Also on this trip

Trails Used

Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

We started at around 8:30 up Cedar Brook. Nice dry trail with a few small muddy spots near the streams. Plenty of places to get water until you get to the loop. We went clockwise as others had recommended and it was STEEP with many loose rocks to navigate. Nice views from the overlooks. I was surprised to see many others doing this hike, so I guess it’s more popular than I expected. The descent down the south side was just as steep and tricky. My son broke one of his poles on the way down ☹️ Total was around 9.5 miles in 6:46 with moving time of 5:11.

Parking

Plenty of parking st the overlook. Upper lot was full at 8:15.

Water Crossings

All easy to rock hop.

Wildlife

Zero

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Trail : Cedar Brook Trail : Hancock Loop Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

The low grades on the Hancock Notch and Cedar Brook Trails make for easy hiking with the low water levels on the brooks. The Hancock Loop Trail up to the junction is fairly easy but has lots of roots. The Hancock Loop Trail from the junction up to the ridge is quite steep with loose rocks near the top of the steeps on North Hancock and throughout the slope of South Hancock. On descent from South Hancock, it is advisable to step on the larger rocks anchored into the soil to ensure safe footing. The ridge walk between the two peaks is relatively easy. Nice views at the two summit outlooks. Neither have 360 degree views. Other fine views on the ridge in thinned out wood sections. Lots of hikers out today including one UConn student hiking her first 4K peak. Hiked for a time with Brian from Haverhill. Met an 80 year old experienced hiker on North Hancock as well as a 62 year old hiker just getting in to hiking. No gray jays today.

Parking

Parking lot at the Kancamagus hairpin curve is used by hikers and tourists.

Water Crossings

Water levels are low. Easy rock hops.

Wildlife

None

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch, Cedar Brook Hancock Loop

Trail Conditions

Notes

Another nice OTHH outing. A number of hiking pairs were out there. Around 3pm, on the lower part of the loop trail, we encountered two groups of very young (pre-teen) hikers, most in sneakers, each with an adult leader, planning to do the loop. None of the kids had a pack, and just a liter water bottle. It seemed to us that they would be cutting it close, in terms of daylight remaining, if they did indeed do the whole loop. They weren't equipped to spend the night in the woods, and there already had been a period of very light rain, with localized downpours elsewhere, such as at the parking lot (big puddles there). As we approached the parking lot, we could hear a lot of loud motorbike traffic in the vicinity of the hairpin turn on the Kanc. On arrival at the road, what we saw was a group of bikers, wearing full crash suits, and especially beefy knee pads, tearing around the turn at high speed one at a time, leaning far over into the turn and off to the side of the bike, with those knee pads actually dragging on the pavement. I guess they must have been "training" for some sort of bike event elsewhere. We waited for a break, then hustled across the road.

Parking

There was plenty of room at the hairpin turn view area lot at 8am, and still that way late afternoon.

Water Crossings

All crossings were easy, due to general lack of rainfall.

Wildlife

None, really, even without repellent and hardly any breeze.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Wilderness Trail, Desolation Trail, Signal Ridge Trail, Sawyer River Road, Sawyer River Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

This was a great clockwise loop (including the Hancocks, Mt. Carrigain, and Hancock Notch) I had been contemplating in the past, but a desire to check out the eastern section of the Hancock Notch Trail before an upcoming trail race cemented it. Views were outstanding from the Carrigain observation deck on this mostly sunny (and relatively haze-free) day, but there were additional sights from the Hancock outlook spur, and numerous points along the Pemigewasset and Sawyer River, along with the opportunity to take in an abundance of untouched forest. Portions of the Cedar Brook Trail (especially near the height-of-land) and Hancock Notch Trail had poor footing, with short stretches of semi-avoidable standing water and mud pits, and seemingly all of the leftover rocks that the White Mountains had no alternate use for. However, the northern section of the Cedar Brook Trail, almost the entirety of the Wilderness Trail, and even long sections of the Hancock Notch Trail were very pleasant, dry and smooth logging roads. The least enjoyable portion of trail for the day was the North Link of the Hancock Loop Trail, and this won the award easily. It is excessively steep, eroded, and with an abundance of talus and loose gravel in areas where you need traction the most. I went counterclockwise over the Hancocks and descended this delightful section, but going up probably isn't much better- I envision lots of back-sliding and four-letter words. I saw a number of friendly hikers while descending Carrigain by Signal Ridge, and a few more on the Hancocks near the beginning of this journey, but also had about 20 miles of complete solitude. Overall, this was 34.2 miles and 7,700' elevation gain, in a surprisingly quick 11:36. Full details on Unnecessary Climb!

