XC ski on Livermore road?

[SpencerVT]

Might seem like a dumb question, but can you XC ski on the Livermore road trail that goes toward TriPyriamid? I was thinking of skiing up it this weekend and then climbing The Sleepers.

Reason I'm asking is that some places only allow foot travel so I just wanted to be sure. Thanks!

 

[vegematic]

"Foot travel" includes skis, snowshoes, and the like. It is meant to exclude motorized vehicles and often bicycles. Skiing is, as far as I know, permitted on any hiking trail in the Whites, although it may not always be advisable.

 

[SpencerVT]

Sounds good to me! Thanks!

 

[DougPaul]

You can ski Livermore Rd through Livermore Pass and down to the Kanc at Lily Pond. (Moderate to the pass, difficult between the pass and Lily Pond. Many (myself included) would be happier on snowshoes between the pass and the pond...)

Livermore Rd between the XC area and the Pass has been treated as a backcountry extension of the XC area in the past*. (Not groomed). Check the Waterville XC snow conditions for a condition report.
* Don't know their current viewpoint.

More info can be found at https://www.google.com/#q=skiing+livermore+trail

You might find skins to be useful between the two hairpin turns. (I have climbed this section on waxes, but waxes can outgrip waxless.)

FWIW, the section of Livermore Rd not included in the XC ski area has been renamed Livermore Tr.

Doug

 

[TJsName]

And from what I recall WVV grooms parts of it as part of their network, but if you are only on Livermore Road or Tripoli Road I believe you don't need a trail pass.

 

[DougPaul]

And from what I recall WVV grooms parts of it as part of their network, but if you are only on Livermore Road or Tripoli Road I believe you don't need a trail pass.

Only the lower part of the road is groomed as part of their network--the upper portion is an ungroomed backcountry trail. In the past you have not needed a pass for Tripoli Rd, Livermore Rd, or Greely Ponds Tr.

I have not checked to see if the above still holds for this year.

Livermore Rd leaves the groomed system at point 65 on http://www.waterville.com/s/WV_NordicTrailMap_1415-proof-1-2.pdf (Note that the map indicates that Tripoli and Livermore Roads are National Forest Public Access Trails.)

Doug

 

[TJsName]

Only the lower part of the road is groomed as part of their network--the upper portion is an ungroomed backcountry trail. In the past you have not needed a pass for Tripoli Rd, Livermore Rd, or Greely Ponds Tr.

I have not checked to see if the above still holds for this year.

Livermore Rd leaves the groomed system at point 65 on http://www.waterville.com/s/WV_NordicTrailMap_1415-proof-1-2.pdf (Note that the map indicates that Tripoli and Livermore Roads are National Forest Public Access Trails.)

Doug

They haven't updated the map to reflect Irene's Path and associated changes. I'm curious if they used to/have started grooming the GPT. Now that it's pretty much a road it wouldn't be as tough as the other trails that can be looped with it. Never been back there in winter.

 

[DougPaul]

They haven't updated the map to reflect Irene's Path and associated changes. I'm curious if they used to/have started grooming the GPT. Now that it's pretty much a road it wouldn't be as tough as the other trails that can be looped with it. Never been back there in winter.

The GPT may have been groomed in the dim, dark past, but I don't recall any recent (say 10-15yrs) grooming. However, it generally had enough traffic that it was usually "user groomed". Before Irene, it followed an old logging road all the way from Livermore Rd to the lower pond.

I haven't been there since the Irene washouts and repairs, but from what I have read, I suspect that the new section is more difficult (steeper ups and downs) than the part that it replaced. Only one way to find out for certain...

Doug