Allen, like a handful of other peaks, (including Marshall, Skylight and Grey, Cliff and Redfield) all occupy the space south of the of Van Hovenburg wilderness area, “The Mud Pit.” My experience here has been that everything south of Lake Colden is muddy and miserable at pretty much any point throughout the year, except in winter, where it’s snow. In my opinion Cliff, Redfield and Allen were particularly “wet” experiences. If you’re interested in tackling these ones, embrace the mess.

We summited Allen in late summer after a period of heavy rain fall, trails that are normally quite muddy had transformed into mud pools before our arrival. A word to the wise here in regards to the trails, when the mud is heavy and you decided to go anyways, do not walk off the trails or along the sides. This is what causes erosion and damage to the trails, just embrace the mud and dive in.

This trail is definitely a doozy, the poor trail conditions make the long hike out quite tiring, and the final mile is nothing short of grueling. Pretty much all of the elevation gain is in that final mile, so prepare yourself for a severe difficulty spike. Of all the High Peaks, this is one I don’t ever see myself doing again.

• The Upper Works is certainly an odd place considering how much parking there is in comparison to other, more popular trailheads. We arrived here quite late, around 7:30, and were still able to get a spot without any issues.
• The Upper Works received a pretty considerable stimulus in the early 2020’s intended to improve accessibility in the area.
• The infamous “red moss” of the waterfalls and final mile of this trail is very slippery, but Vibram soles and smart steps will serve you well. Some people choose to wear spikes as well.  
• Even in better conditions, the views here are mostly non-existent. We had overcast conditions and rain for the whole climb, but there were two or three decent lookouts on the way up that may have been good.
• Lots of running water here and high water crossings. Bring water purification and water shoes.