Amos Mountain, Deer Hill Spring, Lord Hill, & Hawk Mountain 11/20/2023

With today's excellent weather, I decided to head over to the Oxford Hills and White Mountains to hike some new to me trail segments on a variety of mountains that I had been on before.

My first hike was a very short one in the Heald & Bradley Ponds Reserve. The Homestead Trail is a short trail which was a new addition to the latest edition of the Maine Mountain Guide. It was a quick out and back hike up this trail, which has some interesting foundations near its end.

Next up was another hike in the Heald and Bradley Ponds Reserve from a different trailhead. I hiked a loop up and over Amos Mountain, utilizing the Rogers Family, Heritage Loop, and Amos Mountain Trails. This was a nice little loop and I enjoyed the views west from the viewpoint on the Heritage Loop Trail.

I then drove a bit west into the White Mountain National Forest. I wasn't certain whether or not the gates on the Deer Hill Road would still be open, but they were, despite the coating of snow on the ground. This hike was another relatively short out and back, this time to Deer Hill Spring off of the Deer Hill Trail. Deer Hill Spring is a very unique spot, and the water was spurting up quite close to the edge of the pool today, so it was easy to observe up close.

My fourth, and longest hike, was nearby on Lord Hill. I drove up Forest Road 9A, a short distance past the split in the Conant Trail Loop, to park. I then made a loop via the Mine Loop and Conant Trail over Lord Hill. This was quite a nice loop through hardwood forests, with only one short steep part. I walked through the mine pit and enjoyed the view over Horseshoe Pond, before heading back down.

My last hike was up Hawk Mountain in Waterford. The dramatic south facing cliffs on this mountain make it one of my favorites in the Oxford Hills. Last time I visited, the Cyrus Trail was the only hiking trail that had really been cleared on the mountain. As of my hike today, it appears thatmost, of not all of the trails shown on the trail map are now cleared footpaths and not just overgrown skid roads. I ascended via the Cyrus Trail, as that was the portion of the loop described in the MMG which I had not yet done. If you aren't specifically trying to follow the guidebook's described route, I would recommend actually avoiding the described route, as the newer footpaths are far more interesting than the eroded Cyrus Trail and the fire road. I visited the summit (no cairn) and the spectacular viewpoint, before descending via the Africa & America Trails. This was a pleasant descent route which brought me past another small viewpoint looking west.

Bull Rock, Dixfield (912') 11/7/2023

This afternoon, we went for a short hike up Bull Rock in Dixfield. We decided to make a loop, ascending via the trail described in the newest edition of the Maine Mountain Guide from 142, and descending via the traditional route from Moxie Heights Road. I hadn't taken the trail from 142 before today, and we discovered that it is an extremely steep trail with lots of erosion and poor footing. While steep, it does provide direct access in 0.3 mile to Bull Rock, compared to the longer, albeit far less steep, 1 mile long route from Moxie Heights Road. It also has about double the elevation gain, (400' vs. 200') compared to the route from Moxie Heights. We found that it was excellent to do as a loop in a clockwise direction, as the descent down to 142 could have been downright hazardous today with the wet leaves and rocks on the steep trail. Bull Rock is always a great spot to visit, and is also a nice side trip on the hike up Sugarloaf. It provided a very nice view out over the village of Dixfield and up the Androscoggin River Valley.

The trailhead on Route 142

A bridge on the trail just before it gets very steep

Dixfield from Bull Rock

Sierra enjoying the view

The view northwest from Bull Rock

The Sugarloafs from Bull Rock

Heading down the other side

Jewell Hill, Canaan (655') 10/22/2023

One of the new hikes added to the new edition of the Maine Mountain Guide is Jewell Hill in Canaan, also known as The Pinnacle. On this rainy Sunday, I headed over to Lake George Regional Park, where this small summit is located. I hiked a loop of just under 4 miles utilizing the Pinnacle Trail and Townsend Family Trail. The trails were well marked and maintained, although parts of the Townsend Family Trail were quite wet today. There isn't all that much to see at the summit of Jewell Hill, besides a small clearing where there may have been a bit of a view in the past, but it's still a nice network of trails to hike. It was a good choice for a rainy day, as I had the trails all to myself and I wasn't missing out on any views.

Lake George

The trail to the top was marked with signs like this one

Junction of the Pinnacle Trail and the Townsend Family Trail

The clearing near the summit of Jewell Hill

Townsend Family Trail

A very wet section of trail

Peary Mountain, Brownfield (956') 10/12/2023

On our way over to New Hampshire today, we stopped for a hike up Peary Mountain in Brownfield. It's a relatively easy hike which is only steep in one very short section. The lower part of the hike follows old woods roads before reaching a footpath soon before the western peak.

One of the woods roads that the lower part of the trail follows

The western peak has open ledges with excellent views north and west.

View from the western peak

Even though it's slightly lower than the main peak, it has the better views. We ate lunch at the western peak, before continuing along the ridge to the main peak.

Sierra enjoying the view at the western peak

At the summit there is a view east towards Pleasant Mountain, which we enjoyed for a bit, before descending via a slightly different route which avoided the western peak.

View from the summit

Bethel Community Forest West & Buck's Ledge Community Forest, Woodstock 10/11/2023

View from Buck's Ledge

Today I revisited two community forests in Bethel and Woodstock to complete some of the trails there that I had yet to hike.

Bethel Community Forest West Trailhead

This bridge was functioning as more of a dam than a bridge

First up was the Parks-Bennett Trail in the western part of the Bethel Community Forest. This trail makes a loop on the southern slope of Ellingwood Mountain, passing along a pretty brook and past an excellent viewpoint, known as "The Prow" along the way.

A cascade along the trail

Last time I hiked here, I hiked the Red Pine Ridge Trail, instead of completing the Parks-Bennett Loop.

The loop junction

This time, I hiked the entire loop clockwise, and paused for a while to enjoy the view from The Prow.

View from The Prow

View from The Prow

This cleared area with a view up the mountain is called "Porcupine Panorama"

I then drove over to Buck's Ledge Community Forest in Woodstock.

Start of the Lapham Loop

This property was recently conserved by the town, and encompasses three peaks: Lapham Ledge, Buck's Ledge, and Moody Mountain. I started up the Lapham Loop, and soon made it to the top of the ledge, where I enjoyed my lunch and the view.

View from Lapham Ledge

After lunch, I headed down the other side of the Lapham Loop to Mann Road. I then followed Mann Road to the west end of the Buck's Ledge Trail.

The start of the Buck's Ledge Trail on Mann Road

This trail steadily climbed to the top of Buck's Ledge, which had the best views of the day.

Summit sign on Buck's Ledge

View from Buck's Ledge towards Mount Abram

After taking in the view, I headed up the JnJ Backcountry Trail to the top of Moody Mountain.

Logbook at the top of Moody Mountain

The top of Moody Mountain

Although this is the highest peak in the forest, the views here are rather limited. I descended steeply to the old logging road, and followed the road back to the parking area, with a short bushwhack detour around where they were doing construction.

The old logging road

The lower part of the old road is being improved to provide a way for disabled people to enjoy views without having to hike.

View from the lower part of the old logging road