| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Hayes, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Mahoosuc Trail, Hogan Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, May 7, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Hogan Road off North Road from the west. Part at Hydro Plant .1mi or less from Trailhead depending on parking area. Two areas on lower level for 1-2 cars each and 2-3 turn outs over short rise could hold 1-2 cars each. Parking is approximately 4.5 miles beyond Centenniel Trailhead parking. (Didn't see trail sign, but 3 cars parked upon departure.) Hogan Road is very rough with several puddles of various sizes, none deeper than 4-5 inches, and many much less than that. One or two muddy spots, but not too soft or large enough to get all 4 wheels in at same time. First half of road various degrees of roughness with a few rocky patches, but nothing very large, but driver needs to pay attention. The second half is where the fun exists. A little less than half-way in there is a rocky eroded section with many rocks and uneven terrain. It may be possible to navigate this section without damaging a low clearance vehicle, but the driver would need to either very skilled or very lucky. (My Soobee has 8.7" of clearance, and skid plates, so I drove through without difficulty, but at one point, my right wheel was a good 12" higher than the left.) This section has several rocky and rough sections that are worse than anything on the first half. About a mile before parking, a stream has eaten through the road leaving a good 8-12" drop into a two foot wide flowing stream. A short wheelbase car could get hung up on the banks on either side. I hadn't tried driving through anything like this before, but went slowly so I could stop and back out if I encountered trouble, but no problems. However, my car is long enough so that I had only one axle in the stream at a time and the other was on very firm, flat ground. I never needed to turn X-mode on, and even 4WD was not necessary. However, high clearance and a focused driver are both ESSENTIAL (and maybe a little courage - or foolhardiness - depending on your point of view.) There are several spots along the route to pull over and park, so someone could drive partway down and then walk the rest of the way, but if you are going to walk 1-3 miles, you might as well come in from the East and save the aggravation and possible car damage. I have driven on many such roads over the last 5-6 years and this one is definitely in the top 3 of worst roads. I have encountered a few wash-out areas that are worse, but maybe only 1 or 2 roads with the sheer number of very rough areas. If you have a 10" clearance vehicle and off-roading experience, this might actually be fun, but to sum it up - I wouldn't drive this road again. Needless to say, my car was the only one parked near the trailhead, both upon arrival and departure.
PS - Another option would be to drive to approximately the half-way point, park at the open area here and bike in the rest of the way. There is a chain link fence around the hydro plant and several small trees someone could use to secure the bike. I passed 6 bikers and two dog walkers on the way out, wondering how crazy they thought I was. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Several (at least 6) minor stream crossings, generally 1-3 steps on wet rocks to cross. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One log plank broken on last set before summit, but does not impair function. Several step overs and duck unders on various parts of trail. Only one very large one on upper half difficult for elderly hikers with poor flexibility to duck under, at least with pack on. The large step overs were at least de-limbed to facilitate. Thank you. Some blazes are badly faded, others appear fairly fresh. Trail generally easy to follow as there are significantly fewer leaves on trail than possible alternative footpaths, especially on lower half; more leaves on trail on upper half. Had to look carefully in a few spots where blazes weren't readily visible to make best guess as to correct path. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No doggies today, but this trail has a lot of water, except the last little bit of climb and the summit area. There are many, wet, muddy areas and several boulder sections, both wet and dry, so if you have a mudder and boulder hopper, they will love this trail. Likewise, if your dog doesn't like mud or bouldering, this is not a good trail. I did see one wild turkey and one deer, but neither was interested in socializing today. |
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 | Bugs: |
I did not even see one today, but the car thermometer read 30 degrees at the start, so probably a bit too cool. Was 52 upon return and warming fast, so they may have come out later in the day. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Found lots and lots of water on the trail. I left it in place for others to enjoy. |
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 | Comments: |
This trail has a little bit of everything. Steep sections, flat sections, wet sections, dry sections, rocky sections, rock steps, boulder fields, smooth trail, blowdowns, stream crossings, ledges, views. The first part of the trail has a few steep pitches (some eroded) and a few wet and muddy sections and a few rocks, but mostly relatively smooth and moderate, up to the road crossing (.8-1.0mi up). Right after the road crossing, there is a fairly level and smooth section, but after that the trail alternates between a rougher trail and walking through wet, muddy, rocky drainage areas. There is a junction with a side trail about .2mi from the ledgey viewpoint and that section is drier, but still steep and rocky until just before the trail emerges from the woods. From here to the summit, about .3mi, the trail alternates between open rock slabs and wet dirt footpath with many small puddles and a few minor ups and downs, but mostly level. There are some views through the trees on the summit, but the best views by far are from the ledges. There is one steep rock face to navigate in this area that might be challenging to those without much scrambling experience. However, on the right side of this obstacle is a lower step up to a ledgey foot hold that runs along near the top of rockface. Also, there is a herdpath to the left that bypasses the entire thing.
Waterproof shoes would be very beneficial, but maybe not necessary. However, to avoid wet feet, someone would need to have awesome wet rock hopping skills and would need to flawlessly select the correct footpath through the wet and drainage areas. Fortunately, I wore my waterproof trail runners today, so I didn't strain my brain on foot placement. Had I worn my normal trailrunners, I would have had soaked shoes and socks and very wet, cold feet.
In sum - both the drive in and the trail were a far greater mental challenge than physical challenge. #6/52 WAV.
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 | Name: |
SpartyHikerfromME |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-05-07 |
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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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