| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Spruce Mountain, Pleasant Mountain viewpoint , ME |
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 | Trails: |
Spruce Mountain Trail, Pleasant Mountain Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, January 4, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking for the NE side of Spruce Mtn is on the opposite side of Rt 17 as where the trail starts. Same lot as George’s Highland Path (GHP) to Ragged Mtn. Dirt lot which was a little soft from recent rain but easily accessible by any car. Room for between one and two dozen cars. I was the only one when I arrived shortly past 7am and left shortly past 10:30am. Parking for the SW side of Spruce Mtn and Pleasant Mtn is on Mt Pleasant St at a large pulloff that could fit a half dozen or more cars probably if needed. This road is dirt so was a little soft with recent rain but easily drivable by any car. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All either trivial and/or have puncheon bridges across them. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
I don’t specifically recall any blowdowns. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Good trails for dogs. Current conditions may be very icy though, especially on ledge. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
All trails including the spur trail to the view just shy of the true summit of Spruce are blazed in blue. Some cairns along the ledges as well. As far as I recall, the blazing was pretty good and the trails easy to follow with the possible exception along the ledges.
1st full day of hiking while staying in Rockland. This was my first hike of the day…kind of. If you look on Gaia, you’ll see that NW of GHP over Spruce Mtn, there’s a loop shown. I’d meant to hike both pieces of this loop just to be thorough for redlining even though it didn’t describe a loop on the guidebook but forgot to so although I did this hike as an OAB from Rt 17 to Pleasant Mtn, I ended up driving to Mt Pleasant St later that day to try and find if there was indeed a loop: There is NOT a loop and the section that’s labelled as GHP on Gaia does not exist. The GHP is actually the unlabeled eastern section of this loop.There’s another loop shown on the NE side of Spruce as well. Gaia got it correct this time and the western part of the loop is not the actual trail but is a shortcut that also avoids a PUD.
The trails were wet from recent rain and there were some brief muddy spots but nothing bad. No need for spikes this day. There was a little melting ice on the powerline swath and on one small spot on the ledge at the end of the spur on Spruce Mtn but that was it. That being said, given the freezing rain, temps, and snow we’ve gotten since then, the trails and especially any ledge are likely quite slick and icy right now. I know other nearby trails were yesterday… Also, be aware of private property if you venture far beyond the view spur near the summit of Spruce Mtn toward the true summit.
These trails are easy, well maintained, and not hard to follow. While there are no private property signs or signs indicating the trail ends where shown on Gaia and described in the guidebook, the Mt Pleasant Trail does still seem to end in the corner of the blueberry field as there’s no markings beyond there telling you which way to go.
Gaia had me at 7mi, 1400ft of gain, and 3hrs. |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-01-07 |
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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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