Is the beginning of the Mahoosuc Trail accessible from 16 still? My previous edition of the MMG has the RT 16 start, my WMG has the Hogan Rd access. I'd like to avoid the Hogan access if possible. I'm hoping to do an overnight and hitching back to the beginning. If possible I'd like to avoid parking at the new access to make it easier to reach my car via hitch. If it can't be avoided, I'll start on the Centennial Trail instead as it's closer to RT2.
Yes the trail is accessible from the Rt. 16 railroad trestle...once across the Androscoggin, take the gravel road to the left and keep going or climb the bank up to the old railroad grade and go straight (they both lead to the same place)...there are some signs showing the way, but once past a snowmachine bridge there is an old vehicle frame on the right with a very small AMC blue sign pointing the way across the way to Hogan Road...take a right on the road and continue down to the trail proper near the dam, where once we all could get there...I prefer this way also to get to the Mahoosuc Trail...have a good hike!!
Last edited by Lefty E; 10-21-2013 at 05:56 AM.
FYI, I think it adds 1 mile to the route each way from the parking on Rt 16. Hogan Road is generally not plowed most winters and therefore is not a good option for later fall early winter. Also plan on blaze orange the area is very popular with hunters. The turn after the snowmachine bridge is immediate, you cant see the car frame until you have turned on it and walked a few feet.
Look how I did last winter to do Mount Hayes
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...t=embedwebsite
This road was explained to me by John 1HappyHiker see his blogs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...GtVTGluUU1jTWc
Last edited by yvon; 10-27-2013 at 12:18 PM.
Yvon Daigle ADK 46/46--NH48/48--NE67/67--NORTHEAST 111 115/115--52/52 With A View
Les randonnées de Annie et Yvon (Website)
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For what its worth, the car frame is now gone. I arrived at the trailhead at the same time as a local and he showed me to the start of the Mahoosuc Tr. He said they are doing work repairing a leaking canal dam. While they have equipment there, they moved the car. Only a small bit of broken glass remains. The route is well signed and easy to follow in the daytime however.
Also it appears that they are marking a route for Mt biking in the area. The first couple hundred feet of the Mahoosuc Tr were shared by a bike route until in veered off into the woods.
Thanks for the updated info, guess I should get down there to check it since I have not since early spring!!
I am bringing back an old post to do an update on the Mahoosuc Trail in Gorham. Quite a few years ago, the new (at the time) owner of the hydro dam cut access over the power station and there was no official trail from the RR trestle in Gorham to the east side of the Androscoggin River along the rough logging road locally called Hogan Road that starts in Shelburne. AMC did not have permission from Brookfield to reroute the trail to this point and the state had no interest in doing a relocation. There was a way to get there, just no signage initially and then some informal signage appeared at key turns but no blazes. Brookfield did put up big "AMC Trail" signs to direct hikers away from the hydro station but initially all they did was strand the hiker on the old railbed heading to Berlin. This was the case for quite few years
The start at the parking lot under the trestle still is unmarked for the hiking trail. Once over the river ,one of the large "AMC Trail" signs directs hikers up a very steep banking to get on the railroad bed. There is no indication at the railroad bed on which was to turn but its pretty obvious. (While you are there take a walk out on the trestle for a nice view up to Madison). There are no blazes but the rail bed is quite obvious. Whats is new is at the crossing of the hydro canal, there is an official AMC Mahoosuc trail sign with a arrow along with a Cross NH trail sign. (whomever installed the nice Cross NH Trail signs were not thinking as they screwed them tightly to small trees with tamper proof screws. If will not be long before the tree starts to grow over the sign). Then the trail takes a hard right into the woods and comes to a junction where the Cross NH Trail (a bike path) goes straight up to Hogan road while the AMC signed Mahoosuc Trail sign is routed along the bank of the canal through the woods. Eventually it pops out onto Hogan road at some large power lines. Eventually the signed trailhead on Hogan Road is reached (there is no parking at this point but there used to be some at the hydro station.
One thing to note is when coming back at the end of the hike, the turn off the road is not obvious, there is AMC sign but its easy to think its just pointing down the road. Just bear left at the big power lines and the trail in the woods becomes obvious,
The rest of the trail up to Mt Hayes was well marked and in good condition. I cut a few trees leaning over the trail bed. Coming down I took the Mascot Pond trail spur. The pond is quite low these days. Mascot Pond thankfully is still a hidden gem. Any where else in NH it would be covered with campsites and overuse but it looks as usual unscathed. The only thing it needs is the beavers to move back in to clear some of the brush.
Last edited by peakbagger; 11-29-2020 at 04:44 PM.
The mountain bike trails in that area were started about 10 yrs ago by the Coos Cycling Club on "Power Island", and their abundant ambition added the Undermine Loop a couple years later. This was one of the most popular areas when they first started developing their trail network, but eventually fell out of favor with many riders as new milage was added on the Gorham Land Company lands to the north of Pine Mountain.
I'm commenting here to provide a link to probably the best map of the immediate area that is available https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...228_4print.pdf
And if you are curious their website https://cooscyclingclub.org/
I think what got things going on the Brookfield land was that Pete B, one of the founders of the club, was a local employee of Brookfield and got Brookfield interesting in supporting the trail network and the club. Sadly Pete B passed away a few years ago but the club seems to be active with a growing trail network.
A few years after Brookfield had closed access across the hydro dam and effectively cut access to the trailhead on Hogan road (long before Pete B was working for them) I was talking with an AMC employee who was the adopter of the Mahoosuc trail and she had had no luck at all getting permission from Brookfield to do a relo across their land to reconnect the trailhead to RT 16. I think the big "AMC trail" signs went in because folks were still trying to walk down to the now fenced in former crossing. Unfortunately closing access across the river cut off access to the Blueberry Ledge trail that used to start immediately from the parking lot near the power house. The former trail across the power house was pretty interesting, you could look into the rack house on the left and look down through the normally open windows at the hydro turbines which were right out of the early days of AC power generation.
Great links. Thank you for providing!Originally Posted by Andrew
"I'm getting up and going to work everyday and I am stoked. That does not suck!"__Shane McConkey
Just so I am clear, you would park on 16 at the ATV trestle, walk under the trestle (always exciting with the dog on the grates), then get up onto the ATV trail/rail bed and hike over the ATV bridge and take a right to get over to Hogan Rd. and then south on that road until the Mahoosuc Trail?
Also, on the mtn bike map above (cool map -- thx), what is the Glade Access Trail that is south of the airport? Back country ski trail?
https://granitebackcountryalliance.o...-pine-mountain
"I'm getting up and going to work everyday and I am stoked. That does not suck!"__Shane McConkey
Cool. Thank you.
Your welcome. No worries. GBA is a really great group of folks. Kind of reminds me of the early days of VFTT but way more organized. They are doing everything right and considering the times only stand to gain more traction. Unfortunately the after trail work gatherings have been squelched as of late which were a good time. Good food, beer, and live music. Hopefully we get back to that.
"I'm getting up and going to work everyday and I am stoked. That does not suck!"__Shane McConkey
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