By Allen Crabtree

BN Columnist

I’ve received an update from Diane Sinclair about Burnt Meadow Mountain in Brownfield and wanted to pass it along to you:

“Burnt Meadow Mountain has a sign that the Town of Brownfield has closed the trail. There were orange cones and yellow tape to close off the parking lot but all were pulled away by people ignoring them.”

The U.S. Forest Service released this information on April 24, 2020: In alignment with current federal, state and local guidance for physical distancing and to ensure health and safety of employees, visitors and volunteers, the White Mountain National Forest is shutting down several high use trailheads, day-use areas, and dispersed recreation facilities until further notice. While the White Mountain National Forest remains open, we are reminding the public to please recreate responsibly.  New Hampshire has a Stay Safe at Home order in place and has asked the public to recreate locally. There have been unseasonably high numbers of visitors to the National Forest resulting in increased potential for exposure to Coronavirus where visitors are not able or willing to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or with current federal, state and local guidance for physical distancing. In order to ensure such guidance from experts at the CDC, state and local for physical distancing, the White Mountain National Forest is shutting down some recreation sites and trailheads. Closing these areas will allow the Forest to assess our ability to do work safely, reduce the number of vehicles and congregation at trail heads, help control vandalism and to meet CDC guidance and cleaning standards. 

Trails would remain open, but only accessible by foot traffic in order to discourage long distance travel and to adhere to the state’s Stay Safe at Home orders. If you are able to walk to the trailhead without driving, you can access the trail. Parking on most roads is prohibited. Remember to pack out what you pack in.

The following trailhead parking lots and trails are closed in Evans Notch: East and West Royce, Caribou, Baldfaces and peaks accessed from the Baldface parking lot or the Basins parking lot, Brickett Place parking lot, Wild River. 

There are more closures to the west in New Hampshire, as well.  A map showing closures is shown above.

Access Deer Hills, Blueberry and Speckled from the Evergreen Valley side in Maine.

Allen Crabtree of Sebago writes the weekly Senior Rambles column as a member of the Denmark Mountain Hikers.