Parking

Ample parking at the Hancock Overlook, both early in the morning and around 5:00 PM.

Water Crossings

Numerous crossings on this route, including a few major crossings of the Sawyer River and the Carrigain Branch (off the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River). Water levels were low to moderate, and while most of the crossings were stepovers or rock hops of variable difficulty, I definitely made my way into the water a few times. Some of the rocks were slippery or submerged, especially on the Cedar Brook Trail and Hancock Notch Trail. The water crossings within civilization (on the typically traveled route to the Hancocks) were easy.

Wildlife

Mosquitoes were annoying when stopped, even with repellent- probably because most of this route is so close to the water (or occasionally in it).

Trails Used

Hancock Notch, Cedar Brook, Hancock Loop trails

Trail Conditions

Parking

no problems on a tuesday

Water Crossings

all easily crossed

Wildlife

minor

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail, Bushwhack, Cedar Brook Slide

Trail Conditions

Notes

Two of us set out for a fast hike followed by a patient one since one of us needed the Hancocks for July and the other needed NW Hancock for Trailwrights. The trail is in good shape despite the ongoing erosion the climb up to south. Take it slow and you'll be fine. The bushwhack from roughly the north summit (we actually went ~100 yards towards south then turned in) over to NW Hancock is an adventure. Sections have clear herd / moose paths that are easy to follow for decent stretches, but then you end up in thickets of spruce wondering why you are the way you are. Just as you're about to convince yourself that professional help is probably a good choice, you find a herd path again and laugh at the silliness your mind just went through. Do that at 1 mile an hour and you'll be at NW Hancock. Make sure to go further right than you think and keep an eye out for the very impressive cliffs on the north side of the trail. At the NW summit you'll be rewarded with a stove door, telephone wire and canister with plenty of paper, pens and pencils. To get to the slide we took the herd path back to the col then went hard right. Stay on the spongey stuff for a while and eventually you hit Cedar Brook slide. The top is loose and slow going. The middle splits into three fingers, the middle one being the most stable. And the bottom is faster going than the top sections. The views from the slide were stellar and worth taking in. At the bottom of the slide, follow Cedar Brook to the trail that bares its name. Then go left through wet stuff for just under 2 miles until you pop back out at an intersection you never thought you'd see from this direction. From there march out and chuckle at the fellow hikers that only did the standard loop, and not your anxiety fueled version to check a box on yet another list.

Parking

3-4 spots open before 8am. Jam packed lot in the afternoon.

Water Crossings

All easy to cross with clear rock paths for hopping.

Wildlife

Swarms here and there but none were biting

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, bushwhack, Hancock Loop Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

The standard route for the Hancocks was in great shape and are very easy to follow. The steep ascent and descent on the loop are loose and gravelly, but with careful footing it is very manageable. East Hitchcock related notes: I was unable to find a herd path for East Hitchcock. However, the forest is not too difficult to navigate for much of the walk up from Cedar Brook trail. My approach was to go past the height of land (~3120ft) and down to about 2950ft, as I had read in past reports that there was a herd path there last year, I was hoping that the same would be true for this year. From this point of entry into the woods, I would be taking a more direct route up the steeper part of the east side of the mountain. Here, there are some rocky steep sections and there were heavily moss covered logs and rocks which covered holes in the ground and make the terrain unpredictable. The foliage in the section up to about 3270ft is relatively open, and the biggest challenge was finding a hole-free route up the steep and rocky terrain, but after that it was much denser and required a lot more maneuvering and creative route finding. One silver lining of this sub-optimal route was that I managed to pop out in a shrubby clearing with nice views over to the Hancocks, which added a nice view to the otherwise wooded summit. My route down from the summit was much better, as I took a route more to the south and finished closer to the height of land at around 3025ft. This route avoided most of the rocky terrain with unpredictable holes, was more gradual, and made for a smoother experience overall. The biggest challenge was navigating areas with a lot of Spruce and Hemlock saplings, as these areas were dense and it was hard to see the terrain I was stepping on. Today was a great day for a hike, and I was happy to get some grid progress and add a 5th month for the Hancocks!

