Road closures

[hikes-with-him]

We have 7 left...and want to complete so we can attend the banquet in April (figure, we need to mail the application by 1st week in March).

So...we want to save: Cabot, Tripyramids, Waumbec, and Moriah for actual "winter".

That leaves Garfield and Carrigan for now...my question, when do they close the roads for these two mountains? Hoping to prevent the need for longer hiking by getting these two done before the roads close.

Thanks for the info

 

[dr_wu002]

We have 7 left...and want to complete so we can attend the banquet in April (figure, we need to mail the application by 1st week in March).

So...we want to save: Cabot, Tripyramids, Waumbec, and Moriah for actual "winter".

That leaves Garfield and Carrigan for now...my question, when do they close the roads for these two mountains? Hoping to prevent the need for longer hiking by getting these two done before the roads close.

Thanks for the info

Early November. However, the whole hike to Garfield is so ridiculously easy that the extra tiny bit of road walking you do when the gate is closed is relatively meaningless. It's actually a nice walk. The walk on Sawyer Road to Carrigain is longer (~2 miles each way) but not terrible either.

-Dr. Wu

 

[LRiz]

Plus, if the roads are closed that usually means SNOW!

 

[dr_wu002]

Plus, if the roads are closed that usually means SNOW!

Ugh... When is it going to be summer again?

-Dr. Wu

 

[LRiz]

Ugh... When is it going to be summer again?

-Dr. Wu

Come on now, aren't you going to do a single day winter Pemi with me this year??

 

[dr_wu002]

Come on now, aren't you going to do a single day winter Pemi with me this year??

Probably... but it doesn't mean I like Winter as much as I like summer...

-Dr. Wu

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Generally speaking, the FS keeps the roads open until after hunting season. However, a good storm can hasten that.

 

[MichaelJ]

Early November. However, the whole hike to Garfield is so ridiculously easy that the extra tiny bit of road walking you do when the gate is closed is relatively meaningless. It's actually a nice walk. The walk on Sawyer Road to Carrigain is longer (~2 miles each way) but not terrible either.

While I don't debate that it's a very easy & fine road walk, that distance can't be right. There are 1.6 miles between the Gale River and Garfield trailheads, plus the distance from the road (or Beaver Brook) to the Gale River trailhead.

 

[dr_wu002]

While I don't debate that it's a very easy & fine road walk, that distance can't be right. There are 1.6 miles between the Gale River and Garfield trailheads, plus the distance from the road (or Beaver Brook) to the Gale River trailhead.

She just said "Garfield" -- don't you park at the South gate during winter which is like 0.8 miles to the Garfield TH? I'm not looking at a map but I remember it being close. Even if it's 1.6 miles each way, what's that? an extra hour added to your hike? Still better than Lincoln Woods!

-Dr. Wu

 

[--M.]

Plus, if the roads are closed that usually means SNOW!

This silver lining (white, actually) means that you can ski these sections, which can actually be quite nice, unless you're toting a full winter overnight pack. The Sawyer Road is pretty gentle and progressive, unlike, say, the Zealand Road, which has a steep section at the end (near 302) that will have you careening down the iced logging-truck tracks out of control (AAAAHHHHhhhhhhh!!!... CRASH!).

Enjoy!

 

[Mike P.]

They close based on the snow, a couple of years ago Sawyer River Road was open for a couple of weeks of winter.

The gate closest to the Garfield trailhead has a smaller lot that the Beaver Brook X-C parking area (for Galehead access) It's been a while since I've been to Garfield, wasn't there a bridge out? Has that been fixed? How is the stream crossing where the bridge was?

 

[MichaelJ]

She just said "Garfield" -- don't you park at the South gate during winter which is like 0.8 miles to the Garfield TH?

I would, but that branch of the road is still closed with 4 bridges out, and from what I remember of someone posting pics here of them, they're not easily crossable.

 

[bobandgeri]

I would, but that branch of the road is still closed with 4 bridges out, and from what I remember of someone posting pics here of them, they're not easily crossable.

Very easy crossings - think there are only 2 bridges you have to deal with. Remember crossing on the left side of one and the right side of the other. Neither were difficult.

They do not plow the south lot in Winter, so you need to park at Trudeau Rd and walkd down if there is snow.

 

[MichaelJ]

Ah, here are the photos of 3 of the bridges. The WMNF status page says 4 bridges are still out.

 

[bandana4me]

Update on S.Gale river rd

I spoke with the construction crew a few weeks back and they said the bridges will be completed by Jan 1 (although he did not say what year {satire}). This will eliminate the water crossings this winter.

 

[MichaelJ]

Great news {we hope} - thanks!