Puzzle Mountain Hike
2024-01-06 08:30 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Puzzle Mountain Trailhead, 1000 Bear River Road, Newry, ME, 04261, United States
Our first Community Hike of the winter 2024 hiking season will be up Puzzle Mountain on Saturday, January 6th! We will meet at 8:30am at the trailhead which is at the Grafton Loop parking lot. The distance from the parking area to the summit is 3.6 miles for an up-and-back distance of 7.2 miles. This is a vigorous hike due to overall length and elevation gain (approximately 2,400 feet). There are no steep ledges but this hike will require both snowshoes and traction aids for icy spots, and you must be adequately prepared for an all-day winter hike. It’s a great day hike! Additional info can be found here.

Rain date will be the following day, Sunday, January 7th.
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.

Little Bigelow Hike
2024-01-27 09:00 - 17:00 | Little Bigelow Trailhead, 4RMH+WF, ME, 04961, United States
Our next MATLT Community Hike will take place on Saturday, January 27th at 9am – we will be tackling Little Bigelow, the long, lower peak at the east end of the Bigelow Range. This hike is approximately 6.2 miles in length and should take at least 6 hours start to finish. It features spectacular views of the Bigelow Range, Flagstaff Lake and Maine’s High Peaks. It is a strenuous hike and you will need full winter gear, including snowshoes.
You can find more info on the hike at Maine Trail Finder and at the Bigelow Public Reserve Land website (which has a printable map in the sidebar).
The rain date will be the following day, Sunday, January 28th.
You must RSVP for this hike below or by contacting us at info@matlt.org or by calling 207-808-2073!

Four Ponds Hike
2024-02-03 09:00 - 17:00 | Height of Land, R7QQ+9V Roxbury, Maine, ME, 04275, United States
Our next MATLT Community Hike will be held on Saturday, February 3rd at 9am to Four Ponds/Spruce Mountain. This 2,530-foot summit is very close to the famous Height of Land overlook, which is where we will meet at 9am on the opposite side of the road from the parking area (details will be provided in the organizer’s email). 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 snowshoe 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, but it is still rated as strenuous and you will need full winter gear and snowshoes. Total mileage will be up to 3.6 miles each way – the distance to the Sabbath Day Pond shelter – with the only ascent/descent involving approximately 300 feet of elevation gain on either side of Spruce Mountain.

Rain date for this hike will be the following day, Sunday, February 4th.
You must RSVP for this event below, by emailing us at info@matlt.org, or by calling 207-808-2073.

Perham Stream Birding Trail Hike
2024-02-17 10:00 - 17:00 | Perham Stream Birding Trail, 553 E. Madrid Road, Madrid, ME, 04966, United States
Our next winter Community Hike will be to the Perham Stream Birding Trail on Saturday, February 17th with a meetup time of 10am. The PSBT is a property of High Peaks Alliance and is an easy snowshoe/cross country ski hike in the heart of Maine’s High Peaks, with views of the surrounding mountains and forests. The Perham Stream Birding Trail is accessible year-round by foot travel only. Visitors can walk, snowshoe, or cross-country ski. The trail is set up with birders and wildlife watchers in mind, and binoculars are definitely encouraged! There are five birding “sub-habitats” along the trail, including field, alder thicket with hardwood wetland, mixed-wood forest dominated with hardwood, mixed wood with stream, and field/stream edges.
You must RSVP for this hike by completing the form below, emailing us at info@matlt.org, or by calling 207-808-2073.

Caribou Mountain Hike
2024-03-03 09:00 - 17:00 | Caribou Mountain, 436 Bog Road, Unorganized Territory of South Oxford, ME, 04217, United States
Cancelled due to poor trail conditions, lack of snow and warm weather!

Caribou Mountain Hike
2024-06-01 09:00 - 17:00 | Caribou Mountain, 436 Bog Road, Unorganized Territory of South Oxford, ME, 04217, United States
First hike of the 2024 warm season!
This Community Hike will be on Saturday, June 1st, with a meet up time of 9am. We will be heading up Caribou Mountain in the White Mountain National Forest. While the mountain is not directly on the Appalachian Trail it is on Forest Service land (like much of the A.T. landscape to the south) and there are great views of areas where the trail passes to the west and north. Plus it is one of our favorite trips!
We will be taking the Caribou Trail from the east trailhead, which is 2.8 miles down Bog Road off Route 2 in West Bethel. Many guidebooks only describe this trail from the Route 113 side in Evans Notch, so be careful! The hike is relatively moderate for most of its length and the distance to the summit is 3.1 miles (returning the same way). We will meet in the parking area past Pooh Corner Farm at the end of Bog Road.
You can fine more information on this hike here.
You must RSVP for this hike through this page below or contact us (info@matlt.org or 207-808-2073)! When entering a Forest Service wilderness area, the limit per group is ten people.

