Success Pond Rd. in Winter?

[bcskier]

I've decided to restate an earlier question using a new heading.

The WMG says that S.P.R. is "not generally open to public vehicular use in winter." Can anybody tell me what that means? Is it gated or how does one know it's not open? If it's not "generally" open are there exceptions?

I'd like to get in as far as the Notch trail access road (10.9 miles in from the south end) sometime during the President's Week this Feb. I will have 4wd.

Any help is much appreciated.

 

[Trout]

Somtimes in the Winter the Berlin end is closed with large boulders placed across the entrance. I'm sure some one with local knowledge can post an up to date report. Often trucks & etc will park at the entrance & unload 4 wheelers etc & go into the area. If there is logging going on the entrance is usually open.

 

[Andrew]

The road is not a public road, so the only reason it would be open is if the landowner(s) have a reason. There currently is and has been harvest activity over the past few winters, so open now.

The road was blocked as it was used for NH snowmobile corridor 12. Corridor 12 is currently using parts of the 'summer' Success ATV trail, which runs high ground a bit West of the road. I did some grooming on the corridor and Success Rd was plowed at places we crossed at the beginning, but not certain how far in.

 

[cushetunk]

I think the "not generally open" language in the guidebook is just boilerplate wording to convey that this is a private road and the logging company will do what it darn well pleases on it... plow it or not, drive trucks without regard for passenger cars, and maybe gate it (though if you search back on this site I don't think there are many reports of this road being gated).

You could also access Success Pond road from the north too, which I think is shorter to reach the Notch Trail. (Edit: looks like this was reported to be unplowed earlier this month.)

Or (I assume you're still wondering about Goose Eye to Fulling Mill) you could skip Success Pond road entirely and access everything from Ketchum to the east. This will require some bushwhacking to get down from Fulling Mill Mtn, but I doubt this would be any more challenging than following the "trail" portions out there.

 

[bcskier]

On the Ketchum side how far in does the road get plowed, all the way to Wright Trail trailhead parking area?

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

Last winter we had no difficulty doing Goose Eye from Success Pond Road.

 

[RoySwkr]

There are several trip reports of people driving to Goose Eye & Success trailheads this winter, it depends on where they are logging how far the road is plowed and one year at least plowing stopped just after Goose Eye. If they finish cutting they may not plow all winter, and if they're not working on weekends they may not plow then.

The Wright Trail question was answered in another note.

 

[albee]

Two weeks ago, Success Pond Road was plowed all the way to the camps at Success Pond. I parked on the side of the road where the access to the Notch Trail begins, followed a snowmobiled path to the summer parking area, and made my way up the Notch Trail a good ways. There were directions to the trailhead on SPR, at the parking area, and also where it enters the woods. It was fairly easy to follow the lower sections, and it got a bit narrower and harder to follow once it veered away from the main brook.

 

[peakbagger]

Winter access has been good for the past few years as Dillon is still pulling out as much wood as they can before they sell it. Spring access is another story. Typically when the orange road ban signs go up in the spring on public roads, Success Pond road is living on borrowed time. Once "mud season" hits, the boulders are set in place until things dry up. There really isnt a good reason to want to go on the road during that time as the "bottom" drops out of the road and the mud can bury a bull dozer. Even after the boulders are pulled in the spring it can be dicey for low ground clearance vehicles. Let it go a year or two without spring maintenance, and it could get real interesting. The landfill road is actually a far better road but unfortunately, the section up to the landfill is closed to the public and access to the road at the back gate really only makes sense if you can drive through the landfill.

Do note that one of the groups interested in buying the area is the National Guard for mobile artillery training. They claim that they will attempt to maintain traditional access but make no guarantees. The camp owners on Success Pond have a deeded right of way so the road should stay open but then again its the government.