| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Devil's Hill (Peacham), VT |
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 | Trails: |
Devil's Hill Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, May 21, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Devil's Hill Road was mostly dry with several pot-hole puddles, ruts were deep and stretched down the road. Trailhead was great, dry and could fit 6-8 cars, I'd guess. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None that I recall |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails were all in fantastic shape |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
2 well-behaved on leash, 2 poorly-behaved off leash |
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 | Bugs: |
Black flies are out, very abundant in the woods |
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 | Lost and Found: |
1 glove at the trailhead |
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|
 | Comments: |
White-knuckled my steering wheel for the 1-mile drive to the trailhead over a rough Devil's Hill Road, turned out better than I had expected - manageable in a Subaru.
Evidently this trail was closed for mud-season as it shows - trails were in GREAT condition, dry and well packed. Began atop old forest roads and diverged soon onto a more rugged road but still in very good shape. Beginning the loop hike of Devil's Hill diverged onto a snowmobile corridor which was also well-packed and dry, not overgrown at all as it cut through a beautiful stretch of conifer forest. Clockwise along the Loop Trail was highly enjoyable, switchbacks with dry footing to ascend the mountain ridge. Never was this trail eroded or washed out in the least, beautiful from start to finish!
Along the summit ridge we got a sliver of view out to Martin's Pond toward the east. Took a side trip (short bushwhack) to the actual high point, lovely yet uneventful.
The summit area is open and totally enjoyable, from there the main west-facing ledge is reached which dished out a stunning look into Groton State Forest and Peacham Bog. Magnificent panorama from Devil's Hill, much better than anticipated.
Descending was initially rocky but not wet at all, soon the trail widened to a nice forest road.
Fantastic climb with highly rewarding views - buggy but not bad as long as one basks in the westerly winds, in the forest along the true high point the black flies swarmed to astronomical levels of obnoxiousness.
Feel free to check out a quick write-up with color photography at the link below. Enjoy!
Happy Climbing!
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|
 | Name: |
Erik Hamilton |
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 | E-Mail: |
ehamilton9481@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-05-22 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.atalkinthewoods.com/trail-reports/devils-hill |
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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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