Mittersill

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Grey J

Grey J

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Is the trail to the summit of Mittersill still officially closed? Its going on 3 years isn't it? If so, can you still climb it without getting your car towed or receiving any other sanctions? Can you park close enough to the trailhead? I will be staying very close by in August and I've meant to do that hike for a couple of years now. At 4 miles round trip, it looks like a good half day hike on a "rest" day in between longer hikes. I've seen photos and I like that perspective on Cannon and the Cannon Balls. If feeling good, I might continue on across the saddle to Cannon.
 
In my opinion, this trail was a certified POS when it was open. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Climbs the ski trails and is loaded with loose and eroded grus soil, tedious and unenjoyable. I understand since I hiked it it was gone down hill, erosion wise (like all Cannon trails,) and is why it was closed. No thanks, hard pass...
 
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TDawg said:
In my opinion, this trail was a certified POS when it was open. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Climbs the ski trails and is loaded with loose and eroded grus soil, tedious and unenjoyable. I understand since I hiked it it was gone down hill, erosion wise (like all Cannon trails,) and is why it was closed. No thanks, hard pass...
Click to expand...

I've not hiked it in about 5 years but I would vouch for the conditions TDawg mentioned. You can find side trails/ski trails to bypass some of these badly sections in some...but not all...cases. That said, once you reach the ridge and use it to hike up Cannon, it is pretty cool. You have to hike up the ski trail a bit to find the trail on the left...there might not be any signs any longer...that I'm not sure about.
 
TDawg said:
The view from Mittersill summit is great, yes.

Maybe its that one section on Steve’s blog that really sticks out in my mind. Either way hiking ski trails isn’t my taste. Also I saw the upper part had been blasted, not sure the condition of that in the 4 years since.

http://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos/NewHampshire/mittersill-2014-0916.php
Click to expand...

You are right, that blasted area looks really ugly. Got to love that moose photo though! Guy looks like he's smiling for the camera. I never hike ski trails either but this mid 3K peak is so close to where I'll be staying and I've done Bald Mt/Artists Bluff and Pemigewasset and the Sugarloaves already so it seemed like a natural for an in-between day. I've got a 6 day window this year and the Percy Peaks are my #1 goal since I've never been that far north in NH. I also plan to reprise Moosilauke which I haven't done in 25 years. The rest of the agenda remains open.
 
Cannon management was opposed to the trail from day one, but was overruled by Concord. Rather than embrace the idea, they did everything they could to dissuade hikers from using the trail, including having a closed sign at the top of the trail.

Mittersill was a beautiful place to hike prior to the construction projects. Beautiful, narrow, historic trails that were a delight to hike year round.

Especially in light of the parking issues in the notch, management would be wise to create an attractive route up Mittersill and Cannon from the otherwise empty Mittersill parking lots. It wouldn't solve the parking problem, but it would certainly alleviate some stress on the lots and trails in the notch.
 
I agree with R21 suggestion to improve Mittersill trail as it would help disperse usage off Lafayette ridge and utilizes existing under-utilized parking. I've hiked ski trails before and been impressed with how good erosion control can be on such steep terrain. Ski trails offer great views, but in hot humid July I prefer to stay out of sun and in the woods as much as possible. TR's on Mittersill go back to 2014. Time for new detailed report to see if they've done anything to mitigate the blasted section.
 
Well I went by Mittersill the other day and there is a sign posted at what should be the trailhead at the base of the lift. It says hiking is prohibited on Cannon Mt ski trails. Period. The trail is not temporarily closed. There is no hiking trail on Mittersill any more.
 
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Grey J said:
Well I went by Mittersill the other day and there is a sign posted at what should be the trailhead at the base of the lift. It says hiking is prohibited on Cannon Mt ski trails. Period. The trail is not temporarily closed. There is no hiking trail on Mittersill any more.
Click to expand...

Cannon' also posted a hiking is prohibited sign when they first opened the trail.

On one hand, they're telling people not to park or hike from over-crowded trailheads. On the other hand, they're deterring people from hiking empty trails and preventing people from parking in empty parking lots.

I would suggest contacting Phil Bryce - Director of the Division of Parks and Recreation. Mr. Bryce is friendly, reasonable, and supported the creation of the Mittersill hiking trail, much to the consternation of some at Cannon.
 
Sounds to me like some local manager makes up the policies that cause the least hassle to his operations. The trail was probably closed during the destruction of the mountainside to keep witnesses away and conveniently forgot to reopen ;). Maybe the hiking public needs a senior politician to set things right.
 
I found the thread from 2018.

It's now 2023, and I can find no evidence of people hiking Mittersill. Is it still closed? Or to put it another way, are we going to be shouted at if we hike up the slopes?

I am finishing the Grid on July 2 and was hoping to hike up it with a small posse to avoid the insanity of the Kinsman Ridge Trail and especially the parking lot.

Thanks!
 
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Cannon's management, which never supported the trail in the first place, never officially reopened it after it was "temporarily" closed for construction. If you're a friend of management, you can hike anywhere you wish on the ski area. If you are not, you may be shouted at for hiking on public land.
 
Kind of cool to see this 5 year old thread resurrected. I gave up on this hike years ago and just crossed it off my list. Not gonna hike Loon or Wildcat either. I still have enough 52WAV peaks to go to last me a few more years, assuming I last a few more years. :cool:
 
Last thing I knew, Loon and Wildcat both welcome hikers in the off season as part of the special use permit. Cannon is state owned but doesn't seem to have any public scrutiny over their decisions or decision making process.
 
Brutus Rooney and his entourage got a special waiver to use the ski entry to the Kinsman Glades and the upper Vista Way ski trail for his completion of the All 48 in One Winter Season. Sadly, Brutus was required to hang out on the outside deck while the entourage was inside the summit Tram station partying.
 
Dr. Dasypodidae said:
Brutus Rooney and his entourage got a special waiver to use the ski entry to the Kinsman Glades and the upper Vista Way ski trail for his completion of the All 48 in One Winter Season. Sadly, Brutus was required to hang out on the outside deck while the entourage was inside the summit Tram station partying.
Click to expand...
IIRC, we has a group of about 45 who trekked up to eat cake and celebrate. It was fun to watch Brutus - he knew all the excitement was about him and made it his mission to greet as many as possible, The Cannon staff was tolerant of our party - one of our crew (Cath) had brought a large cake up on the tram. Good times ...
 
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peakbagger said:
Last thing I knew, Loon and Wildcat both welcome hikers in the off season as part of the special use permit. Cannon is state owned but doesn't seem to have any public scrutiny over their decisions or decision making process.
Click to expand...
Several years ago (at least 10+) a small group of us hiked up Millersill. Approx 2/3 of the way up the trail forks to the right, and we encountered a couple rangers at the junction. We were prepared for a scolding for hiking a closed trail, but not the case. They were very pleasant and explained the reason for the closure was some of the slopes were used by Bicknell's thrush, which is a rare bird. We weren't hiking duriing the nesting season, fortunately.

I think if Canon made an effort to publicize why they closed some slopes people would most likely respect the closures. Just my take on it ...
 
peakbagger said:
Last thing I knew, Loon and Wildcat both welcome hikers in the off season as part of the special use permit. Cannon is state owned but doesn't seem to have any public scrutiny over their decisions or decision making process.
Click to expand...
I'm surprised you do not swear off hiking ski trails. Didn't you break your leg at Wildcat?
 
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