Moxie Bald Mountain Hike
2024-06-22 09:30 - 17:00 | Moxie Bald Mountain Trailhead, 65X9+WF5, Caratunk, ME, 04925, United States
Our next Community Hike will be on Saturday, June 22nd, at 9:30am, up Moxie Bald Mountain. This is hike that is not very well known but features prominent views of MATLT’s Bald Mountain Pond conservation project and sweeping views of the A.T. landscape from the Bigelow Range to the Hundred Mile Wilderness.
This hike is rated as vigorous with a distance of approximately 4.7 miles each way, for a total distance of 9.4 miles. The trailhead is accessed via a logging road network – we’ll have carpooling.
For more information on this hike check out Maine Trail Finder. You must RSVP for this hike below, by emailing us at info@matlt.org or by calling 207-808-2073.

Old Speck Hike
2024-07-06 09:30 - 17:00 | Grafton Notch State Park, H3Q3+W8 Newry, Maine
The latest Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust Community Hike will be up Old Speck in Grafton Notch. This challenging yet awesome hike will run via the Appalachian Trail for a total roundtrip hike of 7.6 miles. The summit elevation is 4,170 feet – the fifth highest summit in Maine and the highest in the Mahoosucs/Grafton Notch area. More information about this hike can be found here. This is rated as a vigorous hike.
This hike will be Saturday, July 6th at 9:30am. You must RSVP for this hike below, by emailing us at info@matlt.org or calling 207-808-2073.

Sugarloaf Mountain Hike
2024-07-27 10:00 - 17:00 | Caribou Pond Road, Caribou Pond Road, Carrabassett Valley , ME, 04947, United States
Been awhile since we had this one! The next MATLT Community Hike will be on Saturday, July 27th up Sugarloaf Mountain! This 5.3 mile round trip hike will take you to the top of Maine’s second highest free standing mountain, the one with the big ski area on the slopes. Mere words cannot describe to you how steep this hike is – it’s only 2.65 mile up but it is very, very steep. It is strenuous to the max.
More info can be found here, including on the meet up spot. The hike will start at 10am and you must RSVP below to attend!

Baldpates Hike
2024-08-31 08:30 - 17:00 | Grafton Notch State Park, H3Q3+W8 Newry, Maine
Ok, in the wake of the Berry Picker’s Trail hike cancellation, we’ve pulled it together to have a substitute hike that is now open for sign ups. The destination…East and West Baldpate on this coming Saturday, August 31st. These two peaks mark the east side of Grafton Notch State Park, with the East Peak being higher (3,882 feet). We will go for both peaks from the Grafton Notch parking lot on Route 26. Total round trip distance will be 7.6 miles (AMC Maine Mountain Guide lists it as 8 miles round trip).
This hike should be considered vigorous and there are some ledges that look very dramatic but are not too scary. We will meet at the parking lot on Route 26 at 8:30am in order to accommodate the estimated hiking time of 6 hours. You must RSVP for this hike below, by emailing us at info@matlt.org or by calling 207-808-2073.
More information about The Baldpates can be found here:
Maine Trail Finder
Grafton Notch State Park
See you there!

Saddleback Mountain - CANCELLED DUE TO BRIDGE OUT
2024-08-31 09:30 - 17:00 | ME
Update: Due to the Potato Hill Road bridge over Orbeton Stream still being out, we’ve had to cancel this one.
Our next Community Hike on the A.T. will be up the Berry Pickers Trail to Saddleback Mountain on Saturday, August 31st, with a meetup on time of 9:30am at Edmund’s Market on Route 4 in Phillips and convoy to the trailhead together in 4WD vehicles since we have a few coming along. We drive to an ATV gate and from there proceed 1.4 miles to the trailhead via the Fly Rod Crosby Trail. From the trailhead proper, it is about 1.6 miles to the top of the ridge and then another 0.7 miles to The Horn, for a total distance of 7.6 miles out and back.
An exact description of the route can be found here at Maine Trail Finder:
Berry Picker’s Trail
And here is a natural history guide to the hike from the Maine Natural Heritage Hikes program.
You must RSVP for this hike below in order to be contacted about itinerary changes or weather-related news. If you can’t get the RSVP system to work please email us at info@matlt.org or call 207-808-2073. See you out there!

