Abandoned Trails in the Whites

[cooperhill]

Ever since hiking the abandoned Fire Warden's trail to Mt. Hale, I have been interested in exploring "lost" trails in the White Mountains. Joe Jalbert's Lost Trails website has been a good resource as well as old AMC WM guides. Lost Trails

Are any other VVFTers out there interested in this? Do people have favorite abandoned trails or lost trails they are interested in exploring (and willing to divulge)?

Here are a few on my list:

1. Twins Range Trail - specifically the portion that went from the Summit of Mt. Bond to the junction of the Wilderness and Ethan Pond Trails (well east of the current Bondcliff trail).

2. Osceola Brook trail

3. Dicey's Mill trail cut-off to Walden Trail - Passaconaway

4. Tuttle Brook trail - Twins Range

5. Skull Cairn Trail - Chocorua

 

[Davehiker]

This sounds like great fun to me as well. I don't have much bushwhacking experience, and I don't get into the hill nearly as often as I'd like, though. I have done a hike on the western extension of the Three Ponds Trail, near Warren, which was relocated years ago. That trail is now partly logging road, part snow-mobile trail, and mostly moose path. It's fun to hike where you won't see others, but a little intimidating to do solo.

That said, my next destination is the Hale FW trail. The descriptions I have read make me think it will be a nice hike. It would be nice to extend that to make a loop over Hale, Zealand Falls, Guyot, and the Twins. I think that loop is too ambitious for me now, though.

I think the old Osseo Trail from Rte 112 over Whaleback sounds like a doable trip, and worth the effort, too. I'll second your interest in the Tuttle Brook Trail as well. Another I'd like to try is the Bemis Mtn. Trail.

Perhaps in the more advanced category, I'd like to explore the old Gale River Trail to Hawthorn Falls, and possibly up the headwall to Garfield. A report was posted this year of a hike down that valley. Hints have been posted about trails on Moosilauke that sound tantalizing, too.

It would be great if the Lost Trails site could be updated, but It would be a lot of work, and there are serious issues about publicizing information about quiet, unpopular spots.

 

[tycho_32]

Is there a reason why one of those trails is called the Skull Cairn Trail?--Just curious.

 

[cooperhill]

According to Joe's website and the 1925 White Mountain Guide there is a cairn marked by a small skull (of what species I do not know or if its still there).

 

[MichaelJ]

I love the old trails, and especially the old roads. I'm always fascinated when hiking through the woods to come across another path.

Some that I want to try include:
Like you, the Hale firewarden's trail.
The old road/ski route that twice crosses the A-Z trail on the Zealand side and heads all the way down to the road and may be reachable from the summit of Tom.
Up on Falling Waters, past the falls and just after the last ravine, the road that goes straight south where the trail turns sharp left and starts switchbacking.
The fire road that crosses the Signal Ridge Trail.
Just about any old logging route in the Pemi.

 

[stopher]

The cutoff on Dicey's Mill is strictly a bushwhack. Neither I nor others I know of have found any evidence of the old trail. It's not a bad bushwhack -- at least it wasn't before the ice storm of 98. I haven't tried it since.

The scull cairn trail was "reclaimed" by USFS two years ago after some unauthorized maintenance work was done. You won't find any skulls or cairns on it. It's still followable, but you'll have to pay close attention.

 

[MarkJ]

Aboandoned trails

Toward the end of a bushwack Sunday,the amazing Post'r and I came upon the remnants of the Mt Deception trail.It's still there , thanxs to animal traffic,but it gets lost thru blowdowns and new growth clearings.Some spots are very mossy and tunnel like.Also this early spring we descended into the area where the old Hawthorne Falls trail once was.couldn't find evidence,but we did stumble upon the Falls,which were quite scenic.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

One of my favorite abandoned trails in the Whites is the Downes Brook Slide up the north side of Passaconway. I have done this trail in both summer and winter, up and down, and prefer the winter down route, which is really really fast. Some recent illegal "maintenance" has invoked the USFS to post signs at the top and bottom threatening a $5000 fine, so do not get caught with a pair of clippers or a paint blaze bucket in your hands!

