Zealand Trail Question

[walker]

I recently noticed the sign at the trailhead of Zealand Trail has the number "397" after the name of the trail.
What's up with the number?????

Trailhead Sign
See you on the long brown path....Walker

 

[Waumbek]

It's probably the USFS Forest Road number, as the FR merges into the trail. It's hard to find a map of forest roads. I don't have one for the Zealand area.

 

[walker]

Zealand road number

Waumbek:
It's probably the USFS Forest Road number, as the FR merges into the trail. It's hard to find a map of forest roads. I don't have one for the Zealand area. .

Nope...The AMC Guide ID's Zealand Road as Forest Raod # 16.

See you on the long brown path....Walker

 

[David Metsky]

We can't see the photo, permissions problems.

 

[Waumbek]

Nope...The AMC Guide ID's Zealand Road as Forest Raod # 16.

OK ..... second guess: the number of the old logging railroad.

 

[MichaelJ]

Or perhaps the first right-hand turn recently used logging road that heads up the eastern flanks of Mt Hale? Not shown on the USGS topo but very visible in the Google Map image and labeled by Google as extension of Zealand Road?

Oooh, while you're at it, scroll up. They still have data for, and show as roads, the Sugarloaf Trail connecting all the way through to Lady Slipper, and the Tuttle Trail. Fascinating…

 

[MichaelJ]

BTW, an excellent reference for turning FR numbers into road names is the WMNF road status page.

Though ... they don't mention FR397.

 

[NewHampshire]

Since the sign clearly states "Zealand Trail" so probably has no corrolation to Zealand ROad. Plus the sign looks older than the recent logging.

I wonder if maybe it has something to d with aiding Search and Rescue? Perhaps a way to more easily identify to SAR teams? Though is this were so you figure they would start doing this to all trail signs.....most perplexing.

Brian

 

[RoySwkr]

NF trails also have numbers, you can see them on an official WMNF map

Both trails and roads are occasionally renumbered