grafton notch trail

The section of trail over Puzzle Mountain is mostly on land owned by the Mahoosuc Land Trust and permanently protected from development. Completed over 3 days 08/14-16 starting east. Route 26 runs through the middle of the notch and it can easily be reached from the Lakes Region in about three hours. These awesome businesses support our goal of connecting people to outdoor adventures in Maine! Currently there seems to be plenty of water. I helped build the trails here in 1994! There is a campsite about 2 miles after the summit of Old Speck. The trail, which connects to the Appalachian Trail at Old Speck and the East Peak of Baldpate Mountain on either side of ME Route 26, highlights the natural features and mountain peaks of the area encircling Bear River Valley. Water abundantly available in October. Not many other hikers on the loop, lots of day hikers near trailheads on 26. Here the Grafton Loop trail branches off and heads south. From the junction of Route 2 and Route 26, travel North on Route 26 (towards Grafton Notch State Park) 4.7 miles and turn right into a gravel parking area. Log in or create an account below to unlock all the great features of Maine trail finder: keep track of trails you want to do, preserve memories of trails you’ve done, earn badges, and more! All Rights Reserved. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. Oh and it was HOT!. This trail is partially within the 9,993-acre Mahoosuc Ecological Reserve, which, like all Maine State Ecological Reserves, is specifically set aside to protect and monitor natural ecosystems. From here, it heads across a field to a snowmobile bridge across the Bear River. In 2011, a new 1.8-mile side trail off the GLT was opened. The trail emerges on the road a half mile south of the Southern trailhead parking area. The Grafton Loop is a roughly 39 mile, 9 summit hiking loop formed by connecting a portion of the Appalachian trail with the Grafton Loop Trail. Hello fellow grease balls. The Woodsum Spur traverses the open ledges around the summit of Puzzle before returning to the GLT. It is often used by camp and school groups. We did it in 3 days but have talked to folks that have done it in 2-4 days. The tent site at Slide mountain consisted of privy. The western portion of Grafton Notch State park offers two advanced hiking trails that offer excellent views of the mountain range and challenging terrain. From Sunday River Whitecap, the Grafton Loop Trail descends into Miles Notch, elevation 2,350 feet, and after cutting through the notch, begins a long and gradual climb up an arm of Old Speck Mountain. There are two campsites on short side trails in this section, about 1.3 miles apart; one has a spectacular waterfall and pool. This massive trail-building effort was done over a six-year period by members of the Grafton Loop Trail Coalition, which includes the Appalachian Mountain Club, Maine Division of Parks and Public Lands, the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Maine Conservation Corps, Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, several timber management companies, Sunday River Ski Resort, and other private landowners. Length 2.1 miElevation gain 1069 ftRoute type Loop In Grafton Notch State Park, part of the Maine Birding Trail, birdwatchers can observe peregrine falcons, a wide variety of songbirds, and - at higher elevations - northern forest species. The trail then heads down Puzzle, passing the Stewart Campsite on a short spur to the left, to the valley between Puzzle and Long Mountain, where it crosses the headwaters of Chase Hill Brook (reliable water). The trail then follows a series of minor peaks before traversing Sunday River Whitecap. Phenomenal views scattered throughout, but mostly in the woods. No fires are allowed on the trail or at the campsites. 6/17-19/20 Started at the Puzzle Mtn parking lot and did the east loop first. Andover, Andover West Surplus Twp, Grafton Twp, Newry, Riley Twp, Click on a parking icon to get custom directions. The western portion of Grafton Notch State Park offers two rugged trail experiences offering spectacular views of the Mahoosuc Mountain Range and of Old Speck Mountain on the eastern side of Grafton Notch. It had absolutely STUNNING views and I would suggest it to anyone hiking the loop as a point to enjoy. The Grafton Loop Trail is a 38.6 mile, backcountry hiking experience in the Mahoosuc Mountains of Maine. This loop was awesome, absolutely would recommend! Take the 0.3-mile spur to the left, at approximately 3.5 miles from the trail head, to the summit and observation tower. After the cairn on the summit the trail follows open ledges to about .2 