| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Moxie Bald Mountain, Moxie Bald Mountain - North Peak, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Appalachian Trail, Summit Bypass Trail, North Peak Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, July 28, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
A very long drive down Troutdale Rd that was made shorter as I was coming in from Mosquito Mtn. The road is narrow as the guidebook says but is not very rough; just lots of potholes and such. Low clearance cars should be fine with care. I didn’t find the road any worse beyond Mosquito Mtn than it was before it. I came in from The Forks. There’s not much of a parking area. I’m guessing the guidebook refers to a small muddy area right at the start of what’s shown as Hinks Hogan Rd on Gaia. That road is very rough beyond the muddy parking area where there’s room for one or two cars. It was a tight squeeze with one other car there so I opted to pull up a small, grassy rise which should be doable for possibly even low clearance cars. This is just beyond (south) of the AT. There was also a car or two parked roadside and one parked roadside a couple tenths of a mile to the north where the AT heads south. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The crossing of Baker Brook was not quite rock hopable but was also not as bad as I anticipated. Walking on submerged rocks, it was not far up the shin at all. Wading in any ol’ spot, it should’ve still been well below the knee I’d think. It was not flowing too fast/strong. Easy to go across in crocs, then throw on the trail runners on the far side. All other crossings (of which there weren’t too many) were rock hopable. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The AT is obviously blazed in white. I don’t recall exactly how frequent the blazing was but I think it wasn’t faded/newer, and was generally pretty regular. I did not find it difficult to follow. I believe there were some cairns above tree line as well. I do not recall any blowdowns. Signage was intact. The North Peak Trail was well blazed in blue with some small cairns but could be difficult to follow in winter. No blowdowns that I recall. The two spurs to Bald Mtn Brook Lean-to were signed, blazed in blue and east to follow. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
A bit of scrambling up north peak I think but overall not a steep hike and any ledge/scrambling is relatively easy. Most hiking dogs should be fine. |
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 | Bugs: |
I don’t recall them being terribly bad but it was also windy enough on the ledge to keep them away. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
2nd hike of the day after Mosquito Mtn. Forgot to post this a few days ago before posting the Cranberry Peak traverse…oops.
Given the guidebook’s description, the water crossing at the start was not bad at all. Easy and shallow wade. Lots of thru hikers crossing here that I got to meet and chat with. Once on the far side, I hid the crocs and threw on the trail runners. The trail is relatively flat and easy for the first 3mi or so until it crosses the AT Rd though it does cross a powerline cut or some logging or something where there’s some orange siding keeping you on the trail which is less than attractive but short lived; make sure you CROSS the road.
The hike from the AT Rd to the summit bypass gained much more elevation but wasn’t really steep. Usually pretty moderate. It goes through some BEAUTIFUL woods and has a very pleasant footbed at times. I took the summit bypass on the ascent to avoid ascending the steeper stuff since I’m such a slacker. It continues ascending for a bit, but soon becomes pretty gentle and comes to the ledge. The AT between the summit bypass jct and North Peak Trail was very pleasant and ledgy. Just absolutely delightful hiking. North Peak Trail was also spectacular and well maintained. Just wonderful views and terrain. I HIGHLY recommend this hike :D Some steep ledge but I don’t think I’d call it steep overall and any scrambling involved was pretty easy. The summit of North Peak obviously had phenomenal views but also had a register. As seems to be typical of such peaks in Maine, the register had a large notebook in it. Not ideal as you need a BIG plastic baggy for it which I didn’t have and I did not have one large enough for it. Worse still, the notebook was a bit wet.
I returned along the AT. The ascent up the main peak I don’t think was too bad but was ledgy. The wind kept me cool enough on an otherwise hot day. I think the descent off of main peak was a little rougher and steeper but not too bad.
There’s a cool overhanging rock here. Once back at the western jct with the summit bypass, I returned the same way to the trailhead along the AT.
Note that there are actually two spurs to the Bald Mtn Brook Lean-To. The one that the guidebook described is NOT shown on Gaia but is signed and obvious on the ascent. The other spur is even closer to the AT Rd, and is shorter but I believe it was also signed, at least on the descent. Gaia had me at 12.5-12.75mi, 2300ft of gain, and 5.5hrs. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-08-02 |
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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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