Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust

Pleasant Pond Mountain
2016-09-25 09:30 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Main Street, Main Street and Route 201, Caratunk, ME, 04925, United States
The next Maine A.T. Land Trust Next Century Hike will be on Sunday, September 25th up Pleasant Pond Mountain in The Forks Plantation, just east of the Kennebec River crossing and Route 201 in Caratunk. The trailhead is located just off North Shore Road on the north side of Pleasant Pond. For this hike, the group will be meeting at 9:30am where Main Street in Caratunk, the Appalachian Trail and Route 201 all meet adjacent to the ferry crossing for A.T. hikers. Please RSVP by using the ticket system below, emailing us at info@matlt.org or calling 207-808-2073.
From the trailhead, the distance to the summit of Pleasant Pond Mountain (2,480 feet) is 1.6 miles. The trail passes the Pleasant Pond lean-to and a beach access trail and then proceeds steeply to the open, rocky summit of the mountain, where there are great views. Total hiking time up and back for the 3.2 miles should be about 2.5 hours.
Join us if you can! The foliage is starting to emerge and the weather forecast looks nice (right now).

Saddleback Mountain Berry Pickers' Trail Great Maine Outdoor Weekend Hike
2016-09-17 10:00 - 17:00 | Berry Pickers’ Trail, Madrid Township, ME, United States
At long last, the Berry Pickers’ Trail will be opening just in time for the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend! The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust will be having an inaugural hike on Saturday, September 17th at 10am. Dave Field, longtime MATC volunteer and the man who relocated the Appalachian Trail in Maine to its current location, will be joining us. There is nobody more knowledgeable about Maine’s Appalachian Trail than Dave and it’s always a fascinating experience to accompany him on a hike.
This trail will be completed in late summer and should be ready for hikers by then. The trailhead is on a logging road on the Orbeton Stream conservation easement, and proceeds over an ATV/snowmobile trail for approximately 1.5 miles. From there is climbs a ridge up the east side of Saddleback Mountain and reaching the top of the ridge (and the Appalachian Trail) at approximately 3.2 miles. The total elevation gain is approximately 1,800 feet. Their are spectacular views of the valley between Saddleback and Mount Abraham for most of the climb on the ridge (see photo above). There might not be a trail in all of the mountains of Maine that provides such great views in alpine terrain with only moderate steepness.

The starting time for this hike will be 10am and we will arrange car pooling. You must RSVP for this hike so we can account for weather changes and cancellation. Please RSVP by emailing us at info@matlt.org or by calling 207-808-2073.
Directions:
Turn right off Route 4 in the center of Madrid village and cross the Sandy River over the one-lane bridge. Follow the blacktop Reeds Mill Road. At 3.0 miles, immediately after crossing a bridge in front of a white house (on the right), turn left onto a good gravel road (“Epstein’s Road”–there is no sign identifying this road). Follow this private road which was a very good gravel road but has deteriorated some, for 3.1 miles. Do not take a right on an older, but still high-quality gravel road at this point. This gravel “cross road” has two connections with Epstein’s Road, creating a pie-shaped island in the middle, and is signed for snowmobile use. Follow Epstein’s Road, which bears left at this point and, shortly after crossing a stream (watch out for holes in the bridge), you will arrive at the gate.

Portland Greendrinks at Thompson's Point
2016-09-13 17:30 - 19:30 | Thompson’s Point, 10 Thompsons Point, Portland, ME, 04102, United States

National Park Service 100th Anniversary Hike - Mount Abraham!
2016-08-27 08:30 - 17:00 | ME
The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust’s hike to celebrate 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service will be on Saturday, August 27th, starting at 9am! This is a challenging, 9.1-mile hike (total distance) that traverses varied terrain via the Fire Warden Trail. This trail meanders through woods before climbing steeply and emerging on a rocky slope above treeline. It is a great hike on one of Maine’s most spectacular and important mountains.
More information about the trail can be found here: Maine Trail Finder
You must RSVP for this hike by entering your info below! You can also email us at info@matlt.org or call 207-808-2073! That way we can update you on weather or other changes to the itinerary. For those of you who want to follow others to the trailhead, we will meet at a nearby store before heading in on the logging roads. We will meet there at 8:30am. Details will follow when you RSVP.
Come along and celebrate the NPS 100th with us on one of the Appalachian Trail’s most special regions!

Goose Eye Mountain
2016-07-31 09:00 - 17:00 | Bull Branch Road, Bull Branch Road, Newry, ME, 04261, United States
Our latest Appalachian Trail hike will be up 3,862-foot Goose Eye Mountain in Grafton Notch on July 31st at 9am! For many years this mountain was only accessible for a day hike by heading over to New Hampshire at Success Pond Road. The Wright Trail, an official Appalachian Trail side trail, was constructed to provide for a direct route to the heart of the Mahoosucs, in particular the State of Maine-designated Ecological Reserve area which covers most of Goose Eye Mountain. The mountain has three summits and this trail traverses unique and spectacular terrain, including a large alpine bog.
The hike is strenuous and will cover a distance of approximate 9.6 miles. The trailhead is easily accessible via Sunday River Road off Route 2, just north of Bethel. Take a left onto Sunday River Road at the Sunday River Brewing Company, and then bear right at the next fork to stay on Sunday River Road. At the next fork stay right again at the sign that says Covered Bridge, which will be on the left as you drive over the Sunday River. In three miles the road turns to dirt. After about four miles, you will see two causeway bridges at a fork – take the left over those bridges, and immediately after crossing take a right onto Bull Branch Road. You will pass Frenchman’s Hole, a swimming area with a cliff to jump into a deep, cold pool of water. There is parking here, but continue straight and you will reach the trailhead for the Wright Trail at the next parking area on the left on the side of the road. Hope to see you there!
In order to account for changes in start time or weather situations, you must RSVP for this hike by emailing us at info@matlt.org or by calling 207-808-2073. You can also contact us via Facebook or Twitter at the footer of our website. We will be arranging car pooling as well.
Some helpful links:
Maine Trail Finder – Wright Trail
Mahoosuc Public Reserve Land (with map)

