledges extending out into the river - it was easy today, but if the water level was a foot higher it could be very tough. From there, it was a short jaunt on a wide, easy trail back to Welton Falls Road. If I've calculated correctly, this hike got me 8.1 new redlining miles. A strange thing I've noticed on the SNH Trail Guide Redlining Spreadsheet is that the road walk on Welton Falls Road from Welton Falls Trail to Lower Manning Trail is included, but the road walk from Lower Manning Trail to Back 80 Loop is not. Weird. Either way, I had a great time on this hike, and I'm looking forward to redlining more trails in the Cardigan area soon.
Parking
I drove up Fowler River Rd in Alexandria, which was in good shape. Where Cream Hill Rd peels off to the right, I took the left fork onto Welton Falls Rd. This road is much rockier, but my Forester did fine. I parked at a pullout with space for 4-6 cars, just before a bridge with a prominent sign saying that it was not maintained by the town. This is about 0.2 miles from where Lower Manning Trail leads left from the road. Driving all the way to the trail would require traversing that bridge and two washouts, but a high-clearance vehicle could probably do it. There's space for another 4 cars where the trail starts. The dirt road continues from there, but it immediately goes up a hill where it is somewhat washed out in places. A greater level of experience on steep dirt roads would be required to tackle that part.
Water Crossings
Two crossings of the Fowler River on Lower Manning Trail, one above Welton Falls and one below. Both were rock-hoppable, but the rocks were a little bit slippery, and in high water these would be much more difficult crossings.
Wildlife
I put on bug spray at the start, and they weren't an issue.