billski
Member
I've seen people have been hiking it even though it's marked as closed. Apparently there are a lot of blowdowns down low. Thinking about taking it down from Eisenhower.
Dry River Cutoff also has some damage from Irene near the jct with Mt Ike Trail, where you actually need to walk in the brook channel to find the trail...other than that it's passable, at least it was in early June
As far as I know, anyone caught on the Dry River Trail is subject to a hefty fine.
There are multiple places where the trail was obliterated by the river and the channel has been widened and scoured the rocks, roots and trees that kept the banks – and in many places the trail – stable. There are multiple areas where the trail leads to an abrupt 10 – 20 foot drop above into the river creating an unexpected falling hazard. Still other portions of the trail directly adjacent the river have been scoured and undermined; what looks to be a stable trail tread is actually just a thin veneer of organic material suspended 25 feet above the river with no bank beneath it to support the trail or its users. In addition to the falling hazards, navigation and route finding has become difficult due to the changed landscape – some trail junctions no longer exist. In areas where the trail has disappeared, it is challenging to find where it picks up again.
So stay off the trail and bushwhack the drainage instead? Are they permitted to close the drainage indefinately or just the offical trails?
Proposed Action
Since Tropical Storm Irene, a variety of natural resource specialists have visited the
project area to assess the feasibility of restoring Dry River, Isolation and Rocky
Branch hiking trails in their historic alignments. These specialists also explored the
surrounding area to determine where trails could be relocated to provide more
sustainable alignments while restoring connectivity and natural function in the
watershed. Based on identified needs, input from Forest Service resource specialists
and resource management partners, as well as guidance in the Forest Plan, a
proposed action was developed to:
• Relocate missing trail sections on the Dry River Trail, totaling approximately
1,000 to 1,500 linear feet, by defining a minimal tread where terrain allows,
and change the trail class from 2 to 1 on the section that extends from the
suspension bridge north to the intersection with the Crawford Path (7.9
miles).
• Clear storm damage and delineate trail corridor in damaged areas of the
Isolation Trail by defining a minimal tread and removing debris. This is
needed on the section of trail located west of the intersection with the Davis
Path. In addition, change the trail class on this section of trail from 2 to 1 (2.4
miles).
• Relocate missing trail sections on the Rocky Branch Trail, totaling
approximately 1,000 to 1,500 linear feet, by defining a minimal tread where
terrain allows, and change the trail class from 2 to 1 on the section that
extends from the intersection with the Stairs Col Trail (near Shelter #1) north
to the intersection with the Isolation Trail, near Shelter #2 (4.1 miles).
• Remove (decommission) the Rocky Branch #2 Shelter and rehabilitate the
site by removing the fire ring and shelter material and placing brush on the
site, and then construct 3 new primitive tent sites on the west side of the trail
near the current shelter location.
• Repair and maintain sections of all 3 mentioned trails where trails remain in
their current alignments, including removal of extensive amounts of blow
down timber from the upper section of the Dry River Trail.
Presidential Range Dry River Wilderness Area Trails Project
CE
- Recreation management*
Developing Proposal
Est. Scoping Start 01/2014*
EXPECTED DECISION by:04/2014*
EXPECTED IMPLEMENTATION by:06/2014
Rodney Wilson
603-447-5448 (120)
[email protected]*
Description:*Sections of the Dry River Trail, Rocky Branch Trail and Isolation Trail in the Presi-Dry Wilderness were damaged by Hurricane Irene and need repair or a nearby relocation. Rocky Branch Shelter 2 is to be decommissioned and tent sites designated.
Location:*UNIT - Saco Ranger District. STATE - New Hampshire. COUNTY - Carroll, Coos. LEGAL - Cutts Grant and Sargents Purchase in Coos County, NH, and Jackson in Carroll County, NH.
Sections of Dry River Trail above the footbridge, Rocky Branch Trail between Shelters 1 and 2, and intermittent sections of Isolation (west) Trail. Rocky Shelter 2 is near the jcn. of Isolation Trail.
Enter your email address to join: