Anyone who owns Christopher Keene's indispensable "North Woods Walks" is aware of Little Kineo Mountain. For those who don't own this book, Little Kineo is a fun, scenic little hike in the Moosehead Lake Region. Having visited this peak over the weekend, I'd like to offer these improved directions:
Revised NWW Directions: From Greenville, head north to Kokadjo. Just beyond where the asphalt ends, the road forks. Take the left fork. About 1.2 miles later, the road forks again. Bear to the left here as well, pretty much following the signs for the Spencer Pond Camps. Staying on this main road, at 8.7 miles you'll come to the right-hand turn for the Spencer Pond Camps. Continue straigh ahead. Just beyond is another decent road that comes in from the left (which has a large sign with a map of the local snowmobile trails on it). Continue straight ahead here as well. At ten miles you'll reach the bridge at the south end of Spencer Pond (where there are great views across the pond to Little Spencer Mountain). Just beyond this a road that comes in on the left that has some campsites on it. Continue straight ahead. At 15.7 miles you'll come to a T intersection, where you have to go either left or right. Go left. At 17.3 miles you'll see the sign for the Days Academy state public reserve land. Turn right here. I don't think this road is actively maintained anymore, since it often has a strip of grass growing down the middle, has two spots where it's submerged by large puddles, and has one minor washout that drivers of lower cars won't like very much (the good news, as you'll see below, is that this one rough stretch is avoidable). In 1.4 miles, you'll come out at a much better dirt road, where you want to turn to the left. About a mile later, the road crests the foot of Little Kineo, and just before it starts to drop down again, you'll see the trailhead on your right.
Better Directions: Since Christopher Keene's directions lead one to a rough patch of road, here is how to avoid that difficult section: At the T intersection at 15.7 miles, rather than go left, take a right. At 16.4 miles, a decent logging road comes in on the right. Bear left here. At 17. 1 miles the rough road in Christopher Keene's directions comes in on the left. Continue straight here, and a mile later you'll be at the trailhead.
The trail itself is in great shape and is very well marked the whole way. Once it reaches the ridge top, it passes by outlooks that collectively offer great views in all directions, including unique views of Kineo, Moosehead Lake, and Mount Katahdin. Please just note that there are a couple of spots where it looks like the trail ends, but if you look around for a moment you'll see where it continues on. It finally ends at a decent outlook to the northeast, with decent views of the Spencers and Mount Katahdin beyond, where the mountain clearly drops off before you.
Revised NWW Directions: From Greenville, head north to Kokadjo. Just beyond where the asphalt ends, the road forks. Take the left fork. About 1.2 miles later, the road forks again. Bear to the left here as well, pretty much following the signs for the Spencer Pond Camps. Staying on this main road, at 8.7 miles you'll come to the right-hand turn for the Spencer Pond Camps. Continue straigh ahead. Just beyond is another decent road that comes in from the left (which has a large sign with a map of the local snowmobile trails on it). Continue straight ahead here as well. At ten miles you'll reach the bridge at the south end of Spencer Pond (where there are great views across the pond to Little Spencer Mountain). Just beyond this a road that comes in on the left that has some campsites on it. Continue straight ahead. At 15.7 miles you'll come to a T intersection, where you have to go either left or right. Go left. At 17.3 miles you'll see the sign for the Days Academy state public reserve land. Turn right here. I don't think this road is actively maintained anymore, since it often has a strip of grass growing down the middle, has two spots where it's submerged by large puddles, and has one minor washout that drivers of lower cars won't like very much (the good news, as you'll see below, is that this one rough stretch is avoidable). In 1.4 miles, you'll come out at a much better dirt road, where you want to turn to the left. About a mile later, the road crests the foot of Little Kineo, and just before it starts to drop down again, you'll see the trailhead on your right.
Better Directions: Since Christopher Keene's directions lead one to a rough patch of road, here is how to avoid that difficult section: At the T intersection at 15.7 miles, rather than go left, take a right. At 16.4 miles, a decent logging road comes in on the right. Bear left here. At 17. 1 miles the rough road in Christopher Keene's directions comes in on the left. Continue straight here, and a mile later you'll be at the trailhead.
The trail itself is in great shape and is very well marked the whole way. Once it reaches the ridge top, it passes by outlooks that collectively offer great views in all directions, including unique views of Kineo, Moosehead Lake, and Mount Katahdin. Please just note that there are a couple of spots where it looks like the trail ends, but if you look around for a moment you'll see where it continues on. It finally ends at a decent outlook to the northeast, with decent views of the Spencers and Mount Katahdin beyond, where the mountain clearly drops off before you.