 

[SteveHiker]

[i
The fire road that crosses the Signal Ridge Trail.
[/B]

I did this one last year in May, well part of it anyway. I was trying to go up the Signal Ridge trail, but for some reason didn't cross the stream completely and headed up what looked like a trail. Possibly an old logging road? Anyway, after about a half hour it became clear that I was in the wrong place. I headed back and still couldn't figure it out, so I looked at the map and saw the forest road that crosses it. I walked up Sawyer River Road and started up the forest road. Almost immediately there is a problem, because there used to be a bridge, but there isn't any more. After about a half hour fighting my way up stream, I found a place to cross and continued up the road. It's pretty nice and obviously has not be used in a long time. Some of the trees that have sprouted in the middle of it are taller than I am. Not knowing what the trail would look like I explored a couple of side paths that I came across but they must have been from animals. At one point I found several evergreen trees with yellow ribbons tied to them. Right around there is where I also came across a large pile of fresh bear crap. A couple minutes later I heard the bear calling and it was very close by. So I gave up and turned around.

Last September, I went back and just as I got to the river crossing on Signal Ridge Trail, a man and woman were crossing it, so I followed them. Man, I felt pretty dumb as the trail is so obvious once you know where it is. And sure enough, eventually the forest road does cross it.

It might be interesting to go back sometime and try to go the whole way up it.

 

[Periwinkle]

I'm a herd path junkie. I make note of every path I cross that I feel the need to investigate later. I've followed every faint trail in one area near my home. I'm still working on a "lost" trail that is my favorite (but I'm jealously guarding general publicity on that one!)

As for the Lost Trails site, that's been a good resource. I went up the High Brook trail this past spring until it petered out at about 2000'.

The Yellowjacket trail is not "lost". It's part of a great little loop hike that I volunteer maintain for the USFS. The directions on the site are a little off. From the Smarts Brook trail, turn left over the bridge just past the Tri-Town trail (signed). Follow the trail left after the bridge. The trail does not cross Smarts Brook. It does cross the small stream mentioned on a smaller bridge. To loop back to the trailhead, turn left on the Pine Flat trail just before the junction with Old Waterville Road. Yellowjacket can be a little muddy in sections. The worst areas have good bridges. There are also a few new "bootleg" bog bridges that were built earlier this summer that I assume were built by the mountain bikers that use the area. All of the trails mentioned are shown on the map at the trailhead. It's a great little hike for the non-hiker loved ones that you want to get out on the trail!

 

[cooperhill]

Hiked Whiteface and Passaconaway today (#46 and 47) and looked for the cut-off trail near the old Dicey's mill site but as Chomp stated there is no evidence of a trail. I'm guessing the bushwack would be tough with the ice storm damage. Also saw in the 1922 WMG that there was a slide trail which started from the Downes Brook trail and let to Passaconaway.

Roy, was there a certain period of time when the majority of these trails were abandoned? I'm guessing the main reason for "reclaiming" trails was erosion.

 

[Davehiker]

The Passaconway Slide Trail has seen bootleg maintenance, which has been strongly frowned on by the Wonalancet Outdoor Club as well as the WMNF. They believe the trail was closed for good reason, and should not be subject to casual use by unprepared hikers. Check out this link from the WODC.

http://www.wodc.org/bootleg.htm

I think they make a good point, which may apply to lots of other "lost" trails. It is one thing to seek out an abandoned trail to hike, and another thing altogether to clear, maintain, or mark it.

 

[Will]

$5,000 fines for maintaining an old trail? I'd like to see some serious jail time to establish just who's in charge here. Also websites like Joe's and this one that allow talk of old trails should reflect on our traditions as a nation and act accordingly.

There seems to be a widespread notion that people have a right to walk wherever they want on public land.

The woods are riddled with old trails, roads, railbeds, herd paths, an uncontrolled mess; anarchy in fact. So we are allowed to walk on a certain number of _specific_ paths selected by our government and their authorized agents. Why can't people be happy with what they're given?