Puzzle Mountain
2016-07-09 09:30 - 17:00 | Puzzle Mountain Trailhead, 1000 Bear River Road, Newry, ME, 04261, United States
The next Maine Hikes trip will be up Puzzle Mountain on July 9! We will meet at 9:30am at the trailhead (shown on the map below) which is at the Grafton Loop parking lot. The distance from the parking area to the summit is 3.6 miles and should take approximately 3 hours. So, total hike will be 7.2 miles over about 6 hours. This is a strenuous hike due to overall length and elevation gain (approximately 2,400 feet) but there are no steep ledges or areas requiring hand-over-hand climbing. It’s a great day hike.
Puzzle Mountain is a great hidden gem just south of Grafton Notch and one of our favorities!
You must RSVP to join this hike! You can do so below or contact us directly at info@matlt.org or by calling 207-808-2073. We will also be arranging car pooling.

Spaulding Option Hike
2016-06-25 10:00 - 17:00 | Caribou Pond Road, Caribou Pond Road, Carrabassett Valley , ME, 04947, United States
Our next Maine Hikes trip will be up the ridge from Caribou Valley Road to Spaulding Mountain (4,009 feet). We’re calling this an option hike because in addition to the basic, 4.5 mile hike up to Spaulding Mountain, there will be two additional destinations to choose from: Sugarloaf Mountain, a 0.6 mile side trip from the A.T.; and Mount Abraham, which will require spending a night at the Spaulding campsite and then taking the Fire Warden’s Trail 5.9 miles down to Rapid Stream Road.
The Spaulding Mountain hike is 4.5 miles each way for a total distance of 9 miles, and should take a total of about 6 to 6.5 hours to complete. Most of the hike follows the long ridge between Sugarloaf and Spaulding. Due to the length and some steep sections, this is a strenuous hike.
For those of you who want to climb Sugarloaf, a trip leader will take you on the Sugarloaf side trail while the main group continues to Spaulding. The Sugarloaf group will catch up to the main group at some point along the ridge. For those of you who want to take the Fire Warden’s Trail to Mount Abraham and down to Rapid Stream Road, please contact as as soon as you can. We are going to make arrangements to help spot cars for the overnight group.
You must RSVP for this hike below! Please email us at info@matlt.org or call 207-808-2073 if you have any questions!

Maine A.T. Land Trust Day at the Ballpark
2016-06-12 13:00 - 16:00 | Hadlock Field, 271 Park Avenue, Portland, ME, 04104, United States
Join us at Hadlock Field! We have free tickets – just RSVP below and meet us at the game!

Old Blue Mountain Hike
2016-06-11 10:00 - 16:00 | Unnamed Venue, South Arm Road, Roxbury, ME, United States
Old Blue Mountain (left) and Elephant Mountain (right).
The next Maine A.T. Land Trust hike will be up Old Blue Mountain (3,600 feet) from South Arm Road in Roxbury on June 11th at 10am. This will be our hike for National Trails Day! To reach the trailhead in Black Brook Notch, drive east on Route 120 out of Andover, and then take a left on South Arm Road approximately a half mile outside of town. Go 7.7 miles north on South Arm Road to reach the Appalachian Trail crossing. There is a small area on the right side of the road that has parking for 3-4 cars, so we will be car pooling. That information will be sent out if you RSVP.

The hike is only 2.8 miles to the summit of Old Blue from the parking area, but the initial ascent out of Black Brook Notch is very steep. There are rungs on the rocks in one area, but after this initial climb of 900 feet in just over a half a mile, the trail level become more gradual for another mile and a half. The final half mile is again steep to reach the summit of Old Blue where there are good views in all directions among the stunted spruces.
The estimated time for this hike is 5 hours total (up and back) over a distance of 5.6 miles (up and back). You must RSVP for this hike so we can rideshare and in case of cancellation due to weather or other circumstances. We are also going to be providing some food so we need an accurate headcount!
To RSVP, please enter your name and email in the RSVP space below. You can also email us at info@matlt.org or call us at 207-808-2073. This should be a great hike! Come along!

Spruce Mountain
2016-05-15 10:00 - 15:00 | Height of Land, R7QQ+7VX Byron, Maine, ME, 04275, United States
Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust’s first of many warm season hikes will be on Sunday, May 15th – destination, Spruce Mountain. This 2,530-foot summit is very close to the famous Height of Land overlook (see map above), which is where we will meet at 10am in the parking area. We can proceed to the summit of Spruce Mountain and then down the backside to series of remote, high-elevation ponds within the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands’ Four Ponds area.
This is a very moderate hike and we can choose to make it shorter or longer, depending on ability, conditions and interest. It is a great way to get out on the A.T. in Maine without having to navigate woods roads or climb steep mountains. In any case, total mileage will be about 3 miles with the only ascent/descent involving approximately 300 feet of elevation gain on either side of Spruce Mountain.
You must RSVP for this hike by emailing us at info@matlt.org or by calling 207-808-2073. Sign up soon – we will limit the group to ten hikers!