miles after the summit where the other end of the Woodsum Spur trail branches to the right. Spectacular views from Old Speck and Baldpate peaks, though getting down Old Speck and up the last .5 of Baldpate were probably the toughest bits of the whole loop. Highly recommend. Saturday was a beautiful hike up Bald and Stowe mountains; nothing too steep and the AMC has done some great additions of planks and stairs in the most steep areas. I parked my car at the Rattle River Trailhead just off Rt 2, outside of Gorham, NH, and waited for my ride up to the trail head in Grafton Notch about 35 miles north. Eyebrow Trail in red (at the north end of the map); Grafton Loop Trail in blue. Lots of blowdowns along the trail. Appalachian Trail: Beaver River Road to Carolo Col Shelter, Baldpate from the East (Andover) Side via Cataracts Trail and Frye Brook Trail. Portions of the trail traverse both Maine’s Grafton Notch State Park as well as a good deal of private land. In the winter, adventurous snowshoers and cross-country skiers enjoy exploring ungroomed trails. Friday night we parked at the southern parking lot 985 Maine 26, Newry, ME 04261 Near intersection of Rt 26 and Eddy Rd and hiked the 0.5ish mile south from parking lot to the Grafton Loop Trailhead (44.530831,-70.825252) Parking is not allowed here at this trailhead, hence the road hike. The western section of the Trail has been open for use since 2003. Length 2.7 mi Elevation gain 869 ft Route type Loop I would suggest keeping a GPS handy, because there were several times when I could not see any markers and had to reference my GPS to figure out where the trail was. I did the full loop in June of 2020 and had an excellent time. The renowned Grafton Notch Scenic Byway bisects the Park and several pull-offs highlight interesting natural features. There were some times that the trail was a little touch and go, the section between Town Corner and Lightening Ledge Knob was particularly hard to follow, but not impossible. More information about the reserve can be found at Maine Natural Areas Program's Ecoreserve Fact Sheet for Mahoosuc Unit. Please try again. Trail was marked, including signs for upcoming camp sites. Trail directions from the GLT trailhead: Got an 87, 6.9l with a banks kit (pre sidewinder, no waste gate) and the turbo needs to be rebuilt. Grafton Notch lies in Western Maine, along the border with New Hampshire, just east of Mahoosuc Notch. GF and I did the Western half of this loop from 5/8/2015 to 5/10/2015. It is often used by camp and school groups. This trail passes through a property that was acquired in part with funds from the Land for Maine’s Future program. Sargent Brook Campsite was dry. More Eyebrow Trail and Appalachian Trail Loop is a 2.1 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Newry, Maine that features a waterfall and is rated as moderate. The Appalachian Trail goes through GNSP. Two trails allow for moderate or more challenging options, and for a longer hike continue up to Baldpate Mountain for 5.8-7.6 miles total. Still love the hike. East of ME Route 26 (21.1 miles, strenuous): The eastern half of the trail, coming from the south, leaves ME Route 26 at the southern trailhead and continues to the open summit of Puzzle Mountain after passing several ledges with fine views of the Bear River Valley, the Mahoosuc Range and the Presidential Range beyond. The most strenuous hiking we had was the decent down the AT to the parking lot; those are long four miles with packs when you're a newbie. The Grafton Notch/Mahoosuc area encompasses some of Maine’s most spectacular mountain terrain. Follow the white-blazed Appalachian Trail south along Cascade Brook. From here, it heads across a field to a snowmobile bridge across the Bear River. I probably didn’t pay attention as much to the directions about the loop trail that exists, even as I’m reading it now. This significant trail-building effort was done over a six-year period by members of the Grafton Loop Trail Coalition, which includes the Appalachian Mountain Club, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Maine Conservation Corps, Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, several timber management companies, Sunday River Ski Resort, and other private landowners. Grafton Notch State Park has waterfalls, a cave and a couple of big mountains. Success! About 1.5 miles from Long Mountain there is reliable water as the trail descends one fork of Wight Brook and the ascends another. There was an issue with your submission. Including a section of the Appalachian Trail, it provides a multi-day loop backpacking experience. 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