| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Burnt Meadow Mountain, Stone Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Burnt Meadow Mountain Trail, Twin Brook Trail, Stone Mountain Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, August 19, 2013 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Comments: |
This was a 4.8 mile loop which involved hiking the following trails: Burnt Meadow Mountain Trail, Twin Brook Trail, and Stone Mountain Trail. All of these trails were well blazed and in excellent condition!
Within the past few years, the Maine Chapter of the AMC, along with assistance of the "Friends of Burnt Mountain Meadows", have done some remarkable work to further develop and improve the trail system at Burnt Meadow Mountain and Stone Mountain. Since I had never hiked at this particular location, I decided to drive over to Maine and check it out.
There is ample parking at the trailhead which is located less than 2 miles south of Brownfield, ME on the west side of Rt. 160 about a tenth of mile south of the Public Boat Launch at Burnt Meadow Pond.
From the trailhead (430 ft elevation), the blue-blazed Burnt Meadow Trail leads you 1.3 miles to the North Peak of Burnt Meadow Mountain (1,575 ft elevation). So, when you do the math, that's nearly a 1,200 ft. elevation gain over a relatively short distance of 1.3 miles. Although it isn't a difficult hike, the climb is more than you might expect for a mountain that is just a tad above 1,500 ft! Also, it should be mentioned that just below the summit, you need to do a scramble up a steep, rocky ledge. Again, it isn't overly difficult, but is something good to know beforehand.
Using the Twin Brook Trail enables you to do a loop hike. It is unsigned from the summit of Burnt Meadow Mountain. However, you can easily find the trail by heading westward along the summit and turning left onto a pathway near a large cairn. You'll soon see yellow blazes which will guide you on a 2.0 mile trek back to the Burnt Meadow Mountain Trail. The top part of the Twin Brook Trail has soft footing and easy grades. The lower portion of the trail becomes more rocky as it descends steeply to the col with Stone Mountain.
Diverging from the Twin Brook Trail is the Stone Mountain Trail which just opened in 2010. This junction is marked with a sign. The blue-blazed trail leads you on a 0.75 climb to Stone Mountain. The corridor is very well laid out with several switchbacks. Even though there is nearly a 500 ft elevation gain, it's barely noticeable!
Once you reach the crest of Stone mountain, one branch of the trail will lead you straight ahead to ledges on the south flank of Stone Mountain. Another branch diverges to the right and will lead you westward for a short distance along a faint pathway to the summit of the mountain which is located in a large field filled with blueberry bushes!
I was very impressed with the trail system at the Burnt Meadow Mountain location. And despite the hazy conditions looking westward toward high peaks in NH, I still experienced some pleasant views. Definite consideration will be given to making a return visit on a better viewing day.
Some photos are at my BLOG (see link below).
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 | Name: |
1HappyHiker |
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 | E-Mail: |
randonneur8 AT yahoo DOT com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2013-08-21 |
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 | Link: |
 https://1happyhiker.blogspot.com/2013/08/loop-hike-in-maine-burnt-meadow.html |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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