Edmands Path winter access

[jniehof]

This feels like it should be an answered question but I haven't found much. Is there any reasonable winter parking near the Mt. Clinton Road/Base Road junction to have the shorter roadwalk in to Edmands Path, or is it necessary to walk up from the Crawford Connector parking lot? How heavy is snomo traffic on the road?

I somehow imagine that the drive around on Base Road doesn't save much time over just walking it, but I've wound up on that roadwalk so dang many times that I'd like to dodge it.

 

[DayTrip]

I seem to remember there being somewhat of a plowed area there but I don't use that road much in Winter because of my car. That may be needed for plows to turn around though? (i.e. if you park there you might get towed). And parking on that side only saves about 1 mile versus coming up from Crawford lot so I'd probably go with the sure parking versus rolling the dice on space on Base Station Rd and get stuck having to drive back around if there is no room. But I get the desire to avoid the longer road walk. I don't like road walks much so the shorter the better.

 

[jniehof]

The more I look at it the more it seems that Edmands isn't that popular, or even reasonable, a winter route. Looks like the out-and-back from the parking lot with the roadwalk is something like 10.6/3100' while out-and-back on Crawford Path is 9.6/3250'. Lots more above-treeline exposure but on the right day that's a plus, and it's not like the Crawford Path is much rougher going than a road. I suppose I do need Pierce in January still...

 

[DayTrip]

The more I look at it the more it seems that Edmands isn't that popular, or even reasonable, a winter route. Looks like the out-and-back from the parking lot with the roadwalk is something like 10.6/3100' while out-and-back on Crawford Path is 9.6/3250'. Lots more above-treeline exposure but on the right day that's a plus, and it's not like the Crawford Path is much rougher going than a road. I suppose I do need Pierce in January still...

I have seen lots of references on various websites that reference using Edmands Path, particularly descending to make a loop with Pierce. For me I prefer Crawford Path and all that above treeline exposure for the views so the out and back is far more desirable if conditions are reasonable. I've always hated that climb back up to Pierce though. It's only a few hundred feet but it always seems to suck the life out of me when I am returning. Still better than a road walk though.

 

[DougPaul]

The more I look at it the more it seems that Edmands isn't that popular, or even reasonable, a winter route. Looks like the out-and-back from the parking lot with the roadwalk is something like 10.6/3100' while out-and-back on Crawford Path is 9.6/3250'. Lots more above-treeline exposure but on the right day that's a plus, and it's not like the Crawford Path is much rougher going than a road. I suppose I do need Pierce in January still...

Proceed with caution--the section of Crawford Path between Pierce and Eisenhower can collect deep snow with spruce traps deep enough for one to disappear.

Doug

 

[sierra]

I have talked to some reporting heavy drifts to IKE from Pierce, although it has been done recently by Snowflea and others. The Edmonds Path is not really used much and the conditions this year wont help. In my experience, it's a safer and easier bet to do an out and back from Pierce. If I was to do the loop, I would most defiantly, do the Edmonds Path first via the road walk from the Mt. Clinton parking lot. This allows you to evaluate the trail as you climb. One year, I traversed from Pierce and descended the Edmonds. It was completely unbroken and was an absolute chore by myself. The whole time breaking it out, I wished I had never descended it. I now rarely descend a winter route that I do not know the condition of. Granted, I'm a soloist, so its all on me.

 

[peakbagger]

Pierce to Ike is usually open a couple of days after fresh snow. Maybe in the "old days" it was not as broken out but with the crowds on the trails these days just wait until Sunday.

If you look on a map you will see that the Edmunds trailhead is much closer to the basestation road if someone were to park west of the intersection. I have seen a reference to someone doing this but never tired it myself.

 

[DayTrip]

I now rarely descend a winter route that I do not know the condition of. Granted, I'm a soloist, so its all on me.

Ditto. I hike alone too and rarely do loops even if I know people have been there ahead of me. Windy conditions can cause significant drifting even hours after big groups have been through and all bets are off. They can also posthole the crap out of a nice track and create safety issues. Of course that can happen on the return portion of an out and back too but at least I have some reference point having traveled it at least once. Almost never take trails in Winter either that I have not done at least once in Spring/Summer/Fall so I at least have a vague idea of where the trail is, landmarks, etc.

 

[DayTrip]

Pierce to Ike is usually open a couple of days after fresh snow. Maybe in the "old days" it was not as broken out but with the crowds on the trails these days just wait until Sunday.

If you look on a map you will see that the Edmunds trailhead is much closer to the basestation road if someone were to park west of the intersection. I have seen a reference to someone doing this but never tired it myself.

True. I remember reading a lot about this section of trail when I first started Winter hiking and was a little apprehensive about doing this stretch. It's been pretty heavily tracked out every time I have ever done it (all of which have been in the past 3-4 years). Because I drive up from CT and usually need decent weather just to make the drive I find that I virtually never arrive at an unbroken trail anymore. Even stuff you'd think no one has been on usually had at least some level of foot traffic. It's like putting "first tracks" down at the ski resorts. You have to be the first guy there the morning after a snow storm or it is going to be tracked up.

