Katahdin
- Thread starter jd scout
- Start date
Help Support vftt.org:
Planing to hike up Katahdin this summer any hints or suggestions for best time or trails?
askus3
New member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2003
- Messages
- 678
- Reaction score
- 37
Time: whenever you can get a reservation in the park and you can see the summit.
Trail route: I have two favorites:
1) Approach from the east. Trailhead - Roaring Brook Campground. Ascend via Helon Taylor & Knife Edge Trails. Exhilarating climb almost completely above treeline. Could be unnerving if you have a fear of height. From the Katahdin summit follow the Saddle Trail and then on to Hamlin Peak, so you can bag both 4,000 footers. Then descend the lovely Hamlin Ridge Trail & Chimney Pond Trails back to Roaring Brook and your car. This circular is 12.5 miles in length and allow 12 hours, for beauty, pictures and to take it all in. Anything less and you are rushing thru a spectacular hike.
2) Approach from the west. Trailhead - Abol Campground. This hike is a figure eight. Ascend Abol Slide Trail. Cross Hunt (AT) at Thoreau Spring and continue to the Saddle. Go up and bag Hamlin Peak and return. Then go right up Saddle Trail and climb the Baxter Peak summit of Katahdin. Descend the Hunt Trail to Katahdin Stream Campground and walk the road to your left back two miles to Abol CG. This route gives you both peaks and first 5.2 miles of the AT southbound. So you can start your AT odyssey.
Any climb of Katahdin is great and none are easy. Neither of these routes include Chimney Pond which is a must in its own right. The Coe-Brothers Circular is also a must. Then there are at least another dozen hikes worth doing. So if you are giving Baxter anything less than a week, you are cheating yourself.
Trail route: I have two favorites:
1) Approach from the east. Trailhead - Roaring Brook Campground. Ascend via Helon Taylor & Knife Edge Trails. Exhilarating climb almost completely above treeline. Could be unnerving if you have a fear of height. From the Katahdin summit follow the Saddle Trail and then on to Hamlin Peak, so you can bag both 4,000 footers. Then descend the lovely Hamlin Ridge Trail & Chimney Pond Trails back to Roaring Brook and your car. This circular is 12.5 miles in length and allow 12 hours, for beauty, pictures and to take it all in. Anything less and you are rushing thru a spectacular hike.
2) Approach from the west. Trailhead - Abol Campground. This hike is a figure eight. Ascend Abol Slide Trail. Cross Hunt (AT) at Thoreau Spring and continue to the Saddle. Go up and bag Hamlin Peak and return. Then go right up Saddle Trail and climb the Baxter Peak summit of Katahdin. Descend the Hunt Trail to Katahdin Stream Campground and walk the road to your left back two miles to Abol CG. This route gives you both peaks and first 5.2 miles of the AT southbound. So you can start your AT odyssey.
Any climb of Katahdin is great and none are easy. Neither of these routes include Chimney Pond which is a must in its own right. The Coe-Brothers Circular is also a must. Then there are at least another dozen hikes worth doing. So if you are giving Baxter anything less than a week, you are cheating yourself.