As individuals making our own choices, we might get hurt, cause erosion, walk on the grass; there's no telling what kind of harm we can do. So as a society we put the kind of decision-making, such as where we can walk, into wiser hands.

Let's have no further subversive talk.

 

[David Metsky]

Originally posted by Will There seems to be a widespread notion that people have a right to walk wherever they want on public land.

Except for a few exceptions (like alpine tundra) they do. Bushwacking is just fine, no one in the USFS has a problem with it. What people don't have a right to do is build and maintain bootleg trails on public lands. Is this really a difficult distinction?

-dave-

 

[Dennis C.]

How many of you use the Old Fire Warden's Trail?

Like "cgarby", I really enjoy the old Fire Warden's trail to Mt. Hale. It's become almost a yearly pilgramage of sorts. This is undoubtably the easiest way to climb Hale. What the trail lacks for views (distance), is more than made up since it passes through beautiful birch hardwood and upper spruce slopes forest. This is a primitive maintained trail with multiple long switchbacks. Since it gets only limited use, it should remain as such. It's approximate location is shown by the off shoot to Mt. Hale on Joe Jalbert's Lost Trails "Little River Trail ".
http://world.std.com/~Whites/trails/52.html

 

[David Metsky]

I fear the Firewarden's trail on Hale will become a well used herd path in the near future. It gets a lot of exposure on the Internet and more and more people are using it.

-dave-

 

[cooperhill]

I guess I'm partly at fault for publicizing it but I agree with David that there is a definite distinction between hiking an abandoned trail and actually taking the step (which I disagree with) of painting blazes, clearing paths, and otherwise marking the trail. I was on it last year and it didn't look like it got much use - it was very overgrown.

 

[Will]

I guess I'm partly at fault for publicizing it ... there is a definite distinction between hiking an abandoned trail and ... painting blazes, clearing paths, and otherwise marking the trail

Let me try to establish a scale or gradient, from holy innocence (zero) to action deserving of serious jail time (10), so the appropriate moral authorities can tell us at what point we stay on the acceptable side of the distinction:

0. Putting one's hands over eyes/ears/mouth at the merest mention or sight of an abandoned trail or other non-sanctioned piece of walkable earth

1. Walking on such a route (which in itself of course helps "clear the trail," in our aggregate)

2. Revealing the route to a few special friends in deep secret (pretending not to be aware of the concept of geometric progression)

3. Referring to the route online in general terms

4. Tossing some of the debris, intruding branches and light blowdowns off the route as you walk it

5. Spending significant time, alone or with friends, removing blowdowns, moving rocks, etc., without tools

6. Referring to the route online with specific location info

7. Brushing out with light cutting tools

8. Adding an occasional marker at a key point: cairn, tape, blaze

9. Writing an article for Backpacker with GPS reference points

10. #4 and/or #5 and/or #7 with major tools and/or comprehensive blazing

There are subtle variations. For example once in the middle of nowhere I moved a faded piece of orange surveyor tape from one (relatively obvious) point to another where the "trail" (ROFL) otherwise would likely have been lost by most people. I did this neither in conformity with nor in violation of any internal moral sense, but from an irresistable instinct for symmetry.

 

[David Metsky]

My guess is that you'd be fine up to #3, you'd probably be OK up to #4. Anything beyond that is unauthorized maintainence and shouldn't be done, though I'm not sure why you put #6 where you did. No trailwork means no trailwork, I'm not sure why this is a difficult concept to grasp.

Trails are abandoned for a variety of valid reasons, from erosion, to Wilderness regulations, to landowner disputes, to safety issues. If you want to maintain trails, get involved with a trail maintainence organization or find out where you can volunteer.

-dave-

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

I asked a USFS ranger on the summit of Carrigain earlier this summer why he did not carry a pair of snips with him to do some trail work while hiking (badly needed on the Signal Ridge Trail), and his reply was that he was too busy. When I asked him why the USFS does not have a program of volunteer trail maintainers, his reply was that the USFS does not have time to organize such projects.