Mont Écho, Quebec 10/29/2026

During a short trip to Quebec this week, we spent a day hiking Mont Écho in Sutton. The trails on Mont Echo are part of the Les Sentiers de L'Estrie network, and we started our hike from the Chemin de la Falaise Trailhead. At the trailhead, we paid the $9 day use fee and started down the trail. After traversing lowlands for a bit, the trail began to gradually climb the northwest slope of the mountain, passing a narrow and deep gorge along the way. The trail was extremely well constructed with sturdy bridges, switchbacks, and excellent drainage the entire way.

Bridge near the start of the trail

A small gorge next to the trail

Upon reaching a trail junction in the saddle between Mont Écho and Mont Singer, we turned left towards Mount Singer to do a short out-and-back section of trail to Passe du Diable (Devil's Pass) and L'Etang des Mallards (Mallard Pond). Devil's Pass is a rugged gap in the mountains with steep rocky sides, and lots of fallen boulders. Just beyond the Pass, Mallard Pond is a tiny pond with steep slopes and cliffs surrounding it on almost every side. These two spots were very rugged and beautiful, and they were well worth the side trip.

Devil's Pass

Mallard Pond

A large boulder along the trail

After the short detour, we continued up Mont Écho. The trail remained mostly at easy grades with a few short moderate sections. It wound its way up the mountain along a rather circuitous route, and we were treated to glimpses of the tall cliff face above us, to which the trail would eventually lead. We turned right at a trail junction near the summit, and soon reached the top of the mountain. Here there was a clearing with the remains of an old chairlift from the ski area which used to operate on the mountain, along with a view towards Mont Brome. Just beyond the clearing were the remains of a second chairlift, which we passed on our way to the end of the trail at an impressive cliff-top viewpoint. This viewpoint offered excellent views to the south, east, and north. Besides many peaks in Quebec which were visible, a large portion of the northern Green Mountains in Vermont could also be seen.

The summit

Remains of one of the two old ski lifts near the summit

The clifftop viewpoint

View east

View south towards Vermont

We enjoyed the beautiful view as we ate lunch, and then headed back down the way we came up. After returning to the bottom of the mountain, we continued past the trailhead a short distance to beautiful waterfalls and a deep gorge with 3 observation decks. Unsurprisingly, Mont Écho turned out to be another excellent Quebec hike, and I hope to come back to explore more of the mountains in the Sutton region!

The first waterfall along the short section of trail to the west of the trailhead

Cascades in the gorge at the end of the trail

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Jackson Mountain 10/21/2026

On this perfect late October day, we headed to Tumbledown Public Land for a loop hike over Jackson Mountain. Although it stands taller than its more popular neighbors, Jackson Mountain sees far less traffic, and, in my opinion, is one of the more underrated mountains in the area. We started at the Morgan Road Trailhead, and hiked downhill on the Little Jackson Connector Trail. After reaching the Brook Trailhead, we headed west on the Byron/Weld Road. After a road walk of a few miles, we turned onto the logging road following the Stockbridge Branch of the Swift River. Shortly before the bridge over the river, we turned onto the trail which follows the Stockbridge Branch along the north side of the mountains.

Road walk on the Byron/Weld Road

This seldom used trail provides a longer, but more gradual approach than the busy trails on the south side of the mountains. It follows the stream valley up, following the route of an old tote road for a while, before diverging on its own path as it turns away from the main stream and heads south up the mountainside. Upon reaching Jackson Pond, we took a break at the cabin and enjoyed the beautiful high elevation pond before continuing.

Cabin on Jackson Pond

Inside the cabin

Jackson Pond

After leaving the pond, we turned onto the Jackson Mountain Trail for the final ascent to the top. The Jackson Mountain Trail has got to have the most beautiful extended mossy sections of any trail around! We stopped to enjoy the beautiful viewpoint, offering a unique close-up view of Little Jackson, before reaching the summit clearing.

Little Jackson Mountain from Jackson Mountain

View northwest

View south

With clear skies and no wind, it was a perfect day to lay in the sun on the helipad for a while, which we did while eating lunch. After lunch, we went back down the Jackson Mountain Trail before following the Little Jackson Trail on a much more direct route to our car. Surprisingly, we didn't see anyone else on the trails all day, even in the area of Little Jackson, and we were the only car in the parking lot both when we started and when we left.

Sampson at the summit of Jackson Mountain

View towards Mount Blue

View back towards Jackson Mountain from the saddle between Jackson and Little Jackson

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Bald Mountain (Woodstock) 10/8/2026

On this beautiful fall day, we found our way back to Bald Mountain in Woodstock to explore a few trails that we hadn't hiked yet on the mountain. We were the first car in the Little Concord Pond State Park trailhead lot at around 8:30, and we started up the trail to Little Concord Pond. Upon reaching the pond, we opted for the trail heading along the west shore of the pond.

Little Concord Pond State Park Trailhead

At the pond's most northwestern point, we found the first, and most mysterious, of the three new trails that we planned to explore. I had noticed this trail before, but was not able to find any maps showing it or references to where it went. We started down the trail, and it soon became clear that although the trail was lightly used, it was well cared for with no real blowdowns at all and a clear trail corridor. The trail descended a bit as it wound through the forest. Eventually, the trail popped out at the end of a woods road, and we realized that we were at the end of Pelletier Road near Concord Pond. It was great to discover this new approach to the trails on Bald and Speckled Mountains!

