| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Jackson, Mt. Pierce, Mt. Eisenhower, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Webster-Jackson Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop, Edmands Path, Mt. Clinton Road, US 302 |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, April 1, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked on the dirt surfaced lot for the Webster-Jackson trailhead off US 302 in Crawford Notch. This large lot can hold many vehicles with roadside parking available. No snow in the lot. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
On this trek there are three major water crossings. Two are on the Jackson Branch of the Webster-Jackson trail. These were both running high but were passable using exposed rocks or logs. The crossing of Abenaki Brook on Edmands Path was also passable with mostly exposed rocks. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Eh… The Jackson Branch may have too much ice for them to handle. All other trails would be fine for dogs. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Route:
Webster-Jackson trl > Jackson Branch > Webster Cliff trl (AT) > Crawford Path (AT) > Mt Eisenhower Loop > Edmands Path > road walk on Mt Clinton rd > road walk on US 302
Webster-Jackson & Jackson Branch: well maintained, well travelled trail that is blazed in blue with all signs up. Ya’ll. Bring traction. This was nothing but blue ice from the start to the ledges below the summit scramble. There were small sections of firm, packed monorail, but these were in between the huge, steep sections of ice. Ironically, the ledges ascending the summit cone were ice and snow free. Huh. Didn’t expect that… The summit was also bare rock and mud with pools of standing water. I used sharp micro spikes that held fine over the ice flows.
Webster-Cliff Trail: this is the AT and is blazed in standard white blazes. I had no issue staying on the monorail in spikes. I fell once on ice just after coming off the summit cone. There was literally no place to go on this large ice slab about 0.25 miles from Jackson’s summit. Spikes would not hold. It was only about 5 feet long, and is not near cliffs or anything. Just a short, scary pitch down frictionless ice into the trees. Other than this, the trail was simple to traverse even with large, wet, heavy, spring snowflakes falling. The 0.8 miles from the junction with the Mizpah Cutoff to the summit of Pierce was less ice clad than Jackson. Here the freshly falling snow helped soften the ice allowing for supreme purchase in just spikes. The ladders on this section are now visible and useable. I met the only hiker I saw all day coming up from Mizpah Hut. Great to meet you, Riley! Hope you start hiking more in winter!
Crawford Path: this is the AT and is blazed in standard white blazes with supplemental carins to the junction with Eisenhower Loop. I was able to follow the trail in reduced visibility and sans glasses. Dude. I totally thought this would be glaze ice. But it wasn’t. There was stable monorail, soft blue ice, running water on trail, exposed trail, and drifts. I stayed in spikes as there was just not enough snow sections for snowshoes. But I wore down my spikes on the exposed rocks.
Mt Eisenhower Loop: not blazed, large carins and scree walls define the trail. These are more than visible above what little snow there is left up here. This sucker (the trail) was almost barebootable. I couldn’t believe it. Ladders and log stairs are exposed. The trail was predominantly running water on trail with small snow sections. No ice to be had while I was traversing this segment. The clouds also parted giving way to sunshine and awesome views. Huh. Didn’t expect that either… There was a slightly bit more ice on the section coming down from the summit towards Edmands Path but these parts were all negotiable with simple spikes and firm foot placement.
Edmands Path: blazed in blue, simple to follow foot path. Beautiful trail. Really well made. Once leaving the junction with the Mt Eisenhower Loop, I left my spikes on as this was mostly scree interspersed with ice. When I got past this, I elected to put on snowshoes as this trail is not a popular winter route and as a result, is less packed down. There were also several postholes. The snowshoes helped me float on the thin monorail/ trench. But there is some serious sidehilling. Sometimes I had to face the slope and traverse sideways. This is only in the uppermost portions. At 2800 feet I had to put back on the spikes as much blue ice was covering the trail. Look, I will not fault you if you decided to use spikes up/down the entire trail right now. I would understand if spikes provide more confidence with surface changing conditions. You will posthole as this is a less travelled trail. But, it’s that time of year. You’re going to posthole anyway as the snow is becoming unstable. So, I still say bring the snowshoes, but use whatever footwear helps you stay on the mountain.
Road walk: Mt Clinton road is 75% clear of ice and snow. It is closed to vehicular traffic right now. Did you know it is paved?! Huh. Look at that! I wore bare boots using the shoulder to walk around icy sections. |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-04-01 |
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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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