York Pond Road To Mt Cabot For A Small Economy Car

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DayTrip

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Wondering about the quality of York Pond Rd for Mt Cabot. It shows as paved most of the way and from what everyone has said it is maintained all the way to the trail head. Is it generally in good condition? I drive a Hyundai Accent (which reads crappy in snow with very low clearance) and generally don't have major problems on most roads in NH but after my little 35 minute "adventure" trying to get out of the Waumbek lot on Rte 2 last week I figured it might be prudent to inquire about the road condition. Don't want a repeat of that incident, especially in such a remote area. Some other threads I have read have referenced icy conditions on the roadways up North.

Also, any cell service on that road/in that area in the event I run into trouble? I have Verizon. Any information would be appreciated.
 
There is a is new cell tower on Milan Hill so the coverage has greatly improved lately. No guarantees but a lot better than it was a few months ago. The road itself is normally plowed to state road standards with no issues with a standard car. It is probably a solid sheet of ice given the rain and warm up. (I know my driveway is). It would be less likely to be sanded. Forecast for Thursday is 10 inches of snow. It will be plowed but may not be for 24 to 48 hours after the storm.

By the way is not that remote, there are houses at the fish hatchery gate and several year round homes along York Pond Road. Go on a weekend and you will have plenty of company or search the archives (or pull out an old AMC guide and take your chances from the Pleasant Valley Road). This is no longer a maintained WMNF route due to landowner issues but its still does get some use.
 
There is a is new cell tower on Milan Hill so the coverage has greatly improved lately. No guarantees but a lot better than it was a few months ago. The road itself is normally plowed to state road standards with no issues with a standard car. It is probably a solid sheet of ice given the rain and warm up. (I know my driveway is). It would be less likely to be sanded. Forecast for Thursday is 10 inches of snow. It will be plowed but may not be for 24 to 48 hours after the storm.

By the way is not that remote, there are houses at the fish hatchery gate and several year round homes along York Pond Road. Go on a weekend and you will have plenty of company or search the archives (or pull out an old AMC guide and take your chances from the Pleasant Valley Road). This is no longer a maintained WMNF route due to landowner issues but its still does get some use.

Thanks. If I go it will be tomorrow. My original plans to stay up there for a few days fell through and weather didn't look great for rest of week.
 
Pardon me if I'm telling you what you already know...

In winter, the back of my car always has a bucket of sand, shovel, extra (antifreeze) windshield fluid, tow strap, jumper cables, reflective triangles, in addition to the usual set of scrapers and brushes. I also keep a reflective vest under the driver seat so I can get out and set the triangles.

I run normal all-season tires because the very little driving I do that requires true snow tires isn't worth the expense of changing tires twice a year. But the sand and shovel will help out for icy parking lots or if I don't recognize the road has deteriorated quickly enough...or if I get home and can't get up my own driveway! Obviously it doesn't prevent a high-speed slide-off. Re: the tow strap: figure out where you'd hook your car before you need it. But often having just a bit of extra pull from someone else can make the difference.

Snow cables are a light and relatively cheap alternative to chains that give some traction; probably worth having a pair, but I haven't invested yet.

I've dug two cars out of the Parkway and one out of the Lonesome Lake parking. All with NH plates, sadly...all cases where 4WD or serious snow tires weren't necessary (one case was 4WD, sigh), but having a little bit of resources was.
 
Pardon me if I'm telling you what you already know...

In winter, the back of my car always has a bucket of sand, shovel, extra (antifreeze) windshield fluid, tow strap, jumper cables, reflective triangles, in addition to the usual set of scrapers and brushes. I also keep a reflective vest under the driver seat so I can get out and set the triangles.

I run normal all-season tires because the very little driving I do that requires true snow tires isn't worth the expense of changing tires twice a year. But the sand and shovel will help out for icy parking lots or if I don't recognize the road has deteriorated quickly enough...or if I get home and can't get up my own driveway! Obviously it doesn't prevent a high-speed slide-off. Re: the tow strap: figure out where you'd hook your car before you need it. But often having just a bit of extra pull from someone else can make the difference.

Snow cables are a light and relatively cheap alternative to chains that give some traction; probably worth having a pair, but I haven't invested yet.

I've dug two cars out of the Parkway and one out of the Lonesome Lake parking. All with NH plates, sadly...all cases where 4WD or serious snow tires weren't necessary (one case was 4WD, sigh), but having a little bit of resources was.

No problem. I'm "usually" prepared with shovel, etc but I had recently "organized" all of the crap I have in my back seat, taken the contents out and had not replaced them. Luckily I have a stuff sack with some gloves, some tools, etc and had an old fleece that proved to be the save the day item I needed to get enough traction to get out.

I put so many miles on my car between work and hiking (roughly 45,000 miles/year) that I'm usually getting an all season tire at some point in Fall and ready for an economy model by late Spring/early Summer. Tread/type of tire makes a MASSIVE difference on my car. In an economy tread I'd be lucky to get a rolling start on a flat snow covered road (which I learned the hard way last year on a 5 hour hell ride home - there is nothing but hills around my house and I basically had to run stop signs and red lights circling my neighborhood until I could get a break in traffic to scoot into my street). I do miss my F-150.....except for when I gassed it up.

