Katahdin’s wind-raked heights do have an immense pull. However, all of the trails in Baxter State Park, not just the popular routes up Katahdin, offer unique experiences. If you never venture away from Katahdin, you’re missing out on opportunities to find beauty, excitement, peace, and wildness.
If you can’t bear being too far removed from Katahdin, consider any one of the following day hikes:
The Owl, a knob west of Katahdin’s Baxter Peak, doesn’t have feathers or eat mice, but it’s got a great perch. The 3.3 mile hike (one way) to the Owl’s summit gets you views of the wilds surrounding Katahdin’s western flank. You can look up and see the treeless expanse of Katahdin’s wide, upper terrain or you can choose to look across the landscape to pick out scattered ponds noted by Thoreau to resemble a "mirror broken into a thousand fragments, and wildly scattered over the grass, reflecting the full blaze of the sun." The trail to the Owl starts at Katahdin Stream Campground. Follow the white-blazed Hunt Trail (AT) for just over a mile, where the blue-blazed Owl Trail branches off on the left. This is a return hike.
The Marston Trail, beginning across the Nesowadnehunk Tote Road from Slide Dam, is a rigorous 8.8 mile circuit traversing the peaks of Mt. Coe as well as North and South Brother mountains. The views of the northern and western aspects of Katahdin are remarkable as are the vistas looking westward towards aptly named Doubletop Mountain. Personally, I rate a late afternoon moment watching a distant moose meander through the Klondike wetland some 900’ below as one of my top Baxter experiences. Seeing a 7’ tall moose dwarfed by its wild surroundings was something to remember.
Doubletop Mountain is a favorite of hikers moved by diverse forests and stunning views. At 6.6 miles long (from Nesowadnehunk Campground to the peaks and back), it is not quite as long as some other Baxter hikes, but it provides a great workout just the same. It is a great place to view water in the landscape, whether close below (e.g., Nesowadnehunk Stream) or off in the distance (e.g., Chesuncook Lake, Maine’s third largest lake).
Daicey and Kidney Ponds are family friendly hiking destinations that offer up a variety of hiking options. Numerous ponds clustered in this southwestern corner of the park are home to moose, beaver, bear, mink, waterfowl, warblers, amphibians and an assortment of other north woods wildlife. For us humans, there are a number of shorter trails to combine into circuits of varying lengths. While still rugged, trails here are less steep. Each pond encountered in this area has its own distinctive view, often of the captivating mountains nearby. If you’re looking for a mountain to climb in this corner, try the 5.8 mile hike to Sentinel Mountain, starting out at Kidney Pond campground.
North Entrance Hiking
The northern entrance to the park is reached by driving through the towns of Sherman, Patten, and Shin Pond. Once you’re in the park, hiking opportunities abound. Right off the bat, there is Horse Mountain. This short 2.8 mile hike to an abandoned fire tower will give you a great lookout across Grand Lake Matagamon and the East Branch of the Penobscot River.
The first campground reached after passing through the north entrance is Trout Brook Farm Campground. A number of trails fan out from this general vicinity towards several remote ponds that make fine camping/fishing destinations. Trout Brook Farm Campground is also the eastern trailhead for the 24-mile long Freezout Trail. This remote backpacking route through the Scientific Forestry Management Area takes hikers through wildlife rich habitat that is less frequented by the two legged variety of animal. Grand Pitch on Webster Stream and the pristine shores of Webster Lake are especially serene.
South Branch Campground, east of Trout Brook Campground, enables campers to camp in one spot and explore a variety of rewarding trails. Trails such as North Traveler (5.25 miles), Center Ridge (7.2 miles when combined with a segment of the Pogy Notch Trail), and Howe Brook (6 miles with some use of Pogy Notch Trail), all give hikers a chance to walk on ancient lava (Traveler Mountain’s rhyolite was formed through extrusive volcanic activity 400 million years ago). Views of the surrounding landscape are inspirational. Other destinations within reach of campground trailheads include South Branch Mountain, Fowler Ponds, and Pogy Pond.
Throughout the South Branch Ponds/Pogy Notch region of the park, take note of how an intense fire just over 100 years ago still affects the forests. Dwarf birches on the Traveler and limited a limited layer of duff atop mineral soil are just two examples of the old fire’s influence.
For More Information
There are over 200,000 acres to explore at Baxter State Park. Guide books, up to date maps, and Baxter State Park employees are all great resources. Remember to research and plan your visit- your work will be rewarded with a safer, rewarding trip.
The following works were references in writing this page:
§ 50 Hikes in the Maine Mountains, by Cloe Chunn. Backcountry Press.
§ AMC Maine Mountain Guide. Appalachian Mountain Club Books.
Prepared by Rex Turner – Friends of Baxter State Park Board Member & Registered Maine Guide
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