Recent content by DougBates

I ski at Jackson X/C a lot. The Bog Brook and Wildcat River hiking trails are regularly used in the winter. To access the trailhead one needs to snowshoe about .3 miles on the groomed x/c trail. On weekends there is often insufficient parking for all of the skiers. Skiing there should last way...

There is an abandoned trail up the south side of Eastman you might consider. I've not done it, but once when I was on Eastman a hiker emerged at the summit saying that that was the way they got there.

The Wild River bridge was not in the backcountry. It was next to a campground and not in a Wilderness area. Before Covid I had little hope of getting this bridge replaced, too, but the situation has changed due to Covid. There's interest now in infrastructure projects to stimulate the economy...

Several years ago Hurricane Irene damaged the footbridge over the Wild River, near the Wild River Campground in the Evans Notch. Eventually, the Forest Service removed this bridge, deciding not to replace it. The bridge is not in a Wilderness Area. As the Wild River is difficult to ford, the...

In October I wanted to hike to Moriah Gorge and forgot this bridge was gone. I wrote my two NH senators and my NH congressman urging them to get this bridge replaced, as Covid had driven up the visitor numbers in WMNF and we needed to keep these trails accessible. I got a call from Jeanne...

New posting on Alltrails, quote: Eric Rathbun Hi my name is Eric. I was the trail maintainer for Albany Mountain for 9 years. I had placed cairns near the summit where it was not obvious where the trail was. I also had cairns that went out to the viewpoint passed the summit. I even had a sign...

I have written to all of my NH state legislators about the situation. They've all responded saying that they oppose the trailhead closures, that they are concerned that the trailhead closures are causing excess usage on the trails that remain open, and that they are working with the governor to...

The old Ducks Head trail head is connected to the Jackson Ski Touring center's Troll Trail. The Troll trail connects the golf course area of the Ellis River trail to the Red Fox restaurant. Coming from the restaurant the trail is obvious. Make a left at the first intersection, and shortly after...

One of the things I've been most shocked about in all of this is the xenophobia exhibited by my fellow citizens. It makes me feel shame for New Hampshire.

The actual park is not someone else's backyard. The park is a communally owned park. The same is true of the roads that go to the park. In good times those local resources benefit from the park.

That's correct according to https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2020/03-2020/Governor-Lamont-Signs-Executive-Order-Asking-Connecticut-Businesses-and-Residents-Stay-Safe . The CT order specifically allows people to go outdoors for recreation.

The trailheads that are open are typically ones not controlled by the Forest Service. Lots of them are in our state parks. These trailhead closures are just going to make those trails more crowded. It's making the situation worse, not better. The state parks in the Whites are not gated like many...

NH's stay-at-home order specifically allows and encourages outdoor exercise. https://www.concordmonitor.com/New-Hampshire-COVID-19-stay-at-home-order-What-you-need-to-know-33562663 A snowmobile trail crosses the Slippery Brook Trail near Chandler Brook. One (perhaps the same) snowmobile trail...

Sure, there are a few day trippers willing to drive 8 hours to do a hike. There always have been. But North Conway is nearly a ghost town compared to what it is usually like at this time of year. Traffic is light, even on blue bird Saturdays. On the other hand, the vacation homes near me are...

From what I can see from my neighborhood in Glen NH is that the out-of-state cars are from people who either have vacation homes here or are people who are doing extended stays here to escape large cities. It's a 3 hour drive to the Whites from Boston. The hotels and vacation rentals are all...