Ossipee Mtns - Gorilla trail, etc.
- Thread starter carole
- Start date
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Roy: I’m looking to see if there are any parking problems.
I have only parked in the area once. Since then I have heard of development going on so I am checking to see if anyone has parked over there for the trails and where they parked. When I was on Gorilla Trail we had parked at the Shaw trailhead on Rt.171, found the blazes and followed them down to Camp Merrowvista and hitchhiked back to our car. This was before I had any map or knowledge of the trails over in that area. These trails are trails mentioned in older AMC guides. I have some info from a 1969 issues. And I have some maps now.
The Gorilla Trail leaves the summit of Mt. Shaw, goes over Mt. Flagg and descends to Camp Merrowvista (near Dan Hole Pond).
The Thunderbird Trail leaves the Black Snout Trail and descends to McDuffee Road.
What I have called the Ball Mtn Trail -I am told it is called the Banana Trail in the old AMC Guide- leaves from the carriage turn-around on Black Snout and also descends to McDuffee Road.
I have parked on McDuffee Road to hike a loop but not near Camp Merrowvista. Giving direction to locate the lower end of Gorilla was also a question as I recall several roads in and around the camp. I think the lower end may also be called Mt. Flagg Trail.
I have only parked in the area once. Since then I have heard of development going on so I am checking to see if anyone has parked over there for the trails and where they parked. When I was on Gorilla Trail we had parked at the Shaw trailhead on Rt.171, found the blazes and followed them down to Camp Merrowvista and hitchhiked back to our car. This was before I had any map or knowledge of the trails over in that area. These trails are trails mentioned in older AMC guides. I have some info from a 1969 issues. And I have some maps now.
The Gorilla Trail leaves the summit of Mt. Shaw, goes over Mt. Flagg and descends to Camp Merrowvista (near Dan Hole Pond).
The Thunderbird Trail leaves the Black Snout Trail and descends to McDuffee Road.
What I have called the Ball Mtn Trail -I am told it is called the Banana Trail in the old AMC Guide- leaves from the carriage turn-around on Black Snout and also descends to McDuffee Road.
I have parked on McDuffee Road to hike a loop but not near Camp Merrowvista. Giving direction to locate the lower end of Gorilla was also a question as I recall several roads in and around the camp. I think the lower end may also be called Mt. Flagg Trail.
erugs
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I've always hiked that loop counter-clockwise and parked at the Camp. I've always asked for permission to park and have not been there when camp was in full session. The staff there have always been very nice and helpful.
RoySwkr
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carole - next time you see the phantom trailbuilder ask him for a copy of the edition of the Ossipee Range map that shows trails off the LRTC property 
I got a copy of a copy thru Hal Graham so it's a few years old but what it says about Mt Flagg Trail is to check in at camp office, I think they want you to park there and they can tell you where to walk
As a bonus it mentions another trail to a view summit only available when Sentinel Lodge camp is not in session
Note that the geocachers seem to use a slightly different approach:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=e682e9f8-b27a-434a-82bc-3e0416311cbd
I got a copy of a copy thru Hal Graham so it's a few years old but what it says about Mt Flagg Trail is to check in at camp office, I think they want you to park there and they can tell you where to walk
As a bonus it mentions another trail to a view summit only available when Sentinel Lodge camp is not in session
Note that the geocachers seem to use a slightly different approach:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=e682e9f8-b27a-434a-82bc-3e0416311cbd
Ellen: Thank you. It looks like the camp office is the place to go. It was closed and no one around when I was there.
Roy: I got a copy of that map several years ago. I also recently got a map from someone else that covers the whole Ossipee Range. We have been discussing it over on RoT.
Roy: I got a copy of that map several years ago. I also recently got a map from someone else that covers the whole Ossipee Range. We have been discussing it over on RoT.
The Flagg Mountain Trail (Gorilla Trail) ends up in the camp a few minutes past the white farmhouse/office.
The Ball Mountain Trail (Banana Trail) trailhead isn't marked, but is acorss the street from a white house, a few dozen vertical feet up from bottom of the road. There's room to park at the end of the flats, just a bit down the road from the trailhead, on the same side of the road, near a logging operation.
The Ball Mountain Trail (Banana Trail) trailhead isn't marked, but is acorss the street from a white house, a few dozen vertical feet up from bottom of the road. There's room to park at the end of the flats, just a bit down the road from the trailhead, on the same side of the road, near a logging operation.
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