Trailhead for Mt Abraham, Maine

Can someone give me the current directions to the trailhead for Mt Abraham in Maine? Also, if anyone's been there recently - the trail conditions? Either post it here or PM me -

Thanks.

Kevin Rooney said:

Can some give me the current directions to the trailhead for Mt Abraham in Maine? Also, if anyone's been there recently - the trail conditions? Either post it here or PM me -

Thanks.

Click to expand...

No help here, but, when are you going? I'm interested.

it's been 10 years

but the way I went was up Caribou valley road to where AT crosses the road. If you take the AT the other way you'll go to crocker cirque. Opposite way is towards Sugarloaf. Take a right halfway up Sugarloaf (trail forks) and go towards Mt.Abraham. There is a lean-to before the trails starts going back up to climb Mt. Abraham. Mt.Abraham is an amazing sight. Totally barren, reminds me of being on Katahdin's Knife edge although the top is much wider. It was a great hike. I think this mountain is the most underrated and underutilized hike in Maine.

oh yeah. I used to hike a lot at night when I lived and hiked in Europe. I just remember that this hike was a nice reminder that night hiking in Maine could be trouble. I got stuck on a moonless night on the way to the lean-to without a flash light. I was hitting my head into trees. Very funny.

Crossing the Carabassett river could be trouble this time of the year.

So you will drive through Kingfield towards Sugarloaf. You will pass the Sugarloaf ski entrance on your left. Next good left will be Caribou Valley Road (look at your map). You can hike from there or sometimes you can drive up this dirt road. The brook crossings could be a bit sketchy.

Paradox said:

No help here, but, when are you going? I'm interested.

Click to expand...

Will send you a PM.

Just to be clear, you're looking for directions to the Firewarden's trail, right? The bridges near the trailhead are going to be the biggest issue, I'll let someone who's been there recently chime in.

Yes, Dave. Am inquiring for a friend as it's been some years since I've been up Mt Abraham.

If coming from the south on RT 27 into Kingfield, turn left on West Kingfield Street (next to hardware store). Pavement ends about 3.5 miles from RT27. At approximately 6 miles, turn left and cross two bridges over Rapid Stream. After crossing the bridges, the road forks... keep right. The trailhead is about a 1/2 mile from the bridges.

I was there in July and the bridges were passable in my Ford Ranger... low clearance vehicles may have problems. Some choose to park before the bridges and walk in.

Pure speculation is that the approach to the Firewardens trailhead is probably impassable currently. The roads are seasonal logging roads that dont have a lot of base to them, nor do they have good drainage, which usually means that they get rutted quickly. They are also used as snowmachine trails which tends to compact the snow and makes it longer before they melt (AKA a snowmachine version fo the "rail").

As of last fall, the left turn off the main road was not obviously marked, although a snow machine trail coming in from the rightcoincides with the road to the trailhead until after the bridge crossing, so the snowmachine trail signs are a good indication although there are a lot of signs along the road.

I would give it several weeks for things to dry out as there is still a lot of snow in the woods.


Of general note is that the shortcut that skips the lower section of the trail, was passable last fall with a four wheel drive truck, but there were some very rutted sections, I wouldnt recomend it for a car or any vehicle with good paint as the branches are growing into the roadway.

Granted I haven't been out of New England for much hiking; but for me, Maine has been the place where just driving to some of the trailheads can provide more challenge and satisfaction than the hikes themselves.

For Abraham, I found my GPS, patience and a sense of humor to be essential. For added fun, try to reconcile with out-of-date copies of the Maine Atlas and Gazeteer.

But... It was a great hike.

A literal up-to-the-minute report on the access is necessary because the logging road is so close to Rapid Stream that, at times, the road and stream bed are hard to differentiate ... if the road is passable at all. At worse, it could add some 6 miles (round trip) to an out and back hike via the Fire Wardens trailhead.

There was considerable logging activity in the area which in the past meant fairly prompt repairs on the road. Some years ago it also meant a confusing array of feeder and skid roads that made more sense to follow on the way back than to try to follow the trail.

Sorry I don't have those up-to-the-minute conditions but the thread brought back memory of an extended 4th of July weekend backpack that included a night at Spaulding Shelter. On the way to our car spot at the end of a washed out West Kingfield Road we came across a clear cut bluff overlooking Kingfield so rich in wildlife and quintessential north woods that we plopped down right there, dined and slept under the stars ... with an entertaining fireworks display seven miles away in Kingfield.

Thanks everyone for all the info. My friend appreciates it too - he doesn't have an account here.

The various reports remind me of my own experiences doing Mt Abe several years ago in October. While I very much enjoyed the hike, I spent about three hours driving the backroads in Kingsfield looking for the right turnoffs on behalf of the larger group hike a few days later. Fortunately, the roads were mostly dry, and the bridges mostly intact, but ... it was still confusing and difficult to find the trailhead. Doesn't sound like that aspect has changed much.

Maybe I'm a map-reading genius, but I didn't have any trouble. The directions in the AMC Maine Mountain Guide include precise mileage for every turn. A USGS topo map, marked up with dirt roads traced from Google satellite view, was a useful supplement to the AMC map, which isn't very detailed. Knowing in advance that there are false turns to avoid is a big help.

The posts above all seem to discuss a hike from the east, by the Firewarden's Trail, or north, by AT from Caribou Valley Road. It is also possible, and possibly preferable, to start from the south. Starting at Rte 4 in Phillips, you drive north about 13 miles on E. Madrid Rd. then a series of dirt roads until you reach a crossing of the AT in the "Orbeton Stream" section. Parking there, you take the AT east over Lone Mtn. and then the Mt. Abraham Spur Trail east to the summit. (On your return to the AT, you wouldn't be far south of Spaulding.)

Those dirt roads weren't bad in June 2005, when I took this route, but I don't know how they are today.