Sandwich Notch Road

Can anyone tell me what kind of conditions I can expect on that road around this time of year? I have an old Corolla with bad suspension if that makes a difference.

The eastern end of the road was worked on during the summer, with quite a lot of material brought in to correct the drainage. It is in very good shape,
compared to recent years.

That being said, it is still a rough road, but your Corolla should be fine.
It can't be compared to the Caribou Valley Rd.

The rain events we received in October did some damage on the western end, and there are some cones in those areas now. Still, no planks or come-alongs required.

The Lessard sisters & I traveled it this past weekend and our vehicles survived.

However, there is a Beaver clan looking to drop barricades across the road
a short distance away from the Crawford Ridgepole trailhead Look for the hour-glass tree trunks, unless the FS has removed them this week.

I went part way up on Tuesday. The western (Thornton) end has been fixed. A little soft (still a little loose and wet from the rains) for a front-wheel drive, but doable.

Just after all the repairs this summer, I met two men driving out an older Honda Civic front the Algonquin trail head. The only problem they had was on the short paved section near the beginning where they scraped the undercarriage a bit.

SNR is in the best shape it's been in in years!

I needed to get to Portland this afternoon, so I traversed the SNR again.
(see shorter distance, but same travel time)

Anyway, the washout on the western most end, before the Scrimshaw farm
was repaired, but has opened slightly again. The long washout (this runs along the road, not across it) after the Scrimshaw farm is still present, and has actually widened since last nights rain. This is on the first uphill section (if you are traveling East / South ) just after the WMNF sign.

Still, the road is very passable, and as Periwinkle noted, it's in very good shape as compared to previous years. This area received 1" of rain in yesterdays/last nights storm, and there were numerous "road ponds" along the entire route. I only encountered 2 vehicles today, but it gets a bit busier on weekends. It appears that the Beaver damns have been pulled out by machinery, and the brook was running freely (and a bit high) today. The trees that had been selected by the fury local's are still standing next to the road.

Hall Ponds are a pretty side trip just off SNR. If you don't have 4WD and high clearance you may not feel comfortable about driving down there but they are quite picturesque and a nice walk 'tween the ponds.

Its a bumpy road for sure. With the forecast for very heavy rains later this weekend, it could make the road more interesting....have fun!

grouseking

It's too bad about that section washing out again -- after all the work that was done this summer you'd think it would hold together better.

Spent a bit of time hiking up there this summer. Upper Hall Road is messy -- need a good 4WD for that short road. Lower Hall Road has been fixed within the last few years, but there's one gully that nearly ripped the rear bumper off my Jeep. Beebe River Rd. is fine. Kiah Pond Rd. is a total horror show -- I only take the old 4WD up that.

its been wet lately and a lot of people get stuck on that road and have to call in the troops(friends usually, with elbow grease, or a truck and a chain). I know several people with stories about having to be pulled out of there when its wet. When it is dry its nasty but doable. Maybe a cheap winch would be a good thing to throw in the trunk. I used to have one when i used to take my car down caribou valley and other roads back when i was doing the hundred highest. Basicly, when its been wet, I'd avoid that road.