| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Dorset - West Peak, Dorset - South Peak, VT |
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 | Trails: |
Tower trail, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, September 7, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The parking lot looks like it recently had more gravel brought in. Room for several cars. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
One step over stream flowing just enough to filter water if needed. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Nothing of note on the trail. The register on West peak however is missing from the red bottle which had water in it. I didn't find a jar but maybe I didn't look hard enough, it's in a thick flat spot. South peak has a jar in good shape. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I made a nice 6-mile loop to bag the West peak for my 3k list, the other peak was a bonus. I took the tower trail to the col, then started whacking in beautiful spruce woods over West and South peak. I climbed a tree for a view. The young waist-high spruce was thick at times and slow going but surprisingly dry in the morning. Some areas of fern were wet and I got just a little bit damp. It was pretty easy to follow the ridge just by compass and staying on the highest ground and the woods were fairly open, the only undergrowth being ferns and young spruce, which would probably become traps in the winter. About halfway along the flat & thick part of the ridge I saw a high spot and found the red summit bottle but no jar. Following the curving ridge south, at a point around 3000' the woods abruptly switched to hardwoods, with the typical hobblebush and saplings but it wasn't terrible. There was even an old picnic table and grill randomly up here. I found one great viewpoint not far from the little South peak, which lacks 200' prominence but was nice to visit if you poke around for the cliffs. From there I headed over one more small bump, then down in wide open woods back to the trail / road, popping out right at my truck, just by luck. |
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 | Name: |
Carl G |
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 | E-Mail: |
calxjohnson@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-09-09 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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