Mt Clinton Road North end reopened?

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peakbagger

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Hi, someone in the group I was hiking with mentioned casually that the Mt Clinton road was reopened?. I am quite surprised the state decided to rebuild the bridges on the north end. Nice to know my shortcut to Crawford Notch is back.

Can anyone confirm?
 
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You mean the southern end near 302? We drove the length of the road from base station to 302 back in May maybe June. Had it closed after that?
 
It was closed on the north end for two years due to bridge washouts last year and I think the prior year. The only access to Edmands path was from 302.

(I edited the title from West to North)
 
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Well, we drove the full length from N to S a few months ago. I seem to recall some new road work but it wasn’t remarkable enough for me to recall with precision. Maybe wasn’t paying attention either. LOL.
 
I doubt they got around to removing all the rocks sticking up through the pavement ;). I wish they would just tear the tar out and grade it.

I am still trying to find out the history of the cast iron pipe on the north end.
 
The pipe is probably why I don’t pay attention to the rocks in the road. Maybe bringing water down to the hotel? I feel like I read something about it somewhere. There is a corner where the old railroad grade crosses. I think the pipe continues along the road though. Can see a lot more interesting features if you look at the NH stone wall project imagery. One of these days I’d like to follow the RR grade from Clinton to base station - it comes out at the hikers parking lot I believe.
 
If you look at the USGS map there is possibly a dammed up pond and structure along the old railroad grade after it crosses the Mt Clinton Road. This is incidentally a numbered USFS road. I would agree that its probably tied with the hotel complex. I think its A surface water source from a brook so its cannot readily be used as potable water unless expensive water treatment is installed, but it could be used for irrigation. The pipe was abandoned with sections missing for several years and at some point it was repaired for a few years. At one point there was a lot of new green PVC piping materials piled in the woods along Jefferson Notch Road to presumably rework the intake but a subsequent flooding event seems to stopped its use. In theory the infrastructure outside of the state of NH owned right of way would need to be covered with a USFS special use permit subject to renewal if it was in active use, if it was abandoned than its probably old enough to be an historical artifact. My guess is the FS looked the other way when it was put back in operation.

Given the type of pipe used it could hold considerable pressure which may imply a hydro generator but subsequent temporary repairs implies its now running at low pressure. The entire hotel complex had to generate its own power at an on site power plant that still exists as I suspect public power took quite awhile to make it to the hotel so possibly like the auto road complex they had a hydro electric generator fed from this source?

The cog has at least two abandoned steel intakes that cross onto USFS land.
 
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Very interesting, thanks. Yes, I've seen that dam on the satellite. I think there is an ATV/Snowmobile bridge near the dam end as well. Another area worth poking around in one of these days.
 
Its been on my list of an "odd ball hike" for a few years, just have not gotten around to it.

If they want the pipe gone I have a use for it ;)
 
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