Mount Zircon 8/14/2026

Today, we returned to a local favorite and one of my most hiked mountains, Mount Zircon in Rumford. However, we made a small detour on the way up that I hadn't done before to the old Mount Zircon Reservoir. The trail to the reservoir diverges to the right from the main trail, following a grassy track. Because of the grass, I would probably not hike this trail during peak tick season. After heading downhill for a bit, the trail reaches the dam. The reservoir, now with a much lower water level than when it was in use, is a beautiful spot! It is nestled in a basin surrounded by Thurston Mountain, Hemingway Mountain, Mount Glines, Mount Zircon, and Little Mount Zircon, all of which are visible from the dam. The lowered water level has created a meadow surrounding the water; and the water intake tower has a castle-like appearance. I am very glad that we made the short detour to visit this unique spot!

Mount Zircon Reservoir

Mount Zircon Reservoir

Bridge to the intake tower

Spring & spring house

After our detour, we continued up to the summit. One of my favorite things about Mount Zircon is that there are so many viewpoints near the summit, all facing different directions. I like to choose a different one to linger at each time I hike it. Today, we chose a viewpoint looking northeast towards Rumford and the Androscoggin River Valley. It was a spectacular clear day with a cool breeze at the summit and excellent views. We did see a few other people out on the trail, but it wasn't too busy.

View northeast

View northwest

View west

View south

AllTrails Activity

Mosher Hill Falls & Walrath Woods 8/12/2026

Our short outing today brought us to two pieces of land which were recently conserved by the High Peaks Alliance, Mosher Hill Falls in Farmington and Walrath Woods in Strong.

Mosher Hill Falls has long been a popular destination for Farmington locals with a small informal network of trails. Since their acquisition of the property, the High Peaks Alliance has formalized the trail network, creating a short blue-blazed lollipop loop around the falls and gorge. They have also constructed two sturdy aluminum bridges across the stream. Although there wasn't much water going over the waterfall today, it was still a nice little walk to check out the newly improved trails!

New signage at Mosher Hill Falls

One of the new bridges

In the gorge

Mosher Hill Falls

Located on Route 149 in Strong, Walrath Woods protects over a mile of the Sandy River's eastern bank, and it is now home to the only official non-motorized recreational trail in Strong. We started from the northern trailhead, and followed the trail south. It first passed through a red pine forest on an old woods road, before narrowing as it approached the riverbank. The southern half of the trail closely followed the river, below a steep slope. Just before its end at the southern trailhead, we took a small spur leading to a rock ledge beside the river. At just 0.8 mile long each way and with no steep slopes, a walk on this trail to the ledge is a great outing for hikers of any ability!

The northern trailhead at Walrath Woods

Passing through the red pine forest

Sandy River

Sandy River

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

AllTrails Activity

Crescent Mountain Trails 8/7/2026

Last Friday, we set out for New Limerick to do one of Maine's many paddle hikes. Nickerson Lake is a long and narrow crescent-shaped lake with a small state park on its eastern side. On the south side of the lake is a network of trails, called the Crescent Mountain Trails, which can only be accessed by boat (or across the ice in the winter).

Sampson in the kayak

Paddling on Nickerson Lake

After putting-in our kayaks at the boat launch in the lake's southeast corner, we paddled west along the lake's southern shore. Sampson did a great job riding in my kayak, which was a new experience for him. It was a nice paddle, and the water in the lake was extremely clear.

The trailhead on the lake's south shore

An old sign reading "This is Nickerson Lake"

Upon reaching the trailhead, we checked in at the trailhead register and started by hiking the Mountain Loop clockwise. This well marked and maintained trail ascended gradually as it made its way to the low summit of Crescent Mountain. Before reaching the wooded peak, the trail passed a feature called "Pine Tree Perch." This rickety series of ladders and platforms allowed us to climb to near the top of a white pine, where there were good views to the north and west. Unfortunately, the tree is dying, and the perch will likely not be able to be used for much longer.

Pine Tree Perch

View north from the Perch

After completing the Mountain Loop, we made our way on to Lake's End Loop. We hiked that loop clockwise as well, traversing the hillside before dropping down to the shore of the lake. We ate lunch at a pair of Adirondack chairs on the shore before completing the loop. There was also a very nice cold spring on the trail, perfect for a cold drink on a hot day!

Cave along the Mountain Loop

Chairs on the lake shore

After finishing the hike, we paddled back along the south shore to the boat launch. It was a great network of trails with a lot of character, and paddling to get there made them especially unique!

The spring

Bridge on Lake's End Loop

AllTrails Activity