| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Shelburne Moriah Mountain, Mt. Moriah, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Shelburne Trail, Kenduskeag Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, September 20, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Dropped two cars at Stony Brook Trail (intended descent) and then drove another to the Shelburne trailhead on Wild River Rd. I got the last (very squished) spot at Stony Brook at 10am. Some room to park roadside as well. Only room for two cars opposite the Shelburne trailhead and both were taken but there’s room to pull off as well and room for one car directly at the trailhead as well. Wild River Rd was in fine shape, just bumpy. Fun side note: as we drove out, my friend believed he saw a northern hawk owl fly in front of his, and then dive bomb him 😯 |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The only one of any significance was the crossing of the Wild River at the beginning of our day on Shelburne Trail. Where the trail truly crosses is still a very deep wade (probably hip deep - well above the knees in any case) but if you go downstream a short ways (a herd path leads to the left and directly below is totally washed out so it’s probably not safe to descend here anyway) it was barely rock hoppable and we got across with dry feet. I’m sure this is the way most people go. Upstream looked to have some options as well. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Shelburne Trail was blazed in yellow. Even some blaze in the wilderness area. Some very faded and not very frequent of course but not hard to follow. There is an arrow on the far side of the river directing you to where the trail enters the woods when it crosses Wild River. The trail was a smidgen tight near its jct with Kenduskeag Trail but we believe it was brushed out not too long ago. Not in bad shape at all. Several very old, inconsequential step overs. Kenduskeag Trail was blazed in white where it coincided with the AT. I don’t recall any other color blaze so I can’t speak to the rest of the trail... maybe blue?? Not frequent blazing but not hard to follow except maybe a bit on the ledges where the trail is marked with cairns. There were a number of blowdowns on this trail, most closer to Moriah. Two, relatively close together, duck unders perhaps closer to Shelburne Moriah, then a whole bu NBCh more as you approached Moriah. Carter-Moriah Trail down to Bangor St is blazed regularly in blue and also has some cairns along the ledges. Not hard to follow but watch where you’re going on the ledges as there’s a turn or two that you could miss. Not as many blowdowns on this trail but still probably a couple. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw one or two. Well behaved and unleashed. Some scrambling and such so this hike isn’t for all dogs but I’m sure that many for hiking dogs could handle it. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
We picked up a pair of water shoes hanging from a tree on Shelburne Trail shortly before its jct with Kenduskeag. Email me if they’re yours and I’d be happy to get them to you :) |
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 | Comments: |
Shelburne Trail (southern section from Wild River Rd) —> Kenduskeag Trail —> Carter-Moriah Trail to Bangor St. the intended hike was to continue along Carter-Moriah Trail and descend via Stony Brook. I was hiking with two others. One still did that and brought the car to us. The other wasn’t moving so fast so we split up partway across Kenduskeag and descended Carter-Moriah Trail instead (0.5mi shorter).
This competes the Carters and Baldfaces tab for me :) My final Trail was the southern portion of Shelburne Trail. One of the guys I went with needed to redline Kenduskeag and Stony Brook though and the other needed Moriah for his 48. So a much longer hike but it felt good to help others and was a nice way to finish the tab :)
Only saw a few others all day on Kenduskeag Trail. A small group doing Shelburne Moriah from Wild River and another man doing a Moriah Brook, Shelburne Trail Loop to get all the Moriah peaks. Only saw a couple others whose plans we didn’t know. Started off at 48F at about 11am at the Shelburne trailhead. It was great hiking weather. Not too hot, not too cold, lots of sunshine, and minimal wind.
Absolutely no wet rock and the trails on the whole were very dry. Even many of the mud pits were fairly stable and I didn’t mind stepping in with new trail runners. A lot of the bog bridges weren’t even needed! That said, I did stick my poles in to what looked like deeper mud a time or two and there is some to the side of the trail that is still very soft and deep. Some things never dry! This is very avoidable though.
The faster friend zoomed ahead of us partway across Kenduskeag. He wound up seeing two moose (a suspected mother and baby) on Stony Brook Trail and ended up bushwhacking around them after one came over and stared at him behind a tree. My slower friend and I enjoyed a few mins at the summit of Moriah which we had all to ourselves :) Nice to be on that northern section of Carter-Moriah Trail again; I hadn’t done it in years. There’s been some recent logging right next to the trail but doesn’t obscure it in any way. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-09-21 |
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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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