A Trek to the Trailhead for the Benton Trail on Tunnel Brook Road

Upon reading the title of this report, you might ask what's so special about a trek to a trailhead!  It's a fair enough question.  Perhaps this report will provide some answers.

As all hikers know, access roads to certain trailheads are closed during the winter season.  If you’re in the mood for a long hike and/or are a peakbagger working on completing a list, then walking the access road is just one component of your overall hike.  However, if you just want a short winter-hike, or want an alternative place to XC-ski, then these access roads alone might be a venue to consider.

On a snowy, overcast day (21-Feb), I did a 5.4 mile (round-trip) XC-ski along Tunnel Brook Road.  My sole destination was the trailhead for the Benton Trail.  Primarily, I did this for the pure pleasure of gliding on my skis through a remote corridor in the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF).  Secondarily, I wanted to get a feel for conditions along the route with the thought of using this corridor in the future to reach other destinations.

This trek began on Tunnel Brook Road at a plowed parking area located about 0.2 mile from Rt. 112 at the boundary for the WMNF.  There's room for about 4 cars.

Tunnel Brook Road isn't maintained for winter travel beyond the plowed parking area, but interestingly enough, the road isn't gated.  Because it isn't gated, you might see tire tracks where an occasional person will (for whatever reason) decide to drive on this unplowed road.  Whoever does this, I suspect is simply a "thrill-seeker".  There are no homes, camps, businesses, etc on this road.  Nor does the use of this road provide a shortcut to reach any place that couldn't be reached more easily via plowed roads.

On the day of my trek, a vehicle had recently travelled the roadway.  However, this still leaves ample room to establish a ski or snowshoe track down the center or along the shoulder of the road.  And, in my opinion, the tire tracks don't really detract that much from the surrounding beauty.  Perhaps what's more important is that this roadway isn't used by snowmobiles.  And, even if you do encounter tire tracks, it will only be for about a mile, at which point you reach the gated portion of Tunnel Brook Road where motorized vehicles are disallowed.

Shown below is a snapshot taken from the roadway during the early part of my journey, before reaching the point where motorized vehicles are disallowed. (Tunnel Brook Road is on the left, and Tunnel Brook is on the right.)

Scene along Tunnel Brook Rd prior to gated portion where motorized vehicles are disallowed

Upon reaching the gated portion of Tunnel Brook Road, there is a sign regarding the damage that Tropical Storm Irene caused to this road in August 2011 (see composite photo below).

Sign regarding the damage that Tropical Storm Irene caused to this road in August 2011

Just beyond this sign, the evidence of damage to this road is very apparent.  Even a covering a pure white snow doesn't hide the clear signs of erosion, and the culverts that were ripped out of place.  There are some easy off-road workarounds at some of the more severely damaged spots.  The next two photos show some of the damage.

Damage to Tunnel Brook Road caused by Tropical Storm Irene

Another view of damage to Tunnel Brook Road caused by Tropical Storm Irene

On the bright side, there are long stretches of Tunnel Brook Road that are undamaged.  It could just be me, but I find it delightful to ski through such a wide corridor that winds its way through a forest where there are no motorized vehicles.  The next two photos show some typical scenes along the route.

Tunnel Brook Road (beyond the gate) winding its way through the forest

Woodland scene along Tunnel Brook Road (beyond the gate)

After a thoroughly enjoyable skiing experience, I reached the trailhead for the Benton Trail, which was my target for this day.

Trailhead for Benton Trail

Interestingly enough, it appears that hikers are still signing the registry book at the trailhead.  And even more interesting is that there is an entry for early February of this year!

Current page of registry book at trailhead for Benton Trail

From the trailhead, I skied the trail for a short distance to the point where the Benton Trail crosses Tunnel Brook.  It looked like the brook crossing MIGHT be solidly ice-bridged.  However, I was not going to be the one to test it!

Tunnel Brook crossing point along the Benton Trail

Having reached my target, it was time to turn around.  Since there is a slight downhill grade on the return, the journey back to my car took about half the time as my outbound trek.  I was able to effortlessly glide for most of the way.

Just as a sidelight, there are several old logging roads that branch off Tunnel Brook Road.  These provide some opportunities for additional XC-ski or snowshoe adventures.  One of these logging roads is particularly prominent (see photo below).  I have as yet to ski or snowshoe it.  However, a few summers ago, my friend Marty and I walked this road to where it ends, and then continued a short distance beyond to a lovely waterfall that we'd heard tale of.

Old logging road branching off Tunnel Brook Road

And lastly, shown below is a map which might be helpful to bring together all the information presented in this report (click to enlarge).

Map showing location of this trek

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