Parking

Lot was unsurprisingly full when we arrived at 10:00, but there is a wide dirt area on the side of the road. The lot was about half full at 4:00 when we returned, but there were even more cars along the road.

Water Crossings

All were easily rock hopped

Wildlife

Not too bad, there were a lot of flies buzzing around but I didn't notice them biting at all.

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

The trail and water crossings were in decent shape after the rain event yesterday. I expected a wet trail and that is what it was however I was surprised that I was able to cross all crossings without getting my feet wet. On the way out I did not care if I got wet so I just went for it. I always love the ridge walk, so peaceful and serene.

Parking

Decent sized lot. 5 other cars in the lot when I got there at 7:00 am. When I was out at 11:15 am the lot was full.

Water Crossings

All water crossings were rock hoppable.

Wildlife

None

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch, Cedar Brook, Hancock Loop

Trail Conditions

Notes

Nice morning out. Water was flowing. Trail up to North Hancock has had some work done to it recently and made for a fun climb. A couple of blowdowns on the ridge that will need to sawed. One section had a double blowdown so prepare to do a little ninja warrior action. Going down South was pleasant and it appeared that some work had been done on that section as well.

Parking

Sunday morning tourist trap. Get there early and make sure you leave yourself with an exit strategy so you can get out before you are parked in.

Water Crossings

All water crossings were able to be rock-hopped. Take your time as some are slippery or just bull through. The choice is yours.

Wildlife

A few at the start, a few near the muddy sections on Cedar Brook. Swallowed a couple. Big spray seemed to help keep them from biting.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch, Cedar Brook, Hancock Loop, Bushwhack

Trail Conditions

Notes

I went counterclockwise. I don’t think it makes much difference which way you go since having climbed these peaks multiple times, either descent is terrible IMHO. The bushwhack is challenging. I went in at the right turn beyond the summit. Fairly open woods at first, but drifted to east and then struggled through spruce and many blowdowns to get back on ridge crest. No obvious herd path descending to the col that I could find. At col, a vague herd path became somewhat apparent. Found canister; note that papers are all loose in it. Going back to north I tried to stick to the ridge crest, but the going wasn’t much better. Interestingly, this approach brought me back to the North summit. 3 hours round trip for the bushwhack.

Parking

No issues

Water Crossings

No issues

Wildlife

Where I was out in the breeze there were no issues, but the sheltered spots were well populated with bugs.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

Very wet to start. Pretty straight forward until the big decision, North or South? As usual I went up North 1st, just an ass kicker but most that I saw went this way. Very windy on top kinda cold after a bit. Fast to South, black flies were hungry here. No issues out. Beat the rain today, 1st 4K in 4 months, nice to be back. Took my mom on her 1st 2 4Ks today & spread her ashes. Paused to reflect and give thanks to all those who sacrificed for us 82 years ago today. Truly the greatest generation!

Parking

Full at 7:45 overflowing @ 1

Water Crossings

All easy rock hops

Wildlife

Black flies brutal in lot & on South…..biting

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

Nice morning for the Hancocks. Views for days from the viewpoints of North and South Hancock. Crossed paths with seven others enjoying the day. Trace amounts of spring snow remained just enough to make a snowman

Parking

Parked at lot opposite trailhead-scenic overlook. Good sized lot no vehicles on arrival three on return

Water Crossings

All slightly up but no issue at all

Wildlife

No bother today

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

Perfect moist wet soggy Sunday for a little lap up these peaks. Stream crossings were very tame and the trail only really started puddling down low after it poured again early afternoon. Winds were mean at both summit outlooks and really made us grateful for not choosing to venture above treeline today, that would be absolutely miserable in todays conditions. We went up South and down North and passed a surprising number of people ascending as we descended. Curious to see how trails react to todays rain in the am tomorrow