East Royce Mountain Hike
2024-10-05 10:00 - 17:00 | ME
Bonus hike alert! Our first Community Hike of the fall will be up East Royce Mountain in Evans Notch, in the Maine portion of the White Mountain National Forest. East Royce is not on the A.T. but is pretty close to it and is in the same landscape ecologically so that’s good enough for us.
We will be taking the East Royce Trail which located on Route 113 in Evans Notch. The hike is short but fairly steep and approximately 3.2 miles there and back, giving it a rating of vigorous. Information about the route can be found at Maine Trail Finder. This is also a Maine Natural Heritage Hike and there’s great information here.
Meetup time will be 10am at the location above and we will be in touch about weather, carpooling and other details in the week before the hike. You must RSVP for this hike below or by contacting us at info@matlt.org!

Table Rock Hike
2025-01-25 10:00 - 16:00 | Grafton Notch State Park
Update – this hike will now be on Saturday 1/25!
Our Winter Community Hikes program is gearing up for the winter season with a warmup hike to Table Rock in Grafton Notch. We will meet in the parking area in Grafton Notch at 10am on Saturday, January 25th. We’ll eat lunch up top if conditions allow.
Table Rock overlooks Route 26 as it winds north through Grafton Notch in Newry, Maine. While the terrain is fairly moderate, it is steep near the end and the rock itself is exposed. The views are spectacular if the weather is nice. We will be taking the blue-blazed official Appalachian Trail side trail from the A.T., which is an up-and-back 2.6 mile hike. If you are planning to come along, please review the links below.
Grafton Notch State Park – this Maine State Parks page has information and maps about the area, including a description of the trails.
Maine Trail Finder – Another trails description.
The trailhead is very easy to find and there is plenty of parking in the A.T. lot directly on Route 26. We will meet in this parking lot. Remember, you must RSVP for this hike by using this events page or contacting us (info@matlt.org or 207-808-2073). Snowshoes and/or ice traction aids will probably be required.

Old Speck Mountain
2025-02-01 09:00 - 17:00 | Grafton Notch State Park
The next Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust community hike will be up Old Speck in Grafton Notch! This challenging yet awesome hike will run via the Appalachian Trail for a total roundtrip hike of 7.6 miles. The summit elevation is 4,170 feet – the fifth highest summit in Maine and the highest in the Mahoosucs/Grafton Notch area. This is a strenuous hike which will require snowshoes and/or traction aids for ice. You must be prepared for a winter ascent in the mountains.
This hike will be Saturday, February 1st at 9am. We will meet in the Grafton Notch parking lot on the west side of Route 26 where the A.T. crosses the road. Carpooling will be arranged.
You must RSVP for this hike below, by emailing us at info@matlt.org or calling 207-808-2073.

Bald Mountain (Oquossoc)
2025-02-15 10:00 - 16:00 | Bald Mountain Oquossoc, Bald Mountain Road, Oquossoc, Maine, 04964
Our next Winter Community Hike will be up Bald Mountain in Oquossoc, right between Mooselookmeguntic and Rangeley Lakes, at 10am on Saturday, February 15th. We’ll take the Bald Mountain Trail which ascends from the parking area off Bald Mountain Road to the summit of Bald Mountain. The hike each way will be just 1.3 miles. This is a moderate hike but there are steep sections near the end and conditions may be icy enough to require microspikes. However, this is a good winter hike due to the accessibility of the trail, the short length and the great views on the summit (with a fire tower). From the summit, you can see about fifty miles of the Appalachian Trail in Maine.
You must sign up at the RSVP below or contact us by phone or email to sign up.

Little Bigelow Mountain
2025-03-08 10:00 - 17:00 | Little Bigelow Trailhead, 4RMH+WF, ME, 04961, United States
Our next MATLT Community Hike will take place on Saturday, March 8th at 10am – we will be tackling Little Bigelow, the long, lower peak at the east end of the Bigelow Range. This hike is approximately 6.2 miles in length and should take at least 6 hours start to finish. It features spectacular views of the Bigelow Range, Flagstaff Lake and Maine’s High Peaks. It is a strenuous hike and you will need full winter gear, including snowshoes.
You can find more info on the hike at Maine Trail Finder and at the Bigelow Public Reserve Land website (which has a printable map in the sidebar).
You must RSVP for this hike below or by contacting us at info@matlt.org or by calling 207-808-2073!

