| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Saddleback Mountain, Saddleback Mountain - The Horn, ME |
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 | Trails: |
ATV trail, Flyrod Crosby Trail, Berry Picker's Trail, Appalachian Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 7, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The gravel road off Reed's Mill Road has some decently big rocks you're better off driving around, and a few rutted/washed out areas. One broken plastic culvert and another broken plastic culvert filled in with firewood. We were able to make it to the ATV gate with a Subaru Forester. I would recommend a high clearance vehicle...but we saw a Honda Sedan at the gate so pass at your own risk. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Some big mud puddles heading up to the Horn but all pretty easy to rock hop, and not deep if you just want to walk through them. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The Berry Picker's trail was a little overgrown in the first quarter mile, but blazing is easy to follow. Footing was tougher and the trail was somewhat grown in/boggy in the last half mile between the ledges and the AT, but again, wasn't hard to follow. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw two dogs on the AT. If your dog is okay with rocks and moderate slabs they'd be fine on the BPT. |
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 | Bugs: |
Didn't get bothered - Picaridin and a stiff breeze kept them away. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We wanted a shorter trip than the AT approach but didn't want to walk up the ski slopes. Inspired by Northeast Hikes' writeup (https://www.northeasthikes.com/hike-saddleback-mountain-maine-berry-pickers-trail/), we chose the Berry Picker's Trail. His post has great directions, trail descriptions, and mileage/timing breakdowns. Only saw two other cars at the trailhead and nobody on the BPT. The beginning of the BPT was slightly overgrown, but the blazing was easy to follow. The first mile is a pretty steady, rocky climb, but you quickly pop out onto the ledges. Be sure to follow cairns and blazing, there isn't a defined footpath on the ledges yet and we got turned around a couple times. The last .4 back in the woods before the AT were damp and eroded in some places and overgrown in others, watch your footing. We went up to Saddleback (left) after meeting up with the AT because it looked like the steeper of the two. The trail to the Horn had some muddy spots, but all were easy to rock hop. Took us about 6.5 hours with breaks on the way up and a longer break at the top of the Horn. Very quick descent down the BPT. Definitely recommend this approach if you're looking for a compromise between the two other approaches, a quieter trail, and you have a high clearance vehicle. |
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 | Name: |
Marianne Ferguson |
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 | E-Mail: |
ferguson.marianne@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2018-07-09 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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