The parking lot off of 302 has a light dusting of snow over ice, and while our cars didn't have any problem, be advised it was very slippery for hiker's feet! We put on microspikes right from the cars and used them all day. Didn't even bring snow shoes, and didn't need them. There were three or so spots where I suspect each one of us would have liked crampons, but we made do.
This was an AMC Boston hike, with a group of wonderful people (plus me). We started at 7am, and made our way up to the trailhead easily, as the Sawyer River Rd barely had any snow on it and the underlying ice was relatively soft.
The first crossing was terrifying to behold. Thick snow and ice on the rocks, but the river was not fully covered. We had to walk over some snow, step down onto the water, cross on rocks (which did not seem to have black ice), and then climb back up onto the snow. It looked terrifying--and it was terrifying!--but the snow was remarkably solid and we got over and back without incident.
Other than that, the trails were barely covered in snow, ranging from bare to an inch or two, with a patch or two of serious ice, but nothing microspikes couldn't handle. The trail is in great condition, without any blowdowns or major maintenance issues. We saw an enormous moose where the old logging/fire road crosses. No views heading up, but the clouds cleared just as we reached the tower, which had a light frosting of snow on it.
Met two men coming up behind us who had some rather obnoxious hygiene issues, doing their business right off the trail and not covering it, and also failing to observe leave-no-trace eating practices while eating, and I write this only to remind people that they should be walking far off trail and not affecting the food chain with their snacks. Other than that, we had a very enjoyable day!
I know there's a meet-up group heading up on Wednesday (the first day of winter), and that until then the temps are not expected to reach above freezing, plus there should be some precipitation, so the snow bridges should build over the first crossing quickly, but please do be very cautious! It's a long walk back to the cars if someone goes in. There wasn't a lot of snow until say, over 3,000 feet, and we never felt the need for snow shoes. Microspikes worked perfectly, although, as I mentioned, there were three or four quite dicey spots where I wouldn't have complained about having crampons.
Enjoy!
Brian
This was an AMC Boston hike, with a group of wonderful people (plus me). We started at 7am, and made our way up to the trailhead easily, as the Sawyer River Rd barely had any snow on it and the underlying ice was relatively soft.
The first crossing was terrifying to behold. Thick snow and ice on the rocks, but the river was not fully covered. We had to walk over some snow, step down onto the water, cross on rocks (which did not seem to have black ice), and then climb back up onto the snow. It looked terrifying--and it was terrifying!--but the snow was remarkably solid and we got over and back without incident.
Other than that, the trails were barely covered in snow, ranging from bare to an inch or two, with a patch or two of serious ice, but nothing microspikes couldn't handle. The trail is in great condition, without any blowdowns or major maintenance issues. We saw an enormous moose where the old logging/fire road crosses. No views heading up, but the clouds cleared just as we reached the tower, which had a light frosting of snow on it.
Met two men coming up behind us who had some rather obnoxious hygiene issues, doing their business right off the trail and not covering it, and also failing to observe leave-no-trace eating practices while eating, and I write this only to remind people that they should be walking far off trail and not affecting the food chain with their snacks. Other than that, we had a very enjoyable day!
I know there's a meet-up group heading up on Wednesday (the first day of winter), and that until then the temps are not expected to reach above freezing, plus there should be some precipitation, so the snow bridges should build over the first crossing quickly, but please do be very cautious! It's a long walk back to the cars if someone goes in. There wasn't a lot of snow until say, over 3,000 feet, and we never felt the need for snow shoes. Microspikes worked perfectly, although, as I mentioned, there were three or four quite dicey spots where I wouldn't have complained about having crampons.
Enjoy!
Brian
