U
Unregistered
Guest
Date: 1/2/09
**Note Altered Route: Gale River Rd and the other access roads into the WMNF from Route 3 are all closed. We parked at Beaver Brook and followed signs down a cross country path to Gale River Road. Signs then lead you southeast down the road and direct you to take a right at the fork . We then traveled southwest down this road, first passing the Gale River Trail parking area and eventually reaching the Garfield Trail parking area. By my rough estimate this adds approximately 4 miles to the round trip.
Trail Conditions: The Beaver Brook XC trail to Gale River Road was well packed and completely broken out. Gale River Road has experienced heavy snowmobile traveled and was completely packed down. From this direction, all bridges were intact. The XC trail and the roads could all be barebooted.
The first 1 - 1.5 miles of Garfield Trail were covered in a thin dusting of snow with a thin sheet of ice underneath. Definitely bareboot worthy. The next mile or so of the trail had roughly 6 inches or so of unpacked snow. The second half of the trail and the small stretch of the Garfield Ridge Trail before the summit all both covered in at least a foot or two of unpacked snow and required snowshoes. The Garfield Ridge Trail leading east at the junction with the Garfield Trail and the trail leading southwest off of the summit are both unbroken. The summit had little snow or ice cover.
Roughly one major blowdown every mile on the trail. The stream crossings were all mostly frozen, requiring some care to avoid breaking through soft ice.
Special Equipment: Snowshoes for the last 2.5 miles of the trail were needed. We brought crampons but didn't use them.
Comments: Met two other hikers at the summit who parked at Beaver Brook, but walked south down Route 3 then south down the west end of Gale River Road to reach the trail head. They said that the bridges along the road are all washed out.
~ Marshie
**Note Altered Route: Gale River Rd and the other access roads into the WMNF from Route 3 are all closed. We parked at Beaver Brook and followed signs down a cross country path to Gale River Road. Signs then lead you southeast down the road and direct you to take a right at the fork . We then traveled southwest down this road, first passing the Gale River Trail parking area and eventually reaching the Garfield Trail parking area. By my rough estimate this adds approximately 4 miles to the round trip.
Trail Conditions: The Beaver Brook XC trail to Gale River Road was well packed and completely broken out. Gale River Road has experienced heavy snowmobile traveled and was completely packed down. From this direction, all bridges were intact. The XC trail and the roads could all be barebooted.
The first 1 - 1.5 miles of Garfield Trail were covered in a thin dusting of snow with a thin sheet of ice underneath. Definitely bareboot worthy. The next mile or so of the trail had roughly 6 inches or so of unpacked snow. The second half of the trail and the small stretch of the Garfield Ridge Trail before the summit all both covered in at least a foot or two of unpacked snow and required snowshoes. The Garfield Ridge Trail leading east at the junction with the Garfield Trail and the trail leading southwest off of the summit are both unbroken. The summit had little snow or ice cover.
Roughly one major blowdown every mile on the trail. The stream crossings were all mostly frozen, requiring some care to avoid breaking through soft ice.
Special Equipment: Snowshoes for the last 2.5 miles of the trail were needed. We brought crampons but didn't use them.
Comments: Met two other hikers at the summit who parked at Beaver Brook, but walked south down Route 3 then south down the west end of Gale River Road to reach the trail head. They said that the bridges along the road are all washed out.
~ Marshie
