NewEnglandTrailConditions.com
NewEnglandTrailConditions.com:
MA
|
ME
|
NH
|
RI/CT
|
VT
|
Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks North Hancock, South Hancock, NH
Trails
Trails: Hancock Notch Trail, Cedar Brook Trail, Hancock Loop Trail, Sawyer River Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, November 17, 2019
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: We met at the Sawyer River trailhead at 6:15am. One other car was there. I didn’t pull in as I was afraid my car would get stuck in the inch or two of snow/ice there given yesterday’s car trouble. Room for a half dozen cars or less there before you’d be risking it parking on the shoulder. First car at the Hancock Overlook Lot and it can fit well over a dozen. It was plowed but very icy. No problems getting in/out though. You’ll want your microspikes on from the start. First car there around 6:30-6:45am. Another arrived just after us. When we got done around 4.30pm we were the only cars left in either lot. The Kanc just had a couple little patches of snow/ice that I slowed down for.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Significant 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: No wet feet today even on the big crossings :D Water was low and not flowing that fast. Ice bridges and snow covered portions of the wide river crossings as well. Hard to tell if this helped or hurt as it seemed to obscure stepping stone rocks at times but I tend to think it helped. At the first major crossing of Sawyer River (the third one of coming from the west as described in the guidebook) where all the storm damage is seen, there are LOTS of rocks big and small to cross on that made crossing it quite easy. Not so many rocks on the final crossing of Sawyer River but no problem. The crossing near the southern end of Sawyer River Trail was where the most ice bridges were and it was impossible to not rely on them on some level as they were very prominent but clearly pretty thin and unstable. With careful footing and prodding with our trekking poles, we once again crossed no problem though :)  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: All trails were blazed in yellow if blazed and somewhat irregularly. Hancock Loop Trail has the freshest looking and most regularly placed blazes. Not too frequent though. The western side of Hancock Notch Trail had more faded blazes and they seemed placed less frequently and more irregularly. Cedar Brook Trail sort of blends in with everything else at this point but I imagine it was similar. The eastern section of Hancock Notch Trail was funky. At times, it wasn’t blazed for more than a mile it seemed, and other times you’d see three blazes within 50 yards. More specifically, I don’t recall any blaze from its jct with Cedar Brook Trail until past Hancock Notch where the trail becomes obscure. Then blaze would occasionally appear to let you know that you’re on the right track but they were sparse. Once the trail leveled out and the footing got better is where you’d have stretches with no blaze, then stretches with very frequent blaze. Seemed to continue like this to its jct with Sawyer River Trail. Sawyer River Trail was rarely if ever blazed (unless you count markings for the ski/snowmobile trails that coincide with it) but is very easy to follow as it follows a road and all its jcts with ski and snowmobile trails were well marked. Any blowdowns on the standard route to the Hancocks have been overshadowed in my mind by all the blowdowns on the rest of our route likely all on Hancock Notch Trail. Nothing crazy but definitely several we had to negotiate including a few at awkward heights but none that were brushy and forced you to go around. Probably just a few stepovers on the main route to the Hancocks.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Lots of water but the loop trail may be too steep for some particularly in winter when there’s more snow and the trail no longer has steps but is just a luge run. This traverse would also be too long for some as it’s over 15 miles. The water crossings on the eastern side of Hancock Notch Trail and Sawyer River Trail could pose a problem as well. We did see one doing the standard Hancock route with a trail running owner and another with a crew that had come from Sawyer River Road to Hayshed Field looking for the abondoend and supposedly haunted town of Livermore 😯 but that’s a very flat, short, and leisurely walk.  
Bugs
Bugs: None 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: None 
 
Comments
Comments: Redlined the eastern portion of Hancock Notch Trail and the southern portion of Sawyer River Trail. Also got the Hancocks for my November grid. My third time doing them and my friends 15th and 16th 4000 footers :)

It was 6 deg F at the Sawyer River trailhead on the Kanc at 6:15am and 13deg F at the Hancock Overlook at 6:45am just 6 miles apart. It always amazes me how drastically the temperature changes along the Kanc!! A chilly start to a warm and beautiful day! :D

