| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Lookout Mountain , ME |
|
 | Trails: |
International Appalachian Trail, Little Messer Pond Road, Big Spring Brook Hut Spur Trail, Lookout Trail, unknown road, Big Messer Pond Trail, K-Comp Road, Little Messer Pod Trail, Pond Pitch Portage Trail, Haskell Rock Pitch Portage Trail, Haskell Hut Spur Trail, Stair Falls Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, June 26, 2025 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Though Apple Maps seems to think that the gate 0.7mi south of Grand Lake Rd is closed year-round, it is not and you can drive all 4.2mi to the trailhead. No idea what the 2.5mi in the guidebook is about or Matagamon or Haskell Gate are. Just turn left off of Grand Lake Rd and onto Messer Pond Rd and drive to the end of the road, blocked by rocks. Just before it, you'll find a small parking area with room for a few cars. You then have to walk a very short ways back down to the road to reach the IAT. Interesting to note that I got passed by a truck while hiking that must have had a key to the gate. They passed over a bridge with a big hole in it and parked pretty far up the trail to Lookout. Never saw the on the trail or at the hut so not sure where they were headed. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I don't think there was anything that wasn't bridged. A bridge or two at least partially out so maybe I hopped across something? |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Other than the section along the IAT which is marked with the IAT markers, the trail to Lookout is not marked. Blue blaze and orange flagging on what's called Little Messer Pond Trail on Gaia (this is NOT the Little Messer Pond Rd that Gaia refers too). There are signs at most or at least some of the jcts though. Some small stepovers, leaners higher up along the road, but nothing too troublesome with blowdowns that I can remember. Some bridges out too and washout to watch out for. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure! Nice grades and lots of water nearby! Watch them near the out bridges and washout. |
|
 | Bugs: |
They were probably bad. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
None |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
As noted in the parking section, the guidebook's directions to this trailhead confused me a bit. Maybe there's just some named gates I don't know about but the mileage seems off to me. Given that it's 1.4mi to the side trail to Haskell Hut from where the guidebook starts, we did indeed start at the same place though. Originally I'd planned on getting the long section of the IAT needed for redlining, Lookout Mtn, and Lunksoos and Deasey Mtns in two hikes: one for Lookout with a long OAB to an "unmaintained trail" shown on Gaia west of Spencer Ribs, then a big loop over Lunksoos and Deasey using the Telos Tote Trail, again with an OAB to this unmaintained trai. As I was taking photos of the guidebook this morning though, I realized that the IAT was needed all the way out to Grand Lake Rd, not from the route to Lookout Mtn starts...oops! So, instead, I split this hike into three hikes: today I'd do the first which would be the hike described to Lookout Mtn with a looong 4.2 one-way OAB along Messer Pond Rd to Grand Lake Rd.
I followed the route described in the guidebook to Lookout Mtn doing the needed redlining spur to Big Spring Brook Hut along the way. While I may have apprecaited some trail instead of just road, I actually really enjoyed this long gradual ascent. The guidebook says that moderate navigation skills are required which, without a GPS may be true as one overgrown road is not signed against another up high, but the route described to Lookout Mtn follows roads the ENTIRE way to the summit which, if you ask me, is a feat within itself so really isn't hard to follow so long as you know which to take. There's a loop around the summit shown on Gaia. The one described in the guidebook is the western part of the loop so stay straight/right in the clearing where the two meet, but, forever a lazy slacker, I took the other road up as it looked slightly more gradual. Not sure it was but it led me to the beautiful ledges and views (though a bit restricted) at the summit towards the peaks of BSP. I then bushwhacked around the summit area, finding no RHP, before taking the route described in the guidebook back down from the summit. On the way down, I took the trail/road to Big Messer Pond which isn't exactly as shown on Gaia, then K-Comp Rd and what's shown on Gaia as Little Messer Pond Trail (NOT the same as Little Messer Pond Rd the main route to Lookout takes as described in the guidbeook just to the west) back down to the IAT. Note that the latter is truly a trail (with orange flagging and blue blaze I believe) and is lightly travelled and probably included the steepest portion of the hike, haha. This trail comes out at Pond Pitch along the IAT. After exploring the trails here down to the river (Pond Pitch Portage), I took the IAT back to my car, exploring all the portage trails and Stairs Falls along the way. Though this added to an already very long hike, the views of the river were quite nice and I recommend checking them out.
Once back at my car, I drudged through the long road walk out to Grand Lake Rd and back to my car, somehow managing to finish just past 9pm, before it was totally pitch black. It was actually cool enough by the time I finished that I had to put my jacket on and something over my ears! As far as I recall, the roads were mostly dry, but I imagine there were some muddy and puddle sections. Gaia had me at 29.9mi, 2050ft of gain, 11hr48min, my longest hike to boot. Gee, maybe there was a connection between that and my hikers vasculitis the next day!! |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
|
 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2025-07-20 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