Parking

Lot 1/2 full

Water Crossings

All rock hops

Wildlife

N/A yesssity yes

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch, Cedar Brook, Hancock Loop

Trail Conditions

Notes

After a couple days of rain there was a lot of running water on the trail. Still a considerable amount remaining at the end of the day. Water crossings were tricky in the morning but much easier late in the day after the water went down. Two of the crossings on the loop trail, you will either have wet shoes or need shoes off. Some very loose gravel on the way up North with running water still on trail. Some monorail on the ridge which was easily walked on top of. With melting conditions I'm guessing people will soon be falling through. No spikes needed at any time. Despite the yucky morning conditions, it was still a great day out! Enjoyed the trail!

Parking

Parking lot full at 9:30. Noticed on our way out that there are additional spots to pull into along the road.

Water Crossings

Many tricky crossings in the morning, shoes off for two with water mid-calf.

Wildlife

Some. Only bothersome while sitting at North overlook.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Trail is bare for most of first 3 miles. There are a few 10-20’ sections of what’s left of a monorail and a few muddy areas as well. Still pretty easy to keep your feet dry. All the water crossings are pretty easy. Going up north peak there is a layer of maybe 1” of snow but no monorail or ice until you are within a couple hundred feet of summit. Going up south hancock, the ice/monorail starts way lower. In between the peaks it varies from bare trail to thin monorail to a little bit of snow covering bare trail. I posted pictures of trail conditions on all trails if you wish to see pictures of current conditions.

Water Crossings

No difficult water crossings

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock notch trl, cedar brook trl, Hancock loop trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch, Cedar Brook, Hancock Loop.

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Counter-clockwise due to the frozen luge below South. Spikes made that easy. There was lots of mono-rail everywhere but only the higher elevations were prone to post-holing or crumbling. Passed on guy coming down from South in wet sneakers. Almost felt sorry for him.

Water Crossings

Lots but all easily crossed.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Greeley Ponds Trail, Mt. Osceola Trail, Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Greeley Ponds Trail had only a couple small patches of ice. Then mixed bare ground and short stretches of snow/ice starting around 3k ft. increasing as you climb. After the lookout below the ledge the snow/ice becomes consistent and unavoidable. I used well used Hillsounds up and down. Between the peaks had some bare rock. I took the bypass, but chimney was dry. Hancock Notch Trail was bare at the start then a thin ice monorail starting maybe a half mile in. Cedar Brook Trail was mostly bare. Snow/ice is consistent Hancock Loop Trail nearing the junction. I polled about two dozen people asking which direction they took, most said counter clockwise, and most of those who went up North first said they should not have. Going up South is still consistent ice. It was soft enough for spikes going up, but was getting a layer of grease by mid day. Between the peaks was mostly monorail, at times a tight rope, but always stable. Going down North was mostly ice-free.

Parking

I parked at the westbound pulloff between the two trailheads. Greeley Ponds lot was almost full by 9am. The entrance to the lot is pretty rough, cars would bottom out.

Water Crossings

All crossings were easy today.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Tr, Cedar Brook Tr, Loop Tr.

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

I’ve never written a trail report. Sorry. But I found a charm(?). That’s why I filled out this trail report. It doesn’t appear valuable, but it may be of sentimental value to someone. Send me an email and I’ll mail it to you. Monorail and ice down low was collapsing. Up high it was fine. I went up north first and got somewhat wet (car wash) coming down. The south slide required a lot of tree grabbing.

Parking

I was the only truck. Only hiker.

Water Crossings

Rock and log hops. Tomorrow may be a bit of an issue.

