1HappyHiker
Well-known member
The following is excerpted from White Mountain Guide (28th edition):
"This trail starts on the east side of NH 16, just south of the bridge over the Ellis River . . . the trail sign is on a bank behind a guard rail and is easily missed . . . use the Rocky Branch Trail parking lot, 0.1 mi north of the NH 16 bridge."
As suggested in the guidebook, I parked at the Rocky Branch Trail parking lot. But YES, on my first pass, I did indeed miss the trailhead sign!! Not only is this sign behind a guard rail, it is also at the bottom of an embankment which makes it very difficult to see from the road. But this wasn't a big deal. I found the trailhead, and had a nice hike.
The trail was unbroken, however breaking trail was relatively simple since the snowpack was firm during my ascent. By the time I descended (less than 2 hours later), the snowpack had softened considerably causing some occasional post-holing even with snowshoes.
There were no issues with water crossings. However, there were a few blowdowns. One blowdown about 0.2 mile from Hall's Ledge requires a short bushwhack to get around. The last 0.1 mile before reaching Hall's Ledge goes through a scrubby conifer forest. This area needs some significant brushing.
Some photos and details about this hike are posted on my BLOG.
"This trail starts on the east side of NH 16, just south of the bridge over the Ellis River . . . the trail sign is on a bank behind a guard rail and is easily missed . . . use the Rocky Branch Trail parking lot, 0.1 mi north of the NH 16 bridge."
As suggested in the guidebook, I parked at the Rocky Branch Trail parking lot. But YES, on my first pass, I did indeed miss the trailhead sign!! Not only is this sign behind a guard rail, it is also at the bottom of an embankment which makes it very difficult to see from the road. But this wasn't a big deal. I found the trailhead, and had a nice hike.
The trail was unbroken, however breaking trail was relatively simple since the snowpack was firm during my ascent. By the time I descended (less than 2 hours later), the snowpack had softened considerably causing some occasional post-holing even with snowshoes.
There were no issues with water crossings. However, there were a few blowdowns. One blowdown about 0.2 mile from Hall's Ledge requires a short bushwhack to get around. The last 0.1 mile before reaching Hall's Ledge goes through a scrubby conifer forest. This area needs some significant brushing.
Some photos and details about this hike are posted on my BLOG.
