| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bald Mountain, Speckled Mountain (Peru), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Bald Mountain Trail, Bald Mountain Loop, Speckled Mountain Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 25, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Access via Redding Road from Sumner. This road is plowed and sanded. It turns to gravel about a 1- 1.5 miles from the trailhead. This part was also plowed, but I encourage employment of an all wheel or 4 wheel drive vehicle as it is steep in parts. We parked next to (not in) the snowplow turn around. The small parking area across from the trailhead is just 0.1 miles from this, but is not plowed and I did not feel like digging out 8 inches of snow. I was able to drive all the way to the trailhead so if one feels industrious, then by all means, dig out the parking area. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
6-7 blowdowns between each trail. None obstruct the trail. Bald Mtn and Speckled Mtn are well blazed in blue. Bald Mtn Loop is blazed in yellow. These are well placed and visible. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Good trail for dogs. |
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 | Bugs: |
Nope |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
This was my first time on these trails in winter as the trailhead tends to be a pain in the a#$ to access any time of year besides summer. But I was pleasantly surprised to find the roads plowed and sanded and only slightly annoying to negotiate.
There is no official marking for the trailhead from Redding Rd. There are only signs for anglers and one that says “No motorized vehicles†affixed to some trees. The official trail doesn’t start until Little Concord Pond. So, take the old woods road from Redding Road (not blazed but a nice wide road) to the pond. There is a circular green sign on the right that says “Bald and Speckled Mountain.†Here the blue blazing begins. Follow the blue blazes and you will stay on trail. There is also a nice sign at the loop junction.
The trail was beautifully broken out by snowshoes all the way to Bald and around the loop. We broke trail to Speckled Mtn and left a wonderful packed trail behind us (all 4 in the group wore snowshoes). There are two wicked steep parts on Speckled that require some thought to ascend. But the snowshoes held even if the nerves were shaky. These are NOT exposed sections, just plain Maine style steep (think straight up).
There is a very short segment on Speckled Mtn trail where the yellow boundary blazes coincide with the trail’s blue blazes. Don’t worry, just keep following the blue blazes and you will stay on trail.
The views of Shagg Pond and the mountains marching out towards the Whites were very nice as the clouds were staying higher than the mountains. We were the only ones on this trail all day. One car with a couple and a dog pulled in as we were leaving (and they made it in a Prius!).
Of note, snowfall has been light this year in this part of Maine. Snow depths looked to be 6-10 inches at most. Even trail breaking was not so bad. There was only about 4-5 inches of snow to break through (not counting some drifts in the col). It also felt good on the feet... |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-01-25 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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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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