Does the sand actually help? I know in past I've thrown down broken branches, leaves and other junk and it really didn't matter much. It's certainly cheap enough to toss a bag of sand in there but it just seemed like on ice it wouldn't be enough.
 
Luckily I have a stuff sack with some gloves, some tools, etc and had an old fleece that proved to be the save the day item I needed to get enough traction to get out.
Floormats are the other typical sacrificial item.

I put so many miles on my car between work and hiking (roughly 45,000 miles/year)
Very different constraints indeed; that's more like a decade of driving for me.

Does the sand actually help? I know in past I've thrown down broken branches, leaves and other junk and it really didn't matter much. It's certainly cheap enough to toss a bag of sand in there but it just seemed like on ice it wouldn't be enough.
Yep, had to use it a couple of times, and I think it works a lot better than kitty litter. Be aware that just tossing the bag in, it might turn into a frozen single lump. I dumped it into a five gallon pail with a gamma seal lid. Looks like they're available online in smaller sizes for those who plan ahead but 5gal was all Home Depot had. Shake it up occasionally and check for condensation on the lid, wipe it off...the stuff straight from the bag is awful damp, thus the frozen (only advantage that kitty litter has). The advantage of leaving it in the bag is, if only one wheel is biting, you can drape the bag over that side of the car for more traction.

Ask me about cardboard tied to the radiator grille sometime ;)
 
The Waumbek lot climbs a bit of a hill while the York Pond/Hatchery entrance is pretty flat.
 
The Waumbek lot climbs a bit of a hill while the York Pond/Hatchery entrance is pretty flat.

Yes. I did wind up going yesterday and it was decent. The first mile or so was actually sanded and most of the road was about 1/2 inch of fresh snow and packed snow/ice. I didn't have any issues on the gentle grades thankfully. Did hit a lot of snow on the way up though. Was a 500 mile, 9 hour round trip drive for me to hit Cabot. And no views....again. Only been on that mountain twice and haven't seen a damn thing. :(
 
Floormats are the other typical sacrificial item.


Very different constraints indeed; that's more like a decade of driving for me.


Yep, had to use it a couple of times, and I think it works a lot better than kitty litter. Be aware that just tossing the bag in, it might turn into a frozen single lump. I dumped it into a five gallon pail with a gamma seal lid. Looks like they're available online in smaller sizes for those who plan ahead but 5gal was all Home Depot had. Shake it up occasionally and check for condensation on the lid, wipe it off...the stuff straight from the bag is awful damp, thus the frozen (only advantage that kitty litter has). The advantage of leaving it in the bag is, if only one wheel is biting, you can drape the bag over that side of the car for more traction.

Ask me about cardboard tied to the radiator grille sometime ;)

I wondered why so many people use kitty litter. Didn't realize it related to it freezing. That's good to know.

I am intrigued about the cardboard tied to the radiator......
 
They don't count if you don't get a view ;)

Realistically there is no view from the actual summit and the view at the former fire tower sight is slowly growing in. The best view is actually from the Horn. The view east along the Mahoosucs and over into western Maine are worth the trip. The Horn is on the 100 highest list so if you haven't don't it you will be back.

Traditionally the cardboard over the radiator is desperate method of getting a bit more heat out of car with cooling system issues (usually a thermostat stuck open)
 
They don't count if you don't get a view ;)

The best view is actually from the Horn. The view east along the Mahoosucs and over into western Maine are worth the trip. The Horn is on the 100 highest list so if you haven't don't it you will be back.
Totally agree; The Horn was one of my favorite nehh views in nh, though bit tough getting on top of the boulder. wasnt really planning to do the nehh at the time. just checked my blog. cant believe its been 4 years. ( http://1slowhiker.blogspot.com/2012_12_06_archive.html )
 
Traditionally the cardboard over the radiator is desperate method of getting a bit more heat out of car with cooling system issues (usually a thermostat stuck open)

When it's 40 below, the engine block freezes out from the wind chill, even when the thermostat works fine. I remember my dad getting up at 4 every morning to plug in the car, but that doesn't help much once you're moving, unless you have the mother of all extension cords.
 
Totally agree; The Horn was one of my favorite nehh views in nh, though bit tough getting on top of the boulder. wasnt really planning to do the nehh at the time. just checked my blog. cant believe its been 4 years. ( http://1slowhiker.blogspot.com/2012_12_06_archive.html )

It really is a neat spot in the whites. It has a similar feel to West Bond where you just pop out in the middle of the woods. Getting to it in winter is certainly tougher given the icy road and potential for having to break trail (and the Unknown Pond trail being easily lost in the birch glade). Tagging it from Cabot and coming back is probably easier.
 
They don't count if you don't get a view ;)

The Horn is on the 100 highest list so if you haven't don't it you will be back.

When I did in the Summer I came in from North and did the Horn on way back. Was a very foggy, drizzly day though so there wasn't much to look at. Drove home in torrential rains from t-storms. It is one long ass day hike from my house. At some point in the Summer when the weather is most definitely going to be good I'd like to go back. The woods have a different feel to them versus the rest of the Whites, at least to me it did. I think this peak might be the only one I've done where I have never seen the view.
 
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