Parking Lots

[SherpaTom]

Any place to check to verify if lots for trailheads are plowed by tomorrow a.m. I assume they will be, but I hate assuming.

 

[peakbagger]

That is not a safe assumption. The major state lots are usually done by the highway crews but the USFS lots tend to be either contractors or USFS and can take longer. The Mt Clinton Road Crawford Path lot is somewhat infamous for not being plowed.

Unforunately, I am not aware of any good overall listing of when particulare lots of plowed.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Always have a shovel in the car!

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Bob and Geri report:

Parking Lot Status - 3:30 PM Sat

Flume parking lot plowed very well:
Liberty Springs - one pass last night? Drifted in:
Basin lots plowed:
Lafayette - both sides of highway one pass last night? Drifted in:
Old Man viewing - plowed
Skook - one pass last night? Drifted in:
Beaver Brook - one pass last night? Drifted in - high snow bank at road both entrances.
Garfield end of Gale River Loop not plowed high snow
End of Trudeau road parking area is NOT plowed.

Roads north of Lincoln mostly snow covered.

Tim

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Michael Blair reports (5:30PM)

Just drove 112 Lincoln to Conway.

Lincoln Woods plowed earlier in day but a little sloppy now.
East Pond lot plowed recently.
Greely Pond lot plowed recently.
Hancock lot not plowed. Sabbaday Falls lot plowed.
Downes Brook lot not plowed.
Oliverian Brook plowed.
Champney Falls not plowed.

Tim

 

[LarryD]

Maybe only I found this humorous: I was heading to the Sawyer River Rd. Winter parking area yesterday AM to make an attempt on Vose Spur. On Route 302 in Hart's Location, about 100 yards from the parking lot, they are replacing the Sawyer River bridge on Route 302. There is a flashing message board with a message along the lines of: "Help NH DOT. Park in designated hiker lots". I turn into the parking lot and it is not plowed! Even when we got back to the cars in the PM it was not plowed.

 

[peakbagger]

A follow up, as reported in one of the trip reports Applalachia was not plowed out Sunday AM. I drive past about 8:30 and there were two groups of cars that had punched their way in. Unfortunately both groups of cars probably made it difficult for the subsequent plowing as they were both in the middle of the entrances. It was plowed later.

 

[Montana]

Looking at a loop over WhiteFace and Passaconaway this weekend. Could anybody comment on parking at/around the Dicey's Mills trial head? Looks like it is on/near Ferncroft Rd off 113A. Is it typically plowed in winter? Thanks.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Typically, it is plowed in winter.

Tim

 

[Montana]

Anybody notice if Pine Bend parking lot is plowed? Thanks.

 

[peakbagger]

Pine Bend is rarely plowed as there is no parking lot (unless one was built recently), usually folks park at Sabbathday Falls lot and walk or make a loop.

 

[JCarter]

Pine Bend is rarely plowed as there is no parking lot (unless one was built recently), usually folks park at Sabbathday Falls lot and walk or make a loop.

When I last did Pine Bend in the winter (which was actually 2 years ago...), there was a "wide spot" near the trailhead where it was possible to park a half-dozen cars or so. But you need to make sure you're off to the side, and won't interfere with plowing. If there is recent or threatened snow, you probably need to do a road walk. I've found calling the WMNF info center in Lincoln to be very useful to find current parking info along the Kanc.

 

[MikeB]

The Ferncroft trailhead is almost always plowed, and holds maybe 20 cars. The Tamworth Outing Club grooms some XC trails from there, so it tends to fill up quickly on weekends.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Pine Bend is rarely plowed as there is no parking lot (unless one was built recently), usually folks park at Sabbathday Falls lot and walk or make a loop.

Early in the winter there were were several reports that the DOT has plowed extra wide on both sides so that you could get completely off the pavement. I found that to be the case when I was there on 1/4/13 - probably room for 5 vehicles on either side of the highway.

On a different note - I swung by Lafayette Place (northbound) this morning about 8AM on my way to Cannon. Both lots had been plowed after the big storm, but the 3-4" we got a couple of days ago had not been plowed completely. They'd swung thru and plowed a lane thru the center but the parking spaces themselves were not. My Tacoma doesn't have good winter treads, so I needed to use 4x4 drive to swing around. The Cannon lot was well-plowed for the Kinsman trail.

 

[psmart]

The lot for Sawyer River Road was recently plowed. (Nice 16 mile skijor today.)

FYI, the WODC handles plowing for the Ferncroft lot. Your membership dollars at work!

Please forgive the plug, but plowing is a real mix of USFS, state, local, and private operations. It's very hard to tell who actually does the plowing of a given parking lot.

 

[TDawg]

Early in the winter there were were several reports that the DOT has plowed extra wide on both sides so that you could get completely off the pavement.

I had the same experience on 1/18/13. Mostly off the pavement on the north side of the road.

 

[madmattd]

Early in the winter there were were several reports that the DOT has plowed extra wide on both sides so that you could get completely off the pavement. I found that to be the case when I was there on 1/4/13 - probably room for 5 vehicles on either side of the highway.

Same experience about a week before Kevin's at Pine Bend. Plenty of parking on the North side at the very least, 6-8 cars well off the road no problem.

 

[peakbagger]

I guess the confusion lies on the time period for the inquiry. During a storm and after a large storm, DOT concentrates on keeping the roads open, during this period lots and wide spots in the road are rarely plowed unless they happen to be a turn around point for the snowplows (Harvard Cabin parking on RT 16 for an example). During these periods, cars do get towed if they are on the pavement. As the DOT crews get caught up (which may be as much as a day after a large storm), the plow crews normally go back and open up the wide spots and parking lots for hiker parking if they are under state control. Barring a significant addtional snow, these spots are typically okay to park, but if a car is left for a few days and it snows, they may be towed unless completely off the pavement, more likely they will be plowed in.

A general guide is that if the parking area is currently is marked as a FS fee area or has FS signage and markings, the state doesnt plow the lot. Of course there are notable exceptions like 19 mile brook which appears to be plowed somewhat by state vehicles yet the FS charges a parking fee. Some USFS lots dont get plowed, like the Ammo lot as it would get little use with the Cog lot open. If the lot is not on a state maintained highway and not a signed FS lot, odds are if it is plowed, its a local club that may plow it or occasionally a gracious local person.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Who plows out Lincoln Woods?

Tim

 

[peakbagger]

Me thinks its USFS (or a contracted vendor) since its a signed "FS US Fee area".