The winter some mountains are not hiked

[B the Hiker]

With all the discussion of which trailheads have plowed-out parking lots and which ones do not, it does bring to mind that there may be some mountains that at the moment are largely inaccessible, and perhaps others that have become a whole lot harder to reach.

Oceolas?
Hancocks?

Any others?


Brian

 

[nartreb]

I've hiked those in winter. I don't think I even wore snowshoes - the trails were packed down by others before me.

The tough ones would be in places like the Mahoosucs, where the roads are only open if there is logging (and even if they are, you really don't want to meet a logging truck coming the other way...). Pretty much all of the WMNF, and certainly all of the NH4K, get at least some traffic every month.

 

[B the Hiker]

Ah, I think you're not understanding the context here. The parking lots are closed due to not being plowed. Moreover, there really are not great places to park on the road there, especially on a day when it was snow and plows were coming by.

After Sunday's predicted storm, the Lincoln Woods parking lot might become inaccessible as well. If that happens, Owls Head and the Bonds are going to become very hard to reach as well.

Brian

 

[peakbagger]

I don't really see much of issue. For day hikers heading out a day or two after a storm, they will just park on the side of the road. The only time it becomes and issue is if NH decides to enforce parking regulations.

Probably a bigger issue is when the shurdown ends a regular plow may not be able to open up the lots and a loader will be needed. I am not sure what the FS has for equipment.

 

[B the Hiker]

I suspect those mountains are seeing far fewer visitors than in a normal year, peakbagger. Far fewer. There are those with vehicles that get drive through un-plowed lots, and I'm sure that there are folks willing to park on the side of the Kanc, but I suspect that there are far more who might have hiked but for the parking lot conditions and are taking their snow shoes elsewhere.

 

[Steve-o]

Good thing there are more than 48 mountains.
I don't see the problem..

 

[peakbagger]

I understand what you are trying to sell but I am not buying it. I expect to the vast majority of winter day hikers, parking at the trailhead is a very low determinant of if and where they are going hiking. By education you may be able to shift some usage but I expect the folks working on lists most interested in longer winter hikes are not going to be deterred. Barring a change in enforcement, at best lack of viable parking is an issue for 48 hours after a major storm and generally less than 24 hours after a normal storm. I expect many folks heading out on the long hikes usually try to line up with stable conditions and they tend to be outside the 24 to 48 hours after a storm so most will not be impacted by the snow plowing cleanup.

My observations are even if the Crawford Path parking lot is open is that folks will still park along RT 302 to save the 3 minute walk. It always amuses me that folks will drive 100 plus miles to go hiking and then complain that they have to walk 5 minutes to a trailhead.

Given that there is no way of tracking actual usage its always going to be a subjective call. I expect weather and snow conditions are far more of a driver on winter summits.

 

[richard]

(“It always amuses me that folks will drive 100 plus miles to go hiking and then complain that they have to walk 5 minutes to a trailhead.” )
This reminds me of when I used to go to work. Some would try to find a parking spot as close as possible to the door so they wouldn’t have to walk as far, and then go walking during their lunch break to get exercise !

 

[DayTrip]

Apparently I'm in the minority on this one but the status of the parking area is a definite factor in my hiking choices. I drive 3-4 hours one way to most NH trail heads and hike alone so if I know a lot is inaccessible without shoveling and other shenanigans it affects my decision to go there, particularly if it would involve leaving my car on a busy road. I don't know that I would definitively cancel a hike based purely on trail head status but the uncertainty of wondering what I'm getting into after such a long drive or the possibility of returning to problems after a long day in the woods are a factor for me. The additional stress is not worth it for me.

Many people here are "poo-pooing" that attitude but many of these people live right in the mountains or close by so if they have an issue in a certain area they can just go back the following day or easily hit another. When you can be there whenever you want it certainly makes a little inconvenience more tolerable. For me, I have limited opportunities to get up there and commit 7-8 hours in driving alone so I don't want to waste additional hours and effort with the aggravation and effort for the logistics of getting there and getting a dependable and safe parking spot before I have even set foot in the woods. That has a huge impact on the outcomes of my hikes so it is a situation I consider when planning. If I have one day a month to go up there in Winter and actually get a day where the weather and my schedule cooperate with a good hike I don't want to waste it stuck in a parking lot or getting my car towed, etc.

To the specific trail heads mentioned by B The Hiker (Osceolas,Hancocks) those are definitely spots I would avoid knowing they aren't plowed. To me those would be spots where parking on the road would be difficult at best or impossible and I would be worried about the status of my car the whole time I was in the woods. I would go elsewhere with better odds. I'm not sure that there are that many trail heads with that set up though where parking on the road is such a factor. Not sure which are state versus Federal that are also on busy and winding roads, etc.

 

[skiguy]

Realistically IMO all you really can do is keep your ear to the ground and play it day by day. A lot of good info on this board already about the present situation. Hopefully it continues.

 

[ChrisB]

... To the specific trail heads mentioned by B The Hiker (Osceolas,Hancocks) those are definitely spots I would avoid knowing they aren't plowed. To me those would be spots where parking on the road would be difficult at best or impossible and I would be worried about the status of my car the whole time I was in the woods. I would go elsewhere with better odds.

Much more important to me is the state of the trail rather than the parking lot. As in: "Has some nice and energetic youthful group broken out that 24 inches of new pow?"

I tried to do Hancocks, Isolation and Willey right after snowstorms. I parked the car just fine. Is was the solo trail breaking that sunk the expeditions at 1/4 mile an hour pace.

Free advice -- Read trail condition reports as well as parking lot reports!
cb

 

[peakbagger]

When I was planning a long winter day hiking trip, I was most concerned with recent trail conditions reports and the 36 hour forecast. The other thing was to go through my gear and balance the weight versus risk. Pretty low on my list would be finding a place to park. It would be rare for me to worry about a place to park as its highly unlikely that the hike would occur in the window where snow removal operations would be in place.

Recently (during the shutdown no less) we did East Osceola from the Kanc. Little East Pond parking was not plowed nor did it have any trace of plowing this year. We just drove up and down the road a bit and found a wide spot to park. The prior day I had run up to the Hancock overlook and looked for a place to park in case the lot wasn't open. I found a wide spot just up the road. In both cases I might have had to walk an extra 1/2 mile or less. The state of NH plow drivers usually are real good at widening out the road where they can near trailheads once they are done with final clean up. The same applies to the Pine Bend Brook trail on the Kanc, they plow it wide and that's where folks park. Nancy Pond is the same as well as five corners for Galehead and the area near Wildcat Ridge Trail.

 

[DayTrip]

Much more important to me is the state of the trail rather than the parking lot. As in: "Has some nice and energetic youthful group broken out that 24 inches of new pow?"

I tried to do Hancocks, Isolation and Willey right after snowstorms. I parked the car just fine. Is was the solo trail breaking that sunk the expeditions at 1/4 mile an hour pace.

Free advice -- Read trail condition reports as well as parking lot reports!
cb

None of that bothers me. It's par for the course in Winter. If I'm breaking trail and can't reach a summit that's part of the deal. I don't expect hardship and hassle getting there though. That is a real fun wrecker for me. I've had some 5-6 hour white knuckle rides coming home from some Winter hikes that are a strong deterrent to future hikes.

 

[DayTrip]

It would be rare for me to worry about a place to park as its highly unlikely that the hike would occur in the window where snow removal operations would be in place.

I agree but I was looking at this in the context of the shutdown where trail heads may not have been touched in weeks and could have massive snow and ice banks blocking access and other problems. I agree in a normal Winter it would be less of a factor but is always a consideration for me. Just a soft flatlander I guess.