Mud season in the Whites caught me with the wrong route plan

I hiked up Mount Lafayette in New Hampshire last May and figured the trail reports were being dramatic about the mud. My mistake, the Falling Waters Trail turned into a slip and slide for about 2 miles near the falls. It took me over an hour extra to cover ground that normally takes 30 minutes, and I ate dirt twice before I gave up on dry socks. I should have checked the mud season closure list on the White Mountain National Forest site before I left the parking lot at Franconia Notch. Now I keep a shortcut saved on my phone to that page, and I plan any spring hike with a backup route that stays above 3,000 feet or on exposed ledges. Has anyone else gotten burned by trail conditions that looked fine on the map but were a mess on the ground? Any tips for reading between the lines on trail report language?

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hannahk191mo ago

Oh man, Falling Waters is brutal in mud season.

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