Little Concord Pond

After retracing our steps back to Little Concord Pond, we took the trail heading northeast towards the logging roads on the north side of Speckled Mountain. Just before the trail reached the logging road, we took a right turn on a somewhat eroded trail heading uphill. This was the second new to us trail which climbed rather gently to the south. The trail had some blowdowns, but was easy enough to follow, and it became rather level as it reached the wide col between Bald and Speckled. We reached the 4-way junction in the col with the blue-blazed Speckled Mountain Trail. After determining that the trail south of the col was too muddy and overgrown to be worth following, we headed west to the summit of Bald Mountain.

Speckled Mountain from Bald Mountain

Sampson at the summit of Bald Mountain

View west from the summit

Despite the beautiful weather foliage, we had the summit of Bald completely to ourselves for over an hour while we relaxed and ate lunch. Just before we left, we did see one other hiker with her dog, one of only 3 people we would see during the hike. Continuing west from the summit, we soon took a sharp left turn onto our third, and final, new trail of the day. This unmarked, but well used path soon took us to the bottom of Shagg Crag, the popular rock climbing cliff on Bald Mountain. The cliffs were very imposing from the base, and they were covered in climbing hardware. The trail took us through the rubble along the base of the cliff. We passed one pair of climbers along the way. Soon past the end of the cliffs, the trail reached a viewpoint on top of a tall ledge. I had no idea that this southeast facing viewpoint existed, and it was the best kind of surprise when exploring a new trail!

Shagg Crag

Can you spot the climber?

After enjoying the beautiful view towards Abbotts Pond, we headed back along the trail, and down to where our car was parked. It was a very successful day of new trail exploration, and now I have been down every notable trail that I am aware of on Bald and Speckled Mountains.

View southeast from the viewpoint near Shagg Crag

View south

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Woodchuck Hill 8/10/2026

Monday's hike up Woodchuck Hill in Clifton was a lot more interesting than I expected such a small peak to be! The Blue & Gold Trail makes a lollipop loop over the hill, starting from Camp Roosevelt on Little Fitts Pond. When camp is in session (it ended for the summer last week), hikers are asked to check in at the camp office and no dogs are allowed in the camp area.

Little Fitts Pond from the boat launch

Snowshoe Pond from the Blue & Gold Trail

We parked in the large lot at the boat launch and started walking through the camp to reach the start of the trail. Upon reaching the trail, we followed it as it rose gently over a low ridge and then descended to Snowshoe Pond. The trail sees basic maintenance, but it is maintained to the standard of a backcountry trail, so some blowdowns remain uncut and there is brush overhanging the trail in places. However, it is very well marked and I enjoy lesser used trails such as this one! At Snowshoe Pond, the trail passes near some interesting ledges on the shore, which are a nice spot for a break. We then passed a large glacial erratic next to the pond, before reaching the Bangor Water Works Road (no public motorized access).

Glacial erratic near Snowshoe Pond

Sampson in the cave

After spotting where the trail continued on the other side of the road, it wasn't long before the short, but very steep, ascent up Woodchuck Hill began, which I found to be the best part of the trail. The trail passed a shallow, but spacious caves and then started switchbacking its way up steep ledges. One of these ledges required two wooden ladders to ascend. This section of trail also had views back across Snowshoe Pond towards Blackcap.

The first ladder

View across Snowshoe Pond towards Blackcap

The wooded summit didn't have any views at its very peak, but we found a few viewpoints by poking around a little bit below the peak. One viewpoint a bit off of the trail offered views of the mountains on Mount Desert Island in the distance. Another, this one just off of the trail and where we had lunch, offered views past the wind turbines on Pisgah Mountain to the hills in Donnell Pond Public Land.

View across Burnt Pond towards Mount Desert Island

View towards Pisgah Mountain and Donnell Pond Public Land

After the summit and viewpoints, the other side of the loop descended much more gently than the side that we ascended on. We reached Bangor Water Works Road and closed the loop by following it back to the initial trail crossing. After hiking back to near the camp, we opted to take the Red Trail, which made a long arc to the north, skirting around the camp area. Although the Red Trail wasn't particularly interesting, it was a nice alternative to walking the camp roads. Woodchuck Hill turned out to be an enjoyable under-the-radar hike, and I look forward to returning at some point to hike Blackcap!

Descending past a ledge

Sampson went for a swim in Snowshoe Pond

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Albany Mountain 7/24/2026

On Friday, we hiked Albany Mountain in the White Mountain National Forest from the north. As usual, the trail was in excellent condition, and the beaver dam was no issue to cross.

The beaver dam crossing

Sampson at the upper trail junction

The first viewpoint looking west

It seems that this year is a bad year for mountain blueberries, due to last year's drought, and we only found a few on our hike. However, the views were excellent, and we were surprised that we only saw two other groups out on what is usually a pretty busy trail.

The summit of Albany Mountain

The view southwest at the viewpoint past the summit

The view south at the viewpoint past the summit

After the hike, we headed to Broken Bridge Pond, where we set up camp at one of my favorite dispersed sites in the National Forest. It was a great peaceful night at the campsite, and it was perfect sleeping weather!

Broken Bridge Pond

Sampson swimming in the pond

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