You’re going to want microspikes as soon as you get out of the car. We headed over to the kiosk, down the little path to the highway, crossed it, and entered the woods. Starting at 6:55am we reached the jct with Cedar Brook Trail (1.8mi) in just 40min at 7:35am. There was snow cover from the beginning. There was also some frozen water on in the first section of trail that led to some real thick ice. It would have been a pain trying to go around this without microspikes. We did the next 1.8mi in about an hour before tackling the insanely steep parts. They weren’t as bad as I remember them. The ascent had steps which made it doable as did the descent. The first time I did this in the middle of winter when the snow was much deeper and there were no steps which made seem much steeper and significantly more treacherous if you were to lose your footing. That said, it is a ton of elevation gain over a half mile or so and would be extremely discouraging to someone who isn’t in good shape. It took us 45min-1hr to go the 0.7mi from the jct to the north peak.

Views were great from the viewpoint near the summit and the skies were beautiful with color and the clouds. It hadn’t warmed up much as it was only 9:30am but the wind was mild(ish). We took a 20min break here. The walk along the ridge is gentle-moderate especially when compared to the ascent/descent to/from either peak and took us 35min to cover 1.4mi.

We made it back to the jct with Hancock Notch Trail just before noon and got started up to the Notch shortly thereafter. Much to my surprise and happiness, there were several tracks going that way! The ascent to the notch is moderate. Once at the obscure section, the set of what seemed like 2-3 tracks turned into just one. We came to a point where the tracks went left through the trees and seemed to go around the actual trail which appeared to be dead ahead through and open(ish) area. The latter was probably the actual trail but it was very wet as I learned as I crossed it which may be why the person (and possibly trail) skirts around it. This was the beginning of the obscure section. The trail remained obscure for the next few tenths of a mile maybe longer. We had the advantage of just following the persons footsteps that already tracked it out but wondered at times if we were on the actual trail. At least once we came to a point where I turned ninety degrees behind me and saw what was more likely to be the trail. We were always very close to it and if not on it, it was for very short periods and I think this only occurred 2-3 times the entire hike. The occasional blaze does begin to pop up through here which we were grateful for to confirm that we were on trail. There was some rough, bouldery footing in there but it was never steep. Occasionally snow would give way to running water over rocks but this was very brief. Once on what I thought of as a minor sidehill the obscurity and roughness was mostly over. Beyond that, the trail is (even) flatter, easier to follow, and has better footing. The only thing we had to be cautious of was frozen puddles of water with mud underneath. Mud/water also lurked under perfectly normal looking snow at times. Then again we probably heavily relied on the track ahead of us and would have likely spent much more time route finding if it hadn’t already been tracked. The tral seemed to disappear near the second or third water crossing but we quickly looked around for person’s bootprints and found our way. The other side was marked with a yellow blaze where it enters the woods (high up and would be visible throughout winter) and a small cairn. Very cool seeing all the hurricane damage by the third crossing. I always like those spots :)

The trail becomes a tunnel after the fourth crossing of Sawyer River as you approach Sawyer River Trail. After taking a short break there and getting ready to take off a group of six or so approaches along the logging road that follows the northern portion of Sawyer River Trail. They’d come in from Sawyer River Road and were looking for the abondoned and supposedly haunted town of Livermore. I hadn’t heard of that but figured they were in the wrong place. Cool to meet up with some others and have a chat though! Sawyer River Trail was very straightforward going out but I must warn you that it felt a bit like walking out Lincoln Woods Trail af times 😂 Loved walking through the wetlands though; it reminded me of the beaver ponds along Zealand Trail which is one of my favorite spots :)

Absolutely no need for snowshoes on Sunday. Snow depth was minimal down low, and never seemed more than half a foot. My buddy and I really enjoyed this hike and we really lucked out with conditions. Little wind, nice warm sun, relatively warm temps as the day went on, low water crossings, a broken trail, and even the snow on the trees was just a bit wet so that it didn’t pour down on top of us as much as the real powdery stuff would. So glad to have done this!!  
Name
Name: Liam Cooney 
E-Mail
E-Mail: liamcooney96@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2019-11-18 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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.

Copyright 2009-2024, All Rights Reserved