Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust

Goose Eye Mountain
2016-07-31 09:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | 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+9V Roxbury, 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!