 

[DayTrip]

The Mt. Clinton road walk can be tedious at the end of the day, but it's not that bad. It does get a bit of late-day sun, though, in some areas, and that can soften the snow a bit. Snowmobile traffic was non-existent during the week, and not too bad on weekends.

That is one silver lining to this road walk. There are numerous cleared out areas just off the road that offer a lot of pretty nice mountain views as you make your way back to Crawford. I did a Southern presi out and back this past Fall and took Edmands down off the ridge so if I "ran out of gas" it would be easy walking the last 2-3 miles. Was pleasantly surprised by the nice late day views. One of the better road walks if you have to do one.

 

[sierra]

That is one silver lining to this road walk. There are numerous cleared out areas just off the road that offer a lot of pretty nice mountain views as you make your way back to Crawford. I did a Southern presi out and back this past Fall and took Edmands down off the ridge so if I "ran out of gas" it would be easy walking the last 2-3 miles. Was pleasantly surprised by the nice late day views. One of the better road walks if you have to do one.

A lot of those cleared views are fairly new. I've been walking that road for a long time and this year I noticed many more openings.

 

[peakbagger]

One New Years day we drove up the gated but plowed Mt Clinton Road and parked in the lot. After the brook crossings we picked up a cat track (most likely bobcat) and followed it all the way up to the ridge line.

 

[sierra]

One New Years day we drove up the gated but plowed Mt Clinton Road and parked in the lot. After the brook crossings we picked up a cat track (most likely bobcat) and followed it all the way up to the ridge line.

That is pretty cool, where on the ridgeline did you come out? I spend a lot of time on the Southern peaks, it's my favorite area in the White's. There is just an amazing amount of wildlife on those slopes. I've seen bear, moose, bobcat, Martins, Jay's, one lynx, red fox, many birds of prey, many species of mice, deer and a group of coyotes.

 

[DayTrip]

One New Years day we drove up the gated but plowed Mt Clinton Road and parked in the lot. After the brook crossings we picked up a cat track (most likely bobcat) and followed it all the way up to the ridge line.

Not sure if it is just coincidence but on many occasions where I've lost the trail in drifted/unbroken snow I've had tremendous luck following rabbit tracks. I think they actually know the trails! I did the Hancock loop two years ago and there was a lot of snow on ridge and no one had traveled it since last storm. Everywhere I came to a spot where it looked like the trail could go in multiple directions I followed the rabbit tracks. Was right almost every time.

 

[TJsName]

Not sure if it is just coincidence but on many occasions where I've lost the trail in drifted/unbroken snow I've had tremendous luck following rabbit tracks. I think they actually know the trails! I did the Hancock loop two years ago and there was a lot of snow on ridge and no one had traveled it since last storm. Everywhere I came to a spot where it looked like the trail could go in multiple directions I followed the rabbit tracks. Was right almost every time.

Perhaps the people who followed the rabbits down the wrong path are stuck in wonderland?

 

[peakbagger]

We came out where the Edmund Path trail meets the Crawford Path the cat tracks kept heading over towards the Eisenhower trail.

I have been up on Monroe heading to Franklin and have seen red foxes out on the "lawns" in late December, they looked to be hunting so maybe the bobcat wanted in on the whatever the foxes were hunting.

 

[DougPaul]

On occasion canid (fox? coyote?) and moose tracks have shown me the way. (I suspect they scouted out the trail before the snow fell.)

Unfortunately moose posthole the trail...

Doug

 

[jniehof]

I wound up doing this yesterday. The walk from the Highland Center up to the trailhead took about 50min for 2.5mi, including two bathroom breaks (I start well-hydrated). Lots of foot and ski tracks on the trail, also some snomo, no people present by any means of transport. Gate was open but plowing bank effectively blocked it.

Edmands was postholed pretty much up to Abenaki Brook and the bridge is out and, obviously, no snowbridge. Not hoppable. I got across on about a 3" log after much thought and it made some unhappy noises in the process, which basically committed me to the loop. Postholing ended shortly after that (leaving untracked snow) and the crust got breakable enough that I switched to snowshoes. Came across one good set of moose postholes but otherwise followed rabbit tracks all the way to treeline.

There's one new viewpoint from blowdown a little below the stone gateway. The traverse over from the gateway to treeline is just as miserable as I remembered: tree branches about 3'-4' off the ground trying to push you off the hill, snow crust too hard to punch the snowshoes into so walking on a 30-degree hard side-slope. Really just miserable every step of the way. If I'm reading my map right it only took 15 minutes but I find that hard to believe. Eventually got to the loop, suited up behind a tree on the Crawford Path (that right from Edmands onto the loop and down into the col is really easy to miss) and the rest of the day was pretty uneventful. The solitude up to that point was nice but dang I hate that traverse, really takes the tar out of me. At least the head of the ravine wasn't too bad.

Ran into Hiker Ed coming down the Crawford Path and he mentioned not to use Edmands as a bailout in winter since sometimes the trail basically disappears on that traverse. I can believe it.

If the weather's good, I suspect it's faster to just go up Crawford Path and over from Pierce. Took me 4:15 to summit including the roadwalk.