Hi folks. Wondering if any of you, in the infinite wisdom found herein, know about the dependability of the water from the spring at Guyot? I read a tr on NETrailConditions and the OP mentioned that he thought the spring would soon run dry.

Asking b/c Cathie and I are planning to accompany another friend on her Bonds traverse and that would be our plan A for the overnight.

Ideas where I might find this info fer shur?

Thanks friends.

The spring never is, never was large, but it is very reliable afaik. They don't put those shelters at unreliable water sources, especially not anymore, and if Guyot was prone to running dry I would think we'd have heard about it! I stayed there at roughly this same time of year during a hot dry summer once and the water source was flowing fine and cold enough to almost freeze our filter!

I assume you are talking about the report from last Friday. Since that person apparently wasn't aware of the very-well-known herd path bypass of the first 2 crossings on the North Twin Trail, I'm not sure I would rely on them to tell the reliability of a spring, especially since they've never been there before.

Yeah. Thanks Matt. That's what I thought too but I figured it was worth the asking. Cathie and I stayed there in August a few years back but I do not recall the weather pattern that had preceded our stay.

I wondered if b/c it was a thin stream he thought it was waning....I also chuckled at the herd crossing comment but I'm trying to be more open minded w/the influx of new hikers to the Whites...that bypass is only about what? Three years old?

That's my guess too.

The WMG is pretty good about noting iffy water sources near camping spots, as you are no doubt aware.

The spring near Camp Rich near the Passaconaway summit was flowing pretty solidly 2 weeks ago, despite the very low water levels in all the big valley streams. Not sure how helpful a benchmark that is


I think you were joking, but in case not, the herd path bypass on the North Twin Trail is much older than 3 years (it was painfully obvious in 2012 the first time I hiked that trail), and is mentioned in the most recent (2012) White Mountain Guide as a "well-beaten path". Actually, the WMG even hints at the Firewarden's Trail being in there. Of course, no one seems to read those anymore when they can just ask Facebook...

HA HA. Yes. I was joking. I was trying to pick a time frame to go back to for the onset of the social media explosion. I guessed three years. Either I wasn't paying attention and it started sooner or it was about then that the masses encroached on our trails. Yes. There. I said it. OUR trails.

I would agree it seemed to be somewhere around 3 or 4 years ago that the social media hiking thing took off big time. But I'm not a huge social media user, and have since left most of the Facebook hiking groups due in part to all the lazy folks that can't be bothered to look up how long XYZ trail is.

Boy this thread is heading for a cliff. I'll bring it nominally back on topic: don't stay at Guyot on a summer weekend! Pick a weekday Sadly not doable for most of us, myself included.

Back to your original question, I have been there multiple times in late July/ early August and the spring was always running strong. Happy hiking.

What Matt said.

I've never heard of it running dry. In general I haven't seen too many springs that actually pour like a faucet. Trickles are the norm in my experience. Not sure exactly what that guy was expecting.