The Maine Highlands Guidebook The Maine Highlands Guidebook | Page 10

Hike
W
hether you’re slipping
through moss-floored
forests, lunching on
a picturesque ledge,
or celebrating a tough ascent with
spectacular summit views, The Maine
Highlands’ glacier-carved landscape offers
a rich variety of hikes and wilderness
backpacking treks that range in length
from a few hours to a week or more.
LEAVE NO TRACE
Help keep Maine beautiful and wild: bury
human waste and food waste and take all
of your trash with you. Stick to established
trails, don’t damage live trees, and burn
campfires only in permitted areas.
PHOTO BY
Brian Threlkeld
IN THE WEST the Moosehead region provides a range of moderate
hikes with escape and discovery at every twist and turn of the trail.
IN SOUTHERN PICATAQUIS Gulf Hagas, often called "the Grand Canyon
of Maine,” offers a moderate 8-mile loop hike that circles a scenic, deep,
wooded gorge. Side trails dip down to waterfalls and swimming holes.
Visitors to the Moosehead Lake area can
tackle the Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit, a
six-mountain hiking challenge that spans
the unique Mount Kineo, accessible only
by ferry or boat, Number Four Mountain,
Whitecap Mountain, Eagle Rock, Big Moose
Mountain, and Borestone Mountain. Hikes
range from 3.5 to 6.5 miles round-trip.
Complete all six and receive an official
patch and sticker. Find a trail guide at
mooseheadpinnaclepursuit.com.
 AMP IT UP
Ultra: Complete all 6 peaks within
a single 48-hour period.
Winter: Complete the challenge
between January 1 and April 15.
Winter Ultra: Complete the Winter
challenge within a 48-hour period.
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| THE MAINE HIGHLANDS.COM
THE HUNDRED MILE WILDERNESS, often considered the wildest
stretch of the legendary Appalachian Trail, passes across The
Highlands and provides a challenging 10-night backpacking trip.
The trail terminates at Abol Bridge on Maine's famed Golden Road.
BE PREPARED
Remember that even in summer, it can get very cold at night and at high elevations;
always pack warm, wind- and waterproof layers. Bring enough food and basic
equipment to survive a night in the woods, even if you don’t plan on needing to.
International Appalachian Trail
The International Appalachian Trail begins in the Katahdin Woods
& Waters National Monument, stretching North along the U.S.-Canada
Border to the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec. Ferry crossings
allow it to pick up in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Belle Isle. The trail’s
proposed future route extends all the way across the Atlantic to Europe
and North Africa! Once completed, this will be the largest trail network
in the world, featuring trails on three continents.