| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
South Baldface, North Baldface, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Baldface Circle Trail, Chandler Gorge Loop, Eagle Cascade Link |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, May 30, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We arrived around 9am and there were probably about a dozen cars there. Room for almost twice as many probably. When I got back around 5:30 it was similar except there were maybe a half dozen cars that overflowed onto the road as well. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All crossings were rock hop-able without too much trouble. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
I believe all three trails were blazed in yellow. The blazing on Baldface Circle I mostly seem to remember as fresh looking. The blazing on the other two probably not so much. I was a bit surprised at how little travelled both Chandler Gorge Loop and Eagle Cascade Link seemed to be. The footpath was narrow and a bit overgrown. Above treeline, Baldface Circle Trail is marked with blaze and cairns but in addition to the yellow blaze there’s also some faded light blue mixed in. Don’t get confused; you’re on the same trail. Multiple blowdowns but nothing crazy and mostly small as far as I can remember. There was a fairly insignificant stepover in Chandler Gorge Loop shortly after Chandler Gorge I believe. I recall another stepover on Baldaface Circle Trail that I believe was shortly after its upper jct with Chandler a Gorge Loop. There was one more blowdown between there and the shelter which wasn’t that large but was a bit awkward and a pain. You had to step onto the side of the trail which was angled and step over it. Everyone is doing that so it will probably cause erosion problems quickly. It shouldn’t be too hard to get rid of the blowdown though as I think it’s was only small-mid sized so hopefully it will get taken care of soon. There are probably several other blowdowns I’m forgetting about along the ridge and headed down I’m also forgetting about. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
We saw a couple hearty hiking dogs and they seemed to be doing okay. I think both were unleashed. One wasn’t really staying with its owners and was going ahead and disrupting other hikers so probably should have been though. The other one seemed well behaved and only needed on boost on the ledges. Impressive! I would discourage most people from bringing their dogs on this hike though due to the steepness and scrambling nature of the ledges. The Slippery Brook and Baldface Knob approach to the top of South Baldface is a better route for dogs. You’d probably need to bring a lot of extra water for them on the ridge. |
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 | Bugs: |
They were pretty bad when we started and I had to eventually stop and put on spray. The wind kept them away above tree line though. They got bad again at lower elevations later in the day. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None. |
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 | Comments: |
What a great day! I’ve been looking forward to this loop for a long time and I finally got to do it. Not many that can say they’ve hiked 80% of the Whites but haven’t done the Baldfaces ;) I’d been thinking of doing it with a friend from NJ but given the current situation I thought it might be wise to wait. Fortunately, this opportunity thus arose to hike with a friend who I only recently learned is also a hiker and it was great to go out and hike with someone different :) She stick to the Baldface Circle Trail the entire time and I did except to also do Chandler Gorge Loop and an out-and-back on Eagle Cascade Link.
Although we started a bit after 9am and it was already in the 70s, that was basically the high for the day. It was also partly cloudy and a bit windy which actually made for some pretty great conditions. Not terribly hot, and not too cool either. The wind was strong enough that if you wanted to eat at the summit, you looked for a spot sheltered from it so it was a bit uncomfortable but not nearly enough to start knocking you around. The wind also helped to dry the ledges from the hut of rain they got the night before. Some small wet spots but avoidable. More wet ledge under trees but I found the rock to be pretty grippy. Of course there were some wet and muddy areas but nothing too bad or unexpected particularly for this time of year.
There was exactly one patch of snow on the trail. Unfortunately it’s still got a little depth to it and is a bit tricky to negotiate. It’s on the north side of North Baldface and you have to descend it. There’s some postholes you can step in but the footing is tricky as it was melting and slippery. A small snowfield was to the right of it. After three more days of melting, the part on trail may be gone or nearly gone though.
A surpassingly quiet day on the Baldfaces. We probably saw around two dozen people total. One group of two did the Meader-Eagle Crag Loop and one family of five was just going to Emerald Pool I think. Of the rest, there were at least four groups of trail runners (one group of two, one group of three, and two or three solo), a group of four nice guys doing the loop but descending Bicknell, a dad and two kids, two solo hikers, and three groups of two one of which was spending a couple days in the Wild River Wilderness.. Maybe a few others I’m forgetting. The two solo hikers and the group of three trail runners were doing the loop counterclockwise and at least the two solo hikers were intentionally descending the southern ledges. One had done this loop many times and just wanted to try it 😂 Quite impressive. The southern ledges are tricky and really do require the use of your hands. Poles are cumbersome although my knees certainly missed mine partway across the ridge.
Make sure you find the small white sign that says “trail†and enter the woods there at the shelter NOT to the left where there’s a ledge and herd path. Be aware that some logging has been done on the north side of the loop between the Circle Jct and Bicknell Ridge Trail. Just walk through it and the trail is pretty obvious on the other side. Shouldn’t be a problem. Great views toward so many peaks at so many different points on the trail. The only peaks that were in clouds were some of the Presidentials. Still lots of snow in the ravines over there. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-06-02 |
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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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