View Full Version : Who plow the snow at trail heads?
Up north when it snows, are the trailhead parking lots plowed?
If so who does it? State? Volunteer? Local Trail club? Just wondering.
Up north when it snows, are the trailhead parking lots plowed?
Don't count on it. Some may be, but that issue quite messed us up years ago... the trailhead in question was on Rte. 2, just east of Gorham. Our hiking plan for the weekend was shot to hell. The Rte. 302 trailhead at Crawford Notch was OK, as were the trailheads on Rte. 93 in Franconia Notch, and most of the trailheads on the Kanc.
Some are plowed in New Hampshire. Very few in Maine. I believe state highway crews plow most of them. Occasionally in Maine a trail friendly snow plow driver will open a narrow swipe.
But I've spent a lot of hours over the years digging a hole in the snow to get my car out of the line of traffic. Always carry a sturdy snow shovel when planning a winter hike.
Winter access to local trails vary also. The Phippsburg Land Trust hires a private plower to keep one of our parking lots open. A neighbor keeps a second open as a volunteer.
Weary
peakbagger
03-02-2008, 17:48
The White Mountain National Forest plows some of the larger lots mostly the ones that require parking stickers. The state of NH plows several trailheads along major highways. Be aware that parking along a state highway prior to a snowstorm , can get you towed unless the vehicle is completely off the road.
shelterbuilder
03-02-2008, 18:54
Plowing recreational area parking lots is not a high priority issue in Pa. Some of our trailheads are located on the ridgetop at or near county lines; the plow trucks plow enough of these lots to use as turn-arounds. Other lots are on Game Commission land and are plowed by the Game Commission if thy have the manpower and the budget to do so.
Now, if there was MONEY to be made by plowing these lots - like the lots at the local malls - you can bet that they'd be plowed FIRST.:rolleyes:
I think up in the White Mountains at least, the lots get plowed. Many people come up to winter hike.
I doubt they clear any of the trail heads in Maine. Any Mainers want to chime in on this? And in Vermont, unless it is along a major highway like route 4 I doubt much plowing gets done there either.
Basically, if you are hiking in northern New England this time of year, you better plan to be self sufficient.
David
the trailhead on rt. 4 in Maine was completely snowed in two weekends ago- drifts higher than the roof of the car. i'm guessing most of the AT trailheads in ME are in a similar state right now.
i was planning on taking the AT up Saddleback but the trail was under 4-5ft of unbroken snow. didn't have the time it would have taken to break trail all the way up, so hiked up the ski slopes. could see katahdin and mt. washington- couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous day!