| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Baldface Knob, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Slippery Brook Trail, Baldface Knob Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, October 13, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Room for a half-dozen or so cars at the western Slippery Brook trailhead at the end of Slippery Brook Road. Slippery Brook Road is in good condition, with only a couple protruding rocks - our Prius managed just fine. Take Town Hall Road off Route 16 or 16A and then just keep going straight at every intersection until you reach the gate at the end of the road, where the trailhead is. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None - that's one of the reasons why we chose this hike. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Slippery Brook Trail, from the western trailhead on Slippery Brook Road, is completely unblazed up to its junction with Baldface Knob Trail. The only trail markers at all were the two arrows pointing us to take a left off the wide old road and then right off the narrower road into the woods. Those signs are fairly well visible - do not take any of the right-branching roads/trails off the main road in the lower section, wait for the arrows. The upper half of the trail is a winding footpath in the woods, that beginner hikers might find difficult to follow at times, especially now that leaves cover most of it. Experienced hikers won't have any issues following it though. Baldface Knob Trail is also unblazed, but has plenty of cairns in the above-treeline parts, and is generally pretty obvious. Signs were in good shape, and there was only a little bit of mud in a few places. Slippery Brook Trail had several blowdowns, but none were a serious impediment to travel. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
We met two on Baldface Knob Trail. One owner was very careful to keep her dog on-leash and under control while we were nearby - thank you very much! |
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 | Bugs: |
Only a few, and they didn't bother us. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nada. |
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 | Comments: |
This hike fit all the criteria that I had for a hike with my father - no water crossings, mostly easy grades, and excellent views. Slippery Brook Trail from the west is a long, but easy, way to get up to the Baldfaces - a very gentle trail. The upper half is somewhat rough in places, but nothing bad or unusual for the White Mountains, and beginner hikers may need care to follow it. It is clearly the lesser-used route, though - we saw no other hikers on it, going up or down.
Baldface Knob Trail was a nice little connector trail, with one steep section that isn't too long. As we approached Baldface Knob, the clouds were coming in, but when we reached the junction with Baldface Circle Trail (which was our turn-around point), the clouds rose and we could see the entire Baldface-Royce Range and well beyond. The views were spectacular and the foliage was perfect. We saw about a half-dozen people on Baldface Knob Trail, and then at least 20 people passed us on Baldface Circle Trail while we had lunch at the junction. The said the steep slabs were slippery in places but still quite doable. One of the groups included four girls who looked to be about 10 years old - we were impressed that they had made it up those steep ledges!
The hike took us about 2:30 up, 45 minutes at the summit, and then 2:30 back down. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-10-14 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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