CANCELLED DUE TO MORE BAD WEATHER Caribou Mountain Hike
2025-06-07 09:00 - 17:00 | Caribou Mountain, 436 Bog Road, Unorganized Territory of South Oxford, ME, 04217, United States
And we are back for the summer 2025 for Community Hikes! This initial hike of the season will be on Saturday, June 7th, with a meet up time of 9am. We will be heading up Caribou Mountain in the White Mountain National Forest. While the mountain is not directly on the Appalachian Trail it is on Forest Service land (like much of the A.T. landscape to the south) and there are great views of areas where the trail passes to the west and north. Plus it is one of our favorite trips!
We will be taking the Caribou Trail from the east trailhead, which is 2.8 miles down Bog Road off Route 2 in West Bethel. Many guidebooks only describe this trail from the Route 113 side in Evans Notch, so be careful! The hike is relatively moderate for most of its length and the distance to the summit is 3.1 miles (returning the same way). We will meet in the parking area past Pooh Corner Farm at the end of Bog Road.
You can fine more information on this hike here.
You must RSVP for this hike through this page below or contact us (info@matlt.org or 207-808-2073)! When entering a Forest Service wilderness area, the limit per group is ten people.

Puzzle Mountain Hike
2025-06-21 08:00 - 17:00 | Puzzle Mountain Trailhead, 1000 Bear River Road, Newry, ME, 04261, United States
Our second Community Hike of the summer of 2025 will be up Puzzle Mountain on Saturday, June 21st. We will meet at 8:00am at the trailhead 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 vigorous 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! Additional info can be found here.
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.

Cranberry Peak Hike
2025-07-13 10:00 - 17:00 | Curry Road, Curry Road, Stratton, Maine, 04982
Our next Community Hike will be up Cranberry Peak (3,214 feet) in the Bigelow Range via the Bigelow Range Trail on July 13th! We will meet in the trailhead parking area at the end of Currie Street (sometimes spelled “Curry”) in Stratton at 10am. This will be an up-and-back hike up the Bigelow Range Trail, with a distance of 2.9 miles each way for a total distance of 5.8 miles. The trail is moderate for most of the first half and then emerges onto open ledges and low spruce forest for the remainder, with some steep areas. The views from the summit of Cranberry Peak are excellent.
Here’s some information about Cranberry Peak and the Bigelows:
Maine Trail Finder
Maine Natural Heritage Hike
Bigelow Preserve Map and Guide
You must RSVP below or by contacting us at info@matlt.org or by calling 207-808-2073.

Old Speck Hike
2025-07-19 09:00 - 17:00 | Grafton Notch State Park, H3Q3+W8 Newry, Maine
The latest Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust Community Hike will be up Old Speck in Grafton Notch. This challenging yet awesome hike will run via the Appalachian Trail for a total roundtrip hike of 7.6 miles. The summit elevation is 4,170 feet – the fifth highest summit in Maine and the highest in the Mahoosucs/Grafton Notch area. More information about this hike can be found here. This is rated as a vigorous hike.
This hike will be Saturday, July 19th at 9:00am. You must RSVP for this hike below, by emailing us at info@matlt.org or calling 207-808-2073.

Old Blue Mountain Hike
2025-08-16 10:00 - 17:00 | ME
The next Maine A.T. Land Trust Community Hike will be up Old Blue Mountain (3,600 feet) from South Arm Road in Roxbury on August 16th at 10am. 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. This hike is rated as vigorous due to the steep part at the beginning.
To RSVP, please enter your name and email below and the number of attendees. You can also email us at info@matlt.org or call us at 207-808-2073. This should be a great hike! Come along!

Caribou Mountain Hike
2025-09-06 09:00 - 17:00 | Caribou Mountain, 436 Bog Road, Unorganized Territory of South Oxford, ME, 04217, United States
Rescheduled! This was slated to be the initial hike of the season but was cancelled due to bad weather. It is now rescheduled for Saturday, September 6th. We will be heading up Caribou Mountain in the White Mountain National Forest. While the mountain is not directly on the Appalachian Trail it is on Forest Service land (like much of the A.T. landscape to the south) and there are great views of areas where the trail passes to the west and north. Plus it is one of our favorite trips!
We will be taking the Caribou Trail from the east trailhead, which is 2.8 miles down Bog Road off Route 2 in West Bethel. Many guidebooks only describe this trail from the Route 113 side in Evans Notch, so be careful! The hike is relatively moderate for most of its length and the distance to the summit is 3.1 miles (returning the same way). We will meet in the parking area past Pooh Corner Farm at the end of Bog Road.
You can fine more information on this hike here.
You must RSVP for this hike through this page below or contact us (info@matlt.org or 207-808-2073)! When entering a Forest Service wilderness area, the limit per group is ten people.
