Mt Davis On Montalban Ridge

[hikerfast]

i was there many years ago. my buddy and i figured 2 hours up crawford to the ridge, then 2 hours to isolation. hahahahaha! we were backpacking, it was indeed 2 hours to crawford, then 2 hours to stairs, then(seemed astounding) 2 hours to davis, then 2 hours to isolation. great trail, took much longer than expected. it was gorgeous and davis indeed had splendid views.

 

[JCarter]

Don't even think of switching to Stairs Col Trail!

JCarter, there are two designated campsites between the Giant Stairs and Mt. Isolation. These have the little tent sign, but they are easy to miss. They are located at N44 10 08.0 W71 19 07.6 and N44 11 16.9 W71 19 05.7. jniehof may find this information useful too!

I checked those coords in my GPS, and they match the locations of 2 of the desi sites that the rangers told me about when I first planned a Davis Path/Mt Isolation backpack 4 years ago. However, I had to cancel that trip and actually went in a year later (Aug 2012), and a followup call to the ranger just before I left said "nope", and I did not find the little tent signs when I passed these spots (I think I found them, fairly obvious hard-pack right next to the trail, but no signage).

If you have more recent info that those sites are 'approved' that would be great. I just checked my photos, I wasn't clever enough to take pics.

 

[DayTrip]

My trail condition report can be found on this sites trail conditions page and there's a link with pics (click here for TC).

Have a nice hike to Mount Davis, I didn't go up to the summit this past Saturday since it was in the clouds, but I have been up there in the past and it does have great views!

-Chris

Thanks. I read the report and your blog. That was ONE day?!?!? Yikes. Good for you.

 

[jniehof]

I'm about to make the NETC post, but be aware that coming in Rocky Branch from 16 you're basically swimming from around the end of the big climb (when you get onto the old road and descend slightly on the way to the Wilderness boundary) until, well, you get back there. It's just plain mucky from the Isolation Trail to Isolation proper and then again once you get down below Davis. A fair bit of it may be rock-hoppable by the nimble but with a fifty pound pack and full boots I just got wet, repeatedly, including the Rocky Branch crossings. I would not try to camp anywhere between Isolation and Davis, finding a legal and dry spot would be really hard.

The summit of Davis itself is mindblowing and I think easily tops Isolation. I didn't work over to the true summit since it looks like it would involve a lot of krummholtz trampling and I was short on time. Be aware that the last ledge scramble up on the spur path is a little fun.

EDIT: Oh, and if the person who was planning on bushwhacking off Davis straight to RB Shelter 2 is reading this...I'd love to hear how THAT went!

 

[IQuest]

I whacked down from Davis to RB Shelter #2 last fall. Once you figure out how to get through the scrub and off of the summit it was a nice walk through the woods. I think it was only about a mile. I would do it again as it was no longer for me than an out and back to Isolation.

Also, last Sunday I just hiked Davis Path to Isolation Tr West and out Dry River Tr. It looked like you could find somewhere to camp west of the trail just north of the Mt Davis Spur. FWIW, the cairn at the end of the Mt Davis Spur is not the summit. The summit is the ledgy area to the north (after zooming in on one if my pictures it looks like there is a cairn).

 

[TenPeaks]

A year before Irene, a friend and I hiked the entire Rocky Branch/Davis/Isolation loop as an overnight backpack trip. We started/ended on Jericho Rd and went over Stairs then followed the Davis path to Isolation. Along the way we summited Mt. Davis and Isolation then camped out at the intersection of the Davis and Isolation paths. There's lots of sites here and a small water source a tenth or two down the Isolation path. The hike out the Rocky Branch trail the next day involved 9 water crossings. Some were tough and parts of the trail were hard to follow. I can't imagine the damage Irene did and believe it will take quite a while to restore that trail.

If you want to hike to Mt. Davis as an overnight I suggest going up the Rocky Branch and Isolation trails from Rt. 16, set up camp at the Davis Trail intersection then bag Davis and Isolation before returning to camp.

Here's all the pics from my trip. Glad I got to do the whole loop before the hurricane destroyed the trail.

 

[DayTrip]

Thanks for these updates. Kind of have this one on the back burner. Lot of long, boring and tedious trails to get in this area. Rocky Branch/Isolation route is indeed wet, long and not overly scenic. And Davis Path after Stairs Mountain (at least up to the point I threw in the towel last time roughly a mile short of Davis) is pretty tedious and boring as well. I guess that is a lot of the allure of these peaks. You have to earn them. There aren't any short cuts.

 

[DougPaul]

Another option is to start with Ammo Ravine Tr and take the Camel Trail over to Davis Path. A bit long, but no water crossings after you get off ART. Scenic too.