Wildlife

None

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

A FINE day in the forest was had. My favorite season for trip reports - it's basically every box. Generally exceptional conditions throughout, spotty mix of bare ground, rotting rail, and mud for the first mile. After this it firmed up to a stable monorail, and gave way to still full blown winter. Drag strip conditions this morning with the freezing temps. We opted to ascend North first, and given the current conditions, I would say this is the preferred method. There is a LOT of blue and black ice flows due to how the sun hits it. I had not the sharpest spikes, but not rock spikes, and was having to be careful or work on my Tarzan swinging from tree to tree moves. Ran into hiking royalty on the descent, both Melissa and Rachel where out for some gluttony as well. Was lovely to see them! Across the ridge was still quite firm with no issues. Descending South Hancock was better than expected, due to sun angle again (not as much). The vast majority has not turned to ice flows yet and had bite. Not a walk in the park, still a good puckerfest, but manageable. If you have K10's, I'd bring them, crampons for the ascent/descent would not be overkill either. No issues on the way out, but as typical, conditions changed. Noticeable melting and corn snow for the way out. Everything still rock solid. With temps predicted in the 60s/70s next week, the delight of April hiking will be in all its glory.... Only saw 5 others. Of the 9 out, 4 were grid finishers, and a pair of 366! As an avid snowshoe person, I saw nothing here that indicates them anything being more of a hindrance at this time

Parking

No issues parking today

Water Crossings

All crossings hoppable with ease. Ice was present this morning and still spotty on rocks in PM, likely will change

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Quiet day on the Hancocks, one other person ahead of me who I never saw. Bare booted for the first 1/2 mile, was able to avoid the ice patches but then the ice became more consistent so I switched to Kahtoola Ghost micros...my first time trying them. Ultra light but gripped very well on the ice. The spikes are fairly short so the only place they weren't great was in deeper slushy snow spots, but they were surprisingly good in most spots even up the very steep climb up to N. Hancock, which is mostly hard packed snow with only a few solid ice spots. At S. Hancock I switched to the much more aggressive Hillsound Trail Crampon Pros which are "crampony" with longer and more aggressive spikes than microspikes. I was very glad to have them for the descent from S. Hancock, which is consistently steep and icy, with enough new snow on top of the ice to make it interesting. There are enough trees that you could carefully navigate it with microspikes, but a slip on this section would be not great. Crossings were all very low today and easily rock hopped, but they will likely vary considerably in the next few weeks as there is still a lot of snow up high. Round 11 on these guys for me (and the last time doing it on snow), and every time I forget just how steep the climb is!

Parking

Free parking, best parking lot view of the 48. Only 1 other car today.

Water Crossings

Easy hops

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch, Cedar Brook, Hancock Loop

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Spikes door to door. The trail is still very well packed and fast. The trickiest part was the descent from south which just took some careful steps in the steep spots. A fast and cold day out.

Parking

Plenty of spots all day.

Water Crossings

All rock hops le with a little planning and adventurous spirit

Trails Used

Hancock Notch, Cedar Brook, Hancock Loop

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Firm trail when in the shade. The sun softened exposed snow. Ice and firm snow in the morning going up North. Shape spikes Worked great. Very narrow monorail between peaks. Good for practice. .Crampons worked great for coming down South

Parking

Lots available

Water Crossings

Your boots will get wet on 2 of the crossings

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Awesome, firm, fast conditions. I wore spikes to the steeps then wore crampons around the loop. Obviously, there’s no need for crampons between the peaks, but I kept them on because I’m too lazy to change traction and they worked fine. There is definitely evidence of monorail forming between the peaks, but it’s very stable and quite wide right now. Steeps would be doable but quite tricky in spikes. I was certainly happy to have full crampons, especially going down sour where there’s a lot of butt sledding. As temps warm this week, I think snowshoes will be merited between the peaks. I don’t think they’ll be needed again down low, certainly not on the Hancock Notch Trail, as the snow is really shallow down there now. There’s still a lot up high, though, and I see posthole-a-Rama starting up without snowshoes. Definitely in good shape, great views from both lookouts, obese Gray Jays out in force.

Water Crossings

Most are open. All easy to cross.

Trails Used

Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Barebooted all the way to the loop, as a couple inches had fallen the night before and the fresh snow provided added traction over the slippery ice. Put on Hillsound Pros up North and over to South. Then switched to K-10s on the icy and steep descent down south. Conditions are changing fast, but right now it is really icy. Not advised to butt-slide as that will just make it icier and more treacherous for those who follow.

Parking

Plenty of spots available at Hancock Overlook on this first full day of spring.

Water Crossings

Of the five crossings, the first is the trickiest as the melting and the rock placement make it a little harder to avoid dunking a foot in cold water. Having said that, it's easier on the way back because you don't have to step on the awkward rock first.