| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bald Mountain (Washington Township), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Bald Mountain Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, January 21, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The large skirt off ME 156 is plowed. Can fit many cars, can fit much more cars if people park nose/trunk in rather than parallel to the road. I was the only nut, I mean hiker, in the lot. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The brook encountered directly after the trailhead was completely iced over with a good blanket of snow on top. It held my 160LBS fine. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Dog did fine. The small amount of exposed ice on the rocks above tree line were avoidable, but he decided to try out his ice skating tricks anyway… |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The trail to Saddleback/Saddlewind beyond Bald summit is closed. According to the sign at the trailhead this is permanent due to new landownership.
This is a popular, frequently travelled, local hike that is well maintained and very nicely blazed in blue. The new “Step II Alternate†is signed but not blazed. I followed this going up but decided I was too close to the cliffs for my tastes. I went down Step II (in snowshoes) on the way back with no issue. It is steep for about 20-25 feet, but it is not precarious in the snow.
Being a local trail, one is never sure what to expect as far as trail surfaces go. Alas, today I found a post-hole nightmare. The trail was so chewed up between the recent post-holer and the lack of snowshoe employment in general. A trench has not been set up, thus the footbed remains soft snow. I wore snowshoes up and back but made little progress in smoothing out the trail. I would not recommend spikes, the snow is too soft (even in today’s subzero temps). The little amount of ice showing in various spots is completely avoidable.
Snow is approximately 4-5 inches deep from the trailhead to tree line. Once emerging out of the trees there is drifting. Nothing snowshoes can’t handle. The rock slabs are mostly exposed down to bare rock with snow along the protected sides, enough for snowshoes to walk along side the rock. There is very little, and very avoidable, blue ice on some of these ledges.
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-01-21 |
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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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