SummitPost.org

I am going to be in the Boston area this weekend (March 19-22) on business. I have a day open and won't be that far from Pack Monadnock Mountain in Miller State Park.

Is it even feasible to consider a hike to the top, even along the road, at this time of year and given the amount of snow that has fallen? I was hoping a few hardy NH hikers have beaten in a path through the snow to the top. I looked at the Miller State Park website and it reports that all facilities are closed but the park is still open, which is fine with me. However, if it's simply too nasty/icy/muddy/snowy to do this hike, I'd like to know now, so I can divert my attentions elsewhere.

Thanks for any feedback!

Conditions are highly variable right now - melting fast, often freezing solid on colder days/nights. The prime hazard is knee-deep holes left by previous hikers - if they freeze solid, you've got a great leg-breaker trap.

Most popular trails (including the toll road) are mostly solid-packed snow with not-infrequent post-holes. You need boots, and gaiters are a good idea. Some kind of traction aid is advisable, especially if it's below freezing. Snowshoes wouldn't hurt but you can get by without them (even off-trail, you rarely go in more than knee-deep). Mud shouldn't be a huge problem, all the trails on Pack Monadnock are thoroughly hardened.

Watch this space for recent reports:
http://trailsnh.com/maps/index.php?find=pack+monadnock

From Boston (or Peterborough), I would go up Monadnock rather than Pack Monadnock: much, much better views, still a short hike. Pack Monadnock frankly doesn't deserve a whole day.
http://www.summitpost.org/mount-monadnock/151236

Or, for the same driving time from Boston, consider something in Franconia Notch (e.g. Mt Lafayette) offering a lot more mountain. For that you need good weather, proper clothing, and I'd bring crampons.
http://www.summitpost.org/mount-lafayette/150537

FWIW, current weekend forecast for most of New Hamphire is "mostly cloudy, highs in the 30s". Pretty cold in the meantime, so you should still have plenty of snow.

Thanks for this information. I will have limited gear since I will only be there briefly. I have some other short hikes closer into where I am staying so I was looking at Pack Monadnock as a short outing, figuring it's got a road that could serve as a trail, and has probably been hiked on, and isn't that far, and so on.

I wish my handlers would send me to Boston later in the year when I could have better conditions... but I have no say in those matters. March it is.