The Horn & Saddleback Junior 7/17/2026

Today's hike brought us up two of the most spectacular peaks in the state, The Horn and Saddleback Junior! After the drive in to one of the side roads off of Potato Hill Road, we started on our hike on an abandoned section of the Fly Rod Crosby Trail. Although there was lots of tall grass, this section of trail was pretty clear. We then followed the ATV trail to the start of the Berry Picker's Trail.

Start of the Berry Picker's Trail

View south from Berry Picker's Trail

View towards The Horn from the AT

Berry Picker's was in good shape, and we enjoyed the beautiful views from the ridgeline on this clear, windy, and somewhat chilly day up high. After reaching the Appalachian Trail, we ascended to The Horn, where we saw our first other hikers of the day. It was windy and a bit cold on the summit, so we didn't linger too long, but we did take a bit of time to take in the amazing 360 degree view.

Summit of The Horn

View north from The Horn

View west from The Horn

From the summit of The Horn, we descended to Redington Stream Campsite, where we had lunch. Backpackers should note that the water source at this camping area is almost completely dry right now. From the camping area, we started the steep and rough climb to Saddleback Junior. With its summit poking just above treeline and its location in the center of the High Peaks, the 360 view from Saddleback Junior is one of my favorites anywhere. The fact that very few day hikers visit it makes it even better! By then, it was a bit warmer, so we lingered a bit on the top.

The AT between The Horn & Saddleback Junior

Summit of Saddleback Junior

View southwest from Saddleback Junior towards Saddleback & The Horn

We then descended a short distance down the east side of Saddleback Junior, before turning onto the east side of the unofficial Saddleback Junior Loop. While descending the loop, we took a detour on the trail to Wildcat Ridge to get one more great view. We finished our hike by descending the ATV trail back to our vehicle.

Saddleback Junior from Wildcat Ridge

View northeast into the High Peaks from Wildcat Ridge

A small man-made pond near where we parked

AllTrails Activity

Lookout Rock 7/10/2026

Today's hike was a pretty straightforward one up to Lookout Rock in Township C. It had been a few years since I had hiked it, and the trail seems much the same, with the notable absence of the former trailhead sign (only the post remains). The trail itself is a moderately steep 0.6 mile long trail, marked with both blue blazes and flagging tape. It climbs to a ledge-top viewpoint on the side of an unnamed peak.

Start of the trail up to Lookout Rock

The lower part of the trail passes through hardwood forest.

The upper part of the trail is mostly in softwood forest

On our hike today, we found that the trail was pretty well maintained and easy to follow. We were treated to excellent views through Black Brook and Sawyer Notches, as well as of the South Arm of Lower Richardson Lake.

View towards Old Blue Mountain

View towards Black Brook & Sawyer Notches

View towards C Bluff Mountain and the South Arm of Lower Richardson Lake

After descending, we stopped by Silver Ripple Cascade for a swim. We had the cascade mostly to ourselves, and we also visited the adjacent Devil's Den.

Silver Ripple Cascade

Silver Ripple Cascade

Devil's Den

AllTrail Activity

Enchanted Caves 7/9/2026

Today, we set off to find one of the holy grails of Maine backwoods exploration! Located northwest of The Forks, Enchanted Cave is the longest limestone solution cave in Maine with 140 meters of explored passageways. Its location is purposely kept obscure to protect the fragile environment from over-visitation and vandalism.

Trail to the caves

Cave entrances

Inside a cave

Armed only with a few vague and conflicting sets of coordinates and descriptions, we set off on a long drive over some of the roughest roads I've ever been on. We had no idea what to expect, and, just when we thought we might have gone too far, we found a faint trail leading into the forest. After a short hike on this rough trail, we descended into a ravine and saw the first entrances to the caves!

Passageway with a low ceiling

Squeezing through a tight spot

A larger passageway

We spent the next few hours exploring the network of caves. There were three caves that we were able to go relatively deep into, one of which had multiple entrances that we could get into. The caves contained a wide variety of passageways, from tight squeezes and winding s-turns to large chambers that we could walk upright through. There were also underground streams in some of the caves, as well as stalactites and other calcium carbonate deposits. A variety of erosional features were also present, such as pillars, bridges, and rounded walls. 

One of the smaller entrances

Erosional features

More erosional features

We were all amazed by the experience, and I've never been anywhere else like it in Maine. Most caves in Maine are talus caves, and most of the limestone solution caves that do exist are very small. It was an adventure that we won't soon forget!

A bridge feature

Calcium deposits on the cave floor

Magic Falls Trail 7/5/2026

We spent the night of July 4th camped at MacDougall Pond Camp Sites in Caratunk. This first-come-first-served campground is rather basic, but it is affordable, the sites are large, and it has waterfronts on both MacDougall Pond and Wyman Lake. We got the last site available in the campground (Site 3), and spent the afternoon relaxing and swimming in MacDougall Pond.

Our campsite at MacDougall Pond Camp Sites

MacDougall Pond

Wyman Lake

On the morning of the 5th, we headed up to the Magic Falls Trail in Moxie Gore. This mostly easy trail runs from Take Out Road to the rapid called Magic Falls, which is one of the largest rapids on the Kennebec River. The unmarked and lightly used trail alternates between logged areas and more mature forests as it follows the rim of the Kennebec River Gorge upstream. At the rapids, the trail makes a steep descent into the gorge.

Magic Falls Trail

Magic Falls Trail

Magic Falls

We ended up timing our hike perfectly, and, when we arrived at the rapids, we watched numerous groups of rafters and kayakers run it. It was fun to watch, and we enjoyed the entertainment as we ate lunch beside the river. After lunch, we returned the way that we came along the trail. This trail definitely seems to get overlooked, and it is a nice hike with a unique destination!

Rafters running the rapid

Kayakers running the rapid

Rafters running the rapid

AllTrails Activity