| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
South Branch Ponds, Pogy Notch, Pogy Pond, Russell Pond, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Pogy Notch Trail, Grand Falls Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, June 24, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
No problem getting a pass to South Branch Campground past 10am. The day-use lot was almost empty when I got there around 10:30am. I guess most people are smarter than me and don't hike when it's really hot... $20 day pass or $50 season pass for out-of-state residents to access BSP. No day-use fee for Maine residents. The road should be suitable for all cars. Just lots of potholes to be wary of. |
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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: |
I didn't have to wade. Some may have required some finesse on fallen trees and not just rock hops but I don't remember well at this point. Water was low and the crossings on this trail are not as large as on others such as Wassataquoik Stream or Russell Pond. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The trail is blazed in blue. I don't recall exactly how often but given how remote the trail is, I remember thinking that it seemed blazed pretty well. The trail is lightly-moderately travelled, overgrown in spots, but not in awful condition or hard to follow at all if moderately experienced. Mid-sized but delimbed and easy stepover near the start of the trail, large birch widow-maker 15min in, small trivial birch stepover 10min later, mid-sized stepover 10min later. About 15min after the jct with South Branch Mtn Trail, there's a large widow-maker/leaner above the trail, then another large widowmaker just a few mins later. A couple small-mid sized trivial stepovers 15min later, then a small stepover followed quickly by a small but not yet delimbed blowdowns blocking the trail (difficult to get through or around). Just a couple minutes later, there's an easy mid-sized birch stepover and a group of several blowdowns of varying size but pretty easy to get over. 5min later, a trivial small stepover, followed quickly by two different blowdowns with their branches in the middle of the trail. A couple of mid-large blowdowns a few mins later, followed by several small stepovers, then a couple larger now close to Pogy Notch. In the area around Pogy Notch to Pogy Pond, there were several stepovers of varying size, a couple leaners/widwomakers, and maybe a few straddlers, with a few of them being in small clusters. Nothing too hard to get around. Some small stepovers and leaners in the vicinity around the pond, then a small downed branch in the middle of the trail that you've got to either go around or push your way through, followed by a mid-sized birch step-over about 15min after the trail leaves the pond. Small birch stepover a couple mins later. Mid-sized delimbed leaner/widow-maker about 20min before reaching Russell Pond, followed by a mostly delimbed crawl under or straddler about 5min later. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Dogs are not allowed in BSP. |
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 | Bugs: |
It was a miserably hot and humid day, so I'll assume that the bugs were also miserable. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
I got to bed very late the night before which meant a late start on a very hot day. Oh goody. Being in the shade, a pretty flat trail, and, if I recall correctly, a breeze, actually made it quite tolerable. When I made it to Russell Pond, the ranger there said it was 90 something-ridiculous according to her thermometer at the pond, but I couldn't believe that. After assuring the ranger, I was not going to die from heat, exhaustion, or dehydration, I filtered water from the inlet to the pond a short ways north along Grand Falls Trail per the ranger's recommendation. This water absolutely needs filtered and the pond would not be good for swimming (icky, icky, icky). I stopped at the jct with Grand Falls Trail so I still technically needed the couple of hundred feet of Pogy Notch Trail that goes to Wassataquoik Lake Trail. Overall, this trail was easy and not too crazy in terms of mud, wetness, blowdowns, etc. There was a trail crew out there today but not sure they did much. I only saw evidence of work on one blowdown. I saw a sign by the rangers cabin that said "Winter Trail to South Branch 9.6mi". This had me curious as I can't imagine this is an entirely different trail but just one that meets up with the regular trail at some point to avoid a water crossing or something but I never saw anything nor are there any major water crossings all that close to the pond. Gaia had me at 19.1mi, 1250ft of gain, 9hr4min. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-07-20 |
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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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