Parking for Kinsman hike

[Hiking with Kat]

Does anyone have information on which side of the highway would be better to park for this hike? I've heard some comments that the Lafayette Campground side is not plowed. Is the Northbound side lot plowed?

Obviously conditions will change during this weeks storm, but curious as to what conditions have been like so far this winter.

 

[bobandgeri]

Both sides get plowed, just not always at the same time - usually lot on the Northbound side (OBP/Falling Waters lot) is cleared before the Lafayette Campground lot. If you are heading Southbound and see it is not plowed, go down to the next exit and turn around. We've had to do that in the past. There is a walkway that goes under the highway you can use to get to the other side.

 

[Blue]

Both lots were plowed this past weekend - and since LL was full, it was pretty busy in both lots.

 

[MichaelJ]

FYI - if you park on the campground side (southbound side of the highway) you need to bear right around the building and park in the lot where the pedestrian tunnel under the highway is located. Do not attempt to take a left into the lot where the Lonesome Lake trailhead is.

A snowmobile trail goes through there, and if you block it you will make many people upset. Also, only the trail is packed, which means that if you turned into the lot then turned off the packed portion into a parking space, you would potentially sink into the softer snow and not move your car again without a tow truck and/or a winch. This has happened before.

 

[MadRiver]

Also, only the trail is packed, which means that if you turned into the lot then turned off the packed portion into a parking space, you would potentially sink into the softer snow and not move your car again without a tow truck and/or a winch. This has happened before.

Yep, it happened to me several years ago when we moved the FSB to Carter that year. Luckily a snow cat was grooming the bike path and was able to pull me out. NEVER, EVER, GO LEFT!!

 

[blacknblue]

Yep, it happened to me several years ago when we moved the FSB to Carter that year. Luckily a snow cat was grooming the bike path and was able to pull me out. NEVER, EVER, GO LEFT!!

Happened to somebody else last weekend. About six guys pushed the car out.

Parking on the OBP/FW side (northbound) is more spacious and barely adds a few hundred yards to the hike. When the southbound lot was overflowing last weekend, the northbound lot was not 2/3 full.