| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bigelow Mountain - Avery Peak, Bigelow Mountain - West Peak, Bigelow Mountain - South Horn, Bigelow Mountain - North Horn, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Fire Warden’s Trail, Bigelow Range Trail, Horns Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, July 15, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the summer lot off Stratton Pond Rd. This dirt road has seen some damage from the Dec storm and logging vehicles. The lands of the Bigelow Preserve are under active logging, watch for logging vehicles and machinery. Any vehicle should be fine with low speeds. The large lot has a kiosk, no privy. I caution again about logging vehicles. They will NOT yield to you, so get the ever loving heck out of their way! This is the rule in Maine anyway. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nothing of significance |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Dogs should be just fine as there are no major obstacles. |
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 | Bugs: |
Uh. This is Maine. Yes, there are plenty of bugs. DEET only excites them… |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Route:
Fire Wardens > Bigelow Range trl to Avery summit and back to West Peak then onto the Horns > Horns Pond trl > Fire Wardens trail to end.
Fire Wardens: well blazed in blue. Lovingly maintained. I had not been here in a bit and noted that the hiker register box has been moved from the Horns Pond jct to just after Stratton Pond. The bridge over Stratton Pond outlet is holding strong. That sucker is a beast!! Campsite at Moose Falls has two tent pads and a privy. Water point newly blazed in blue. Water running prolifically today. Some minor erosion noted from the storm above the Moose site, simple to negotiate. Avery Memorial campsite large with platforms and a shelter. Water point has plenty of water. Privy here as well. Fee site. No caretaker to be found this morning. Trail had some mud, but was otherwise its normal self.
Bigelow Range Trail: this is the AT and is blazed in standard white blazes. Very well travelled trail (read: concrete on the feet). Avery peak is signed, scree walls keep the hiker off tender alpine vegetation. West Peak, likewise has a couple of scree walls. Is also signed. Finally ran into some thru hikers on West summit. The wind was too much to stop and talk. After leaving West Peak, the trail continues to be well blazed and has a lot of up and down. Plan for additional time. I took the very short, blue blazed, summit spur for North Horn and was treated to some nice views. Don’t bypass this. It is moderate effort for major views. Brushing has been done on the trail proper. Some water points on this trail. But these are mostly rain dependent.
Horns Pond: well blazed in updated blue blazes. Well maintained. A new blowdown is easily walked through. Very minimal mud. Good water starts about 1 mile down trail. I mean good, cold, clear water. It was delicious (after filtering). Footing is quite nice for the majority of this trail. I had this trail, and accompanying spider webs, all to myself.
Popular peaks that are well travelled in summer months.
Insta capture: remi.hikes.576@instagram.com |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-07-15 |
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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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