Appalachian Trail Hike – Pleasant Pond Mountain
A short hike on the Appalachian Trail to an open summit with expansive views… Pleasant Pond Mountain is one of our favorite local hikes.
The hike begins in the woods, follow the white Appalachian Trail blazes on the trees.
It’s definitely a dog-friendly hiking trail.
And a great hike for all ages.
Well, it’ll take tough kids to hike to the summit in the winter. These Keene State College students rocked it with snowshoes during the Outdoor Recreation Leadership Course that we host.
Jim, who you know from our snowmobile trail reports, his wife, rockstar Suzy of Suzy and the Smelts, and daughter, whitewater rafting guide Emily hiked up to the summit last weekend.
It’s amazing just how many of the Maine mountains you can view from the top.
Even Sugarloaf… (another excellent photo from Northern crew member, Beth McLaughlin.)
Pleasant Pond Mountain is one of many fantastic, nearby hikes. We offer shuttles to the Appalachian Trail, a couple miles away from Northern Outdoors. We work with Maine Huts and Trails to offer raft and hike packages, and host a Baxter Outdoors trail race every September on the Forks Area Scenic Trail (FAST.) See more information on Maine hiking.
We’ll leave you with Beth’s amazing sunrise shot from the top of Pleasant Pond Mountain.
Directions to the Pleasant Pond Mountain Trailhead:
Go left out of the Northern Outdoors parking lot, heading south on Route 201 for 2.1 miles. Turn left onto Main St in Caratunk. Drive 0.8 miles, then veer right onto Pleasant Pond Road. Drive 3.2 miles, then turn left onto North Shore Road. Drive 1.3 (the road turns to gravel after 0.3 mile), then turn right onto a narrow gravel drive, which leads to the trailhead parking area in 0.1 mile. Appalachian Trail signs mark the drive and the trailhead, which is at the far end of the grass parking area.
For further info: the Google Map and Bangor Daily News One Minute Hikes.
