Dry River Campsites

I was thinking of combining a two-day Presidential Traverse with a side trip through the Dry River Wilderness to get Isolation too. Wanted to stay in the Dry River since I'm thinking that Nauman will be full this upcoming weekend because of the Monday Holiday. I've seen several references to the sites mentioned in this link (http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?18718-Dry-River-Wilderness-campsites) and am wondering if anyone has been in that area recently who can confirm that they still exist. Thanks in advance.

Mike, Not sure about campsites, but somewhere in my mind I believe that the Mt Isolation trail west section between the Dry River trail and the Davis Path was closed (long before Irene)?.

Thanks Dennis. I was going to call the Saco Ranger on Monday but was hoping to get a jump on planning. The announcement from the forest service said that both the Dry River and Isolation trails were re-opened so I was hoping there would be a clear (but rough) path up to Davis Path. Will update with what I hear from them.

Isolation west is in great shape, according to some friends who hiked it a couple weeks ago.

Not sure of your route, but Dry River Shelter#3 is a lovely place to spend the evening. Take the Mt. Eisenhower Trail up to Crawford Path if your exit point is Crawford Notch.

If your exit point is the Dry River trailhead, there are plenty of camping opportunities near the junction of Iso West and Dry River Trail.

Good news on Mt Isolation west trail. Prior to its closure it had a bad reputation as loaded with blowdowns. Plenty of camping in the area of the junction of the Dry River Trail and the Mt Isolation West trail. I always preferred this route to Mt Isolation.

Not sure of your exact route, but as stated above, Dry River shelter #3 is in great shape and is a lovely spot to spend the night. There are only very poor camping opportunities north of the shelter (towards Oakes Gulf). South of the shelter, there are plentiful camping opportunities.

hikerbrian said:

Not sure of your exact route, but as stated above, Dry River shelter #3 is in great shape and is a lovely spot to spend the night. There are only very poor camping opportunities north of the shelter (towards Oakes Gulf). South of the shelter, there are plentiful camping opportunities.

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There is at least one FS designated site north of the shelter past the blowdown area (awesome axe work), not sure if there is a water source.

HAMTERO said:

There is at least one FS designated site north of the shelter past the blowdown area (awesome axe work), not sure if there is a water source.

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Yes, there is, you are correct. It is not good (IMO) - a low spot where water is directed and full of roots. I wouldn't camp there unless an emergency. There may be a reasonable space for a single solo shelter, but that's about it.

There are a number of designated sites (little wooden tent sign) along the Dry River Trail South of Shelter #3. I was just in there this past Labor Day Saturday and visited a few on our way out. There were tons of people in various group sizes heading in that afternoon to camp at the various places.

Isolation West as noted is indeed open. The day after the above trip I ran into a few folks while I was leaving Isolation that had come up Dry River and Isolation West to Davis Path and said there were no extraordinary issues with it.