Doug

 

[GBKDalton]

This past weekend a friend and I did the Cohos Trail route over Eisenhower, down to the Dry River, up to the Davis Path and down the ridge. Water everywhere, so this is the time for an overnight if anyone is interested. We camped at the site below the Davis Path on Isolation East, but there was a tentsite, for which I can't remember the exact location, either between Isolation and Davis or between Davis and the small brook 2 miles south of the summit. I don't recall if that one had a sign noting it was legal. The campsites on Stairs were the best on the entire ridge. The summit of Davis is getting scrubby and I preferred the view from Isolation and Stairs.

 

[Mike P.]

Nice pictures Ten Peaks

 

[1HappyHiker]

Probably of little interest, but just as an "FYI", in August 2008 (7 years ago) I did an unconventional bushwhack to Mt. Davis (link below).
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?24699-Cutting-Mt-Davis-Down-to-Size-%2821-Aug-2008%29

 

[DayTrip]

Probably of little interest, but just as an "FYI", in August 2008 (7 years ago) I did an unconventional bushwhack to Mt. Davis (link below).
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?24699-Cutting-Mt-Davis-Down-to-Size-%2821-Aug-2008%29

That is indeed quite interesting. I too am a day-hiker from CT so 18-21 hour days spent hiking and driving are the norm for me. I attempted Davis once the conventional way and gave up about a mile from the spur because of the lengthy hike to get back out to car. This sounds like a very fun option. Curious on a few things:

1) Is that suspension bridge still closed since the reopening of the trail post Irene repairs? AMC Guide mentions the suspension bridge but makes no mention of it being closed or removed. For those who have been on Dry River Trail since the reopening is the bridge still there?
2) 1HappyHiker- was there a reason you went due East to get to Davis Path versus a more Northeasterly direction which would take some of the edge off the upslope and be a more direct route to the spur trail? Not sure if it just worked out that way with weaving in and out of the terrain or if that was deliberate.
3) It is described as an "easy whack". How rocky was it? Hobble bush isn't bad as long as footing underneath is reasonable. Can you elaborate on the forest floor in this area? I'm thinking it can't be much worse than the footing on the actual Davis Path in this area. (Wasn't a big fan of the section after Stairs Mountain to where I gave up last time).

This really has my interest! Any additional details you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

[IQuest]

The suspension bridge over the Dry River was there and in good shape three weeks ago.

 

[1HappyHiker]

1) Suspension bridge has been repaired and is "open for business"!

2) True, a more northeasterly route could have taken some of the edge off the upslope. However, I was looking for shortest bushwhack to reach Davis Path. Didn't find upslope overly daunting, but would've tracked more northeasterly if upslope had been an issue for me.

3) Regarding the forest floor, I don't recall it being overly rocky. Although my recollection is now 7 years old, I recall the footing as being generally good for the vast majority of the route that I followed. Of course, as you likely know with bushwhacking, there is the "50-foot rule", i.e. conditions can vary widely just 50-ft or so on either side of you!

4) You asked for any additional details that I can recall. As I remember it, the more difficult segments of the bushwhack were the first tenth (or so) mile after leaving Dry River Trail, and the last tenth (or so) of a mile before reaching the Davis Path. In both instances, the terrain was steeper and woods were thicker than the overall route.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any follow-up questions.

 

[DayTrip]

1) Suspension bridge has been repaired and is "open for business"!

2) True, a more northeasterly route could have taken some of the edge off the upslope. However, I was looking for shortest bushwhack to reach Davis Path. Didn't find upslope overly daunting, but would've tracked more northeasterly if upslope had been an issue for me.

3) Regarding the forest floor, I don't recall it being overly rocky. Although my recollection is now 7 years old, I recall the footing as being generally good for the vast majority of the route that I followed. Of course, as you likely know with bushwhacking, there is the "50-foot rule", i.e. conditions can vary widely just 50-ft or so on either side of you!

4) You asked for any additional details that I can recall. As I remember it, the more difficult segments of the bushwhack were the first tenth (or so) mile after leaving Dry River Trail, and the last tenth (or so) of a mile before reaching the Davis Path. In both instances, the terrain was steeper and woods were thicker than the overall route.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any follow-up questions.

That's good info. Thanks. It looked like you picked the perfect spot to leave Dry River Trail. I noticed a few "wrinkles" in the topography early after leaving DRT and a small ridge they may have made the due East route a little more favorable. Maybe it was rocky and that was the difficulty you recall. I'm hoping to do DRT this weekend as part of another loop so I am definitely going to stop and eyeball this area and take some notes. Thanks for the idea and the info! If I think of any follow up questions I'll let you know.