| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Church Mountain, Grafton Knob, Crane Mountain, Orange Mountain, Rimrock, Mt. Cardigan (attempt), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Skyland Trail, West Ridge Trail, Ranger Cabin Trail, South Ridge Trail, Hurricane Gap Trail, Spring Spur, Clark Trail, Woodland Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, September 6, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Very limited parking at the start of Skyland Trail at Alexandria Four Corners. My friend parked his car in a small area just off one of the four roads at the junction. There's no sign for Skyland Trail there - you have to walk up Knowles Hill Road, then bear left onto another dirt road with an open gate, walk up that road, and watch carefully for a small sign where the trail turns left off the road. Washburn Road leading to Alexandria Four Corners is dirt for most of the distance, but it's in good condition. Cardigan Lodge had parking spaces available at 8:30 AM. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All legitimate water crossings had bridges, though several trail sections were like rivers, with running water down them. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Several blowdowns on Skyland Trail. We cut a particularly annoying one just above the steep section going up Crane Mountain. A lot of standing and running water down many trail sections, particularly at higher elevations. Signs are all in place, except the sign for Ranger Cabin Trail at its junction with West Ridge Trail is small and difficult to see on the ascent. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Not an issue today. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Skyland Trail is an amazing trail. The flat and gradual sections have mostly good footing with lots of dirt and pine needles, the ups and downs are never too long or too strenuous, the ridgeline sections and ledgy sections are beautiful, and it has some amazing outlooks. Some sections of the trail were wet today, with some slippery ledges and pools of standing water on the trail, but nothing that wasn't too difficult to get around. Its length and difficult parking situation, and the resulting low levels of usage, have really kept it in very good condition (even if the section after Orange Mountain is somewhat rougher) - we didn't see a single other hiker until reaching Rimrock.
The contrast to West Ridge Trail couldn't have been clearer - the short section of West Ridge Trail we were on was nothing but a mass of wet, slippery bedrock. The trail has really fallen victim to heavy use and is very eroded. The junction with Ranger Cabin Trail is at a large cairn, and there's a small sign on a tree saying that it leads to South Ridge Trail, but the sign is very difficult to see for ascending hikers. Ranger Cabin Trail was mostly more slabs, some of which had water running down them. We considered heading up South Ridge Trail to tag the summit of Cardigan, but ultimately decided against it because it was a little later than we expected and we'd both already summitted Cardigan several times. Hurricane Gap Trail was very eroded, with water running down it in many spots. Clark Trail down to the junction with Holt-Clark Cutoff was also quite rocky and eroded.
However, as soon as we continued down Clark Trail past that point, it got a lot smoother and more pleasant. Even the steep section below the junction with Vistamont was in good shape, and there was a section where log steps had been constructed to prevent erosion. This was a fast-moving section of trail. Woodland was also pretty fast-moving, since it started out as an old road. Be careful not to go blithely down the road and miss the spot where Woodland Trail turns left onto a footpath, though. The heavy rain last night meant that the pond right next to the Cardigan Lodge was overflowing onto Woodland Trail for a few yards.
This was a very enjoyable hike, and thank you Jim for joining me! |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-09-06 |
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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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