My hiking group is thinking about doing this trail on Labor Day and was wondering if anyone has any insight on what to expect. Anyone been up there recently. With gas prices the way they are this may be my only hiking trip this fall so I want to make it good.
Anyone done Caps Ridge recently?
- Thread starter tycho_32
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peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
Caps Ridge is always a great hike if its a nice day and not windy. As noted in a previous post, the road is open from both ends. Dependent upon your condition and motivation there are a couple of loop hikes that are worth checking out. Park at Caps Ridge lot, go to the summit and then go down Castle Trail, then take the Link back to Caps Ridge. As discussed in a previous post, the Link is rooty and rocky but IMHO, its worth putting up with it to get to experience the Castles and views into the ravine. The other longer loop is to park at the Jewel trail parking, head up to the Gulfside, then hike north on the AT to Jefferson, than down Caps Ridge to the notch road, take a left, hike down the road to the Boundary Line Trail, then back to your car. This a long one but on a nice day it covers some great territory. (Make sure you check your map and be realistic about your condition!)
If the winds out of the west, you may want to pick another mountain or consider a more sheltered approach
If the winds out of the west, you may want to pick another mountain or consider a more sheltered approach
Expect LOTS of people! With the favorable weather focasted for this weekend, even the high price of gas won't keep many hikers from heading out...
BUT, don't let this discourage you. Get an early start and you will miss most of the people (until the way down).
As for trail conditions, I was on this trail in July and it was just as fine as it always is in summer. I wouldn't expect any problems with the trail.
BUT, don't let this discourage you. Get an early start and you will miss most of the people (until the way down).
As for trail conditions, I was on this trail in July and it was just as fine as it always is in summer. I wouldn't expect any problems with the trail.
How easy would it be to get the other northern presidentials from Jefferson? I went up this trail once but it was really foggy when we hit the summit so we couldnt see ANY of our surroundings. I also had severe poisen something on my leg which caused me to be severly dehydrated so I really didnt enjoy the hike. We would like to hit a couple other mountains from Jefferson. Anyone think its possible?
LarryD
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My wife and I hiked this last Thursday. Both Jefferson Notch Road and the trail were in great shape. Trail is well-marked with blazes below and cairns up high. There is some scrambling involved, which might be a problem if it is raining. However there are no stream crossings.
TMax
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I did the Caps Ridge Trail on August 19th. It's in great shape, well marked. As reported earlier, there are some scrambles with a little bit of exposure so make sure everyone in your group is OK with that. I did the Caps/Castle/Link route like peakbagger suggested. The Link trail was one of the worst maintained trails I've ever hiked! If I were bushwacking I'd have chosen a different route. It's full of roots, often exposed because the tree they are attached to is falling off the side of the mountain 
There is a constant up/down/up/down.... over these obstacles so the going is slower than you might anticipate. But even with that said, it was fun and interesting. I got an early start (6:00 a.m.) and never saw another soul until I was back on the Caps Ridge Trail (from the Link) and then I saw at least a dozen heading up and probably another dozen spread out along the ridgeline. Getting over to the other summits from Jefferson is not too difficult. Adams is closer than Washington and will certainly be less crowded. Have a great time! Sounds like the weather is going to be perfect.
There is a constant up/down/up/down.... over these obstacles so the going is slower than you might anticipate. But even with that said, it was fun and interesting. I got an early start (6:00 a.m.) and never saw another soul until I was back on the Caps Ridge Trail (from the Link) and then I saw at least a dozen heading up and probably another dozen spread out along the ridgeline. Getting over to the other summits from Jefferson is not too difficult. Adams is closer than Washington and will certainly be less crowded. Have a great time! Sounds like the weather is going to be perfect.
