Elk Lake to Panther Gorge Q's

[DEEPFOREST]

Does anybody know if the 9 mile trail from Elk Lake to Panther Gorge is broken out? And if so is the trail up HayStack from the S. broken?

Do you still have to park near the ranger cabin or can you park at the trailhead and save the 2 miles.

Can anyone comment on how dangerous it would be to summit Haystack from the South with the current conditions?

[Rik]

I doubt it is broken out. You need to start at Clear Pond. Not sure about dangerous but I would bet on difficult.

[Neil]

I doubt it is broken out. I would bet on difficult.

You always were one for understatement Rik. DF, wait for a thaw-freeze. Walk on the snow, not in it.

[fvrwld]

I was just there on Saturday to do the Dixes. The trail to Panther Gorge was not broken out. It looked as if no one had been that way this winter.

The gate was closed. We had to park at the Clear Pond.

[DEEPFOREST]

thanks..
I ran into the park ranger last winter at clear pond and asked him if he knew if anybody was staying at the PG lean-to.
He laughed and said the whole winter can go by without a single person even hiking that trail.

That hike is one I've been thinking about for a while, it's probably the least used trail into the HP's.

[Lonewolf]

Not that this will help you out this year, but I hiked that section last year, we hiked from clear pond (which you will have to park at?) to the loj at heart lake. It was pretty cool hiking up and out of panthers gorge and we broke trail all the way to the intersection for Marcy and Skylight, then had broken trail the rest of the way : ). We stayed out three very, very cold nights. We didn't go up Haystack from the gorge, sounds like a nice hike. have fun!