| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Chase, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Mountain Road, Mt. Chase Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, November 21, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
As far as I could tell, the guidebook’s description was accurate. Mountain road is snow/ice covered. Snow is minimal and it’s seen some traffic so I very cautiously drove a ways down it. FWD with good traction (snow tires, not studded in my case) should do okay at the moment. There’s road jcts every so often to pull off and park on but I chose to finally park about 1.25mi in where Gaia shows a logging road diverging south shortly after Mountain Rd crosses Houston Brook. This left me with about a 1mi road walk. I noted a frozen little drainage/dip in the road which may have gotten my car stuck shortly after I parked. Beyond that, with the road being snow covered, I did not note it becoming any rougher as the guidebook describes. It did seem to become a bit more icy and less travelled though. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Trivial |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The trail is blazed in blue, and though the blazing is actually rather adequate, it is also marked with orange surveyors tape. I don’t recall much in the way of blowdowns, just small debris from wind on the trail as is typical in winter conditions. Hard to get a good look since the trail was mostly underneath a few inches of snow but it appears to be quite eroded in places, mostly up high. See notes below about discrepancies between the guidebook’s description and what I noted. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
Day 2 of my stay in Houlton and I decided to tackle something in the Baxter tab. Beautiful, sunny morning but very cold and windy. Wind chills were subzero when I started surely. 1mi flat road walk to where the picnic bench/parking area is. As the guidebook says, don’t go on the path behind the picnic table but continue on the road and immediately beyond you’ll see a small sign pointing to the trail. I’d worn spikes along the road for the semi-packed snow and ice hut they weren’t ideal for the start of the trail with some bare ground showing. Minimal snow depth if a few inches at most. Blazed in blue but also marked with orange surveyors tape so not hard to follow. Lots of intersections with other roads down low so watch out for those and make sure you’re headed the right way. I continued down a road without realizing it on my way down.
Grades start off easy-moderate. I did not note the huge boulders or the “Rolling Rock” sign, then again I’m oblivious to many things. I believe the grassy trail the guidebook says to avoid is where there’s a sign pointing toward the grassy road saying “waterway”…not sure what that means…guess it leads to some water?? The old fire wardens cabin is cool. Grade stiffens a bit beyond that. Appears to be some erosion on the steep trail. Snow depth increased a bit but still easily under a half foot. I did not see a sign that indicated the summit was a 1/2mi off like the guidebook says but there is a sign that says “Mt Chase U got this” but I don’t think it was quite that far away from the summit. I did not note a spur trail to Eagle Rock…good thing it’s not given with a distance and needed for redlining! Cool little summit and great views. Quick hike back down. Note that though the guidebook’s distance says 1.5mi, it mentions the Eagle Rock Spur being at 1.6mi…so the trail is clearly more than 1.5mi. I’m thinking about 1.75.
Including the road walk, Gaia had me at 5-5.25mi with about 1500ft of elevation. |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-11-23 |
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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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