Mud Pond Trail

Mud Pond Trail is a short, easy cross-country ski route in New Hampshire's The Balsams, a land unit managed by a non-governmental organization. The trail is an out-and-back that starts and ends at roughly 2,267 feet, with a high point of 2,306 feet and a total climb of 238 feet over its 0.84-mile length. The route is steady, with the steepest stretch at about 0.32 miles in, where the grade reaches 13 percent. Winter is the natural season for this trail. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at First Connecticut Lake, which sits about 650 feet lower, show January highs around 22°F with lows near 0°F, and February is similar. Temperatures on the trail run cooler than those figures. The trail sits among a cluster of other cross-country ski routes. Valley Trail is just 0.1 mile away, Moose Pond Trail is 0.4 mile off, and Sugar Hill Run is 0.5 mile away. For a change from skiing, the Spruce Trail hike is also about 0.4 mile from the trail.