Mount Tom

Trail: West Side Trail, Kedron Flume Trail, Ethan Pond Trail, Willey Range Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Zealand Trail

Conditions: Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable

“This was a great loop for being in secluded wilderness, and the Whitewall section of Ethan Pond trail is amazing! Westside trail, although following Rt. 302, has a lot of ups and downs and has a lot more elevation gain (and loss) than it reasonably should. It did a lot of meandering up and down the slope. Leaf litter made it a little obscured, but it was mostly not too hard to follow. There were many blazes. Kedron Flume trail is easy to follow and frequently used, and the Flume itself is a nice viewpoint. Willey Range trail is quite steep going up Willey, and the ladders are in varying stages of falling apart, but once you summit Willey it is gradual and relatively easy terrain. There is a nice ledge on Willey overlooking the notch, and a small window out on Field. Field had exceedingly friendly Canada Jays which landed on my hand, even though I wasn't holding out food. If you search around the summit of Mount Tom, there is a spot you can get a little view south through dead and blown down trees. A-Z trail going down the west side of Mount Tom was actually really nice. I was thinking it was going to be more obscure, but the trail was very well maintained and the forest was really pretty as well! Ethan Pond trail was excellent throughout. The view at the base of Whitewall is amazing, and Ethan Pond is a really pretty spot as well. There is a bridge over the North Fork East Branch Pemigewasset River at the crossing in between Thorough Falls and Shoal Pond trails.”

Trail: Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Willey Range Trail

Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable

“The Avalon trail is in great shape with good footing that makes for a fast ascent and descent. The A-Z trail was mostly dry which really helped with all the rock steps especially on the descent. The Willey Range trail is super fast to Field and then slows me down on the trek over the Willey. That little scree section just gets more and more eroded and there are numerous sections that are tight and really need a haircut. This was the first solo hike in a few days so I was missing my crew from last week but the universe provides. Lo and behold, I heard yelling and was delighted to bump into Stephanie! She was just what the doctor ordered. Lots of hugs and chatting and planning for Andrea's 366 finish made me so happy and I just cruised right on back to my car. Lots of friendly hikers out today and shout out to Robin and Kevin, who recognized me from Maine! Conditions are really pretty top notch right now which just made for the nicest morning.”

Trail: Avalon Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Willey Range Trail, Ethan Pond Trail

Conditions: Dry Trail

“Nice outing of the OTHH. A pair of our group got a bit ahead of the rest of us at the bottom of that steep descent off Willey. At the trail sign for the Kedron Flume trail, they took that by mistake. Their vehicle was the one we dropped at the end of Willey House Station Rd in the morning, so the rest of us just waited at that lower trailhead while the other two walked the mile down rte 302 and up to where we waited.”