Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Sargent Mountain (Newry), ME |
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| Trails: |
Sargent Ledge Trail |
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| Date of Hike: |
Sunday, September 11, 2022 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
See comments. The road to the trailhead is fine for cars with good clearance |
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| Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
None |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail is lightly used, but obvious in the woods. On the ledges it takes more care to follow the cairns |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
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| Bugs: |
None |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
My second hike was a quick, but very beautiful one up the Sargent Ledge Trail on Sargent Mountain. The road in to the the trailhead is a bit brushy, but has waterbars and is actually in quite good condition. If you have decent clearance to get through the water bars, you will have no problem driving all the way to the trailhead. If you don't, then you will need to walk 1.5 miles from the end of Nordic Knoll Road.
The trail starts from a log yard, where you can park, and is marked by a newly rebuilt cairn. The trail is obvious after entering the woods, and it isn't long before it breaks out on open ledge. The trail is a bit more difficult to follow here, and you need to look carefully for the small cairns and worn areas. There are many great viewpoints on the ledges, and the trail ends at the best one about a third of a mile from the trailhead. From here, most of the high peaks in the Mahoosucs can be seen including Black Mountain, Bear Mountain, Goose Eye, Fulling Mill, Mahoosuc Mountain, Mahoosuc Arm, Old Speck, Slide Mountain, & Sunday River Whitecap. It's truly a spectacular views, and is especially impressive for the minimal effort involved to get here.
The track on AllTrails shows the trail continuing past this ledge (which looks like a switchback on the AllTrails map), but it was just another case of AllTrails being misleading, as the trail did not continue on. However, I bushwhacked along the route shown on AllTrails, and it did come out at another ledge near the summit, but the views weren't as good as from the ledge at the end of the trail. This hike is truly a hidden gem, and I highly recommend giving it a try. |
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| Name: |
Sam Shirley |
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| E-Mail: |
newenglandskier13@aol.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-09-11 |
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| Link: |
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MaineHiking/permalink/2662689430540101/ |
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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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