Smarts Mtn

Looking for recon help for a trip to Smarts Mtn in Lyme NH late April or early May.

Is Lyme-Dorchester Rd paved, and if not, how prone to mud season woes is it? Is there much parking?

I've been on Quinttown Rd (that has an alternate approach to Smarts Mtn, right?) to the trailhead for Cross-Rivendell trail to Mt Cube & I seem to remember the road getting rather awful past that point.

I'm trying to organize a group hike to Smarts Mtn, was thinking about a loop w/ the two trails from the south (AT and Daniel Doan trail? I don't have my White Mtn guide with me).

Comments/suggestions welcome...

the road is paved to the skiway, i think, and dirt after that. It can get muddy and rutted in the spring, and there is parking for maybe 6-8 cars.

Jason Berard said:

the road is paved to the skiway, i think, and dirt after that. It can get muddy and rutted in the spring, and there is parking for maybe 6-8 cars.

Click to expand...

Correct, if you're not careful you'll miss where the road turns to dirt and follow the paved road to the ski area base

Ample parking at ski area to shuttle hikers to trailhead in large SUV

Note that while it's called L-D Road you should come in from the Lyme end, it hasn't been passable from Dorchester in years

You are probably right about Quinttown Rd

Depending on how long a hike you want, my first hike up Smarts came up from NW on then-AT (now DD), down to SW on then-former AT (now Ranger), then back to car via woods road to W of peak (yet another former route of AT) with bushwhack up Smith for good measure. If you park at ski area instead this should be OK in spring.

I hiked Smarts back in November of 2005, and I was originally planning on heading in from the south. However, I had difficulty finding the trailhead at night (while the AT is well marked where it crosses the Lyme-Dorchester Road near the skiway, there are no signs marking the parking lot for the Lambert Ridge/Ranger Trails, and you just have to know that it's on the left when you reach the height of land on the road - to the unknowing eye at night it simply looks like a driveway) and ended up using the Daniel Doan Trail from the NW instead. Where Mousley Brook Road ends at the parking area for this trail, there's a house just beyond the gate that looks like it's inhabited year-round, which means the road is plowed to that point. Then again, maybe it only appeared inhabited because it was deer season. The tricky thing about the Doan Trail is all not all the trail junctions during the flat early section of the hike are well marked, so I was often left wondering which way was the correct one. Usually going straight ahead was the correct choice, and later on the blue blazes kick in (and keep an eye out for the small trail signs, which can be really easy to miss but are definately useful).

Smart's beta

I'm the maintainer for the five miles of the AT from Smart's summit to the Quintown Road. The specific trail name is the "J" Trail. A couple of us are going through there from L-D road, along Lambert Ridge, and out the "J" trail on this coming thursday to remove blow downs. I also recently have done AT Corridor boundary maintenance there. Give me a PM when you are closer your trip date and I will give you the current conditions and access information. I'll probably see you up there too.

Road to dorchester not passable

I can vouch for Roy's statement that the road from Lyme to dorchester is not passable, it more or less becomes too difficult for 4Runner slightly after passing the Ponds near the mid-way point.

I agree

I checked that rd also,found it unpassable.Ended up doing the D Doan trail.Found it most enjoyable,quiet way up for sure..MJ

The L-D Road is fine from the west as far east as the AT crossing and slightly beyond. If you're approaching the L-D Road from NH 10, though, it can be difficult to find because there is (or was) no road sign at the L-D Road's junction with 10 in Lyme. But it heads east from the northeast corner of the Lyme town square near the church.

There was no problem with the unpaved Quinttown Road in August although it would be soft in April-May. From 25A, it's 2.3 miles on the Quinttown Road to the parking area at the first locked metal gate. There's room for 6-8 cars. There are houses almost until the first gate. After the first gate, walk about .5 miles to the second gate, past a gravel pile, and the Kodak Trail crossing is just beyond that.