| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Ferry Mountain, Frohock Mountain, Bald Rock Mountain, Cameron Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Multi-Use Trail, Bald Rock Trail, Frohock Mountain Trail, Sky Blue Trail, Cameron Mountain Trail, Zeke’s Trail, Zeke’s Lookout Spur, Cameron Mountain Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, January 6, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Medium sized dirt parking lot on Youngtown Rd just south of its jct with Rt 173. Easily accessible by any car. Room for over a dozen. I think there were 2-3 there when I arrived at 8:30am and and about a half dozen others when I returned around 3pm. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
None that I recall |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Most trails in Camden State Park are both blazed in blue and marked by some fun little symbol tacked to the trees. The ski shelter trail is only blazed in blue I think, Bald Rock Mountain Trail is marked with red triangles, Frohock Mtn Trail with yellow crescent moons, Sky Blue Trail with blue X’s, Zeke’s Trail I believe was red crescent moons, and Cameron Mtn Trail with purple rectangles. Everything seemed well marked and easy to follow. Trail signs were intact as far as I recall and the only blowdowns I remember were just before the summit of Frohock Mtn where there’s a bit of a mess of them but I think they may have largely been off trail. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sure |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
Last hike/day redlining while staying in Rockland. This finished Camden Hills for me. My route: Sli Shelter/Multi-Use Trail —> Bald Rock Trail to —> OAB on Frohock Mtn Trail —> Bald Rock Trail over the summit to —> Ski Shelter/Multi-Use Trail to Sky Blue Trail to —> Cameron Mtn Trail south to —> OAB on Zeke’s Trail and Zeke’s Lookout Trail —> Cameron Trail and OAB on Cameron Mtn summit spur to —> Ski Shelter/Multi-Use Trail to —> car
More so than I would’ve expected, the little snow, rain, etc from the day before froze overnight and the trails were very slick. All the roots were encased in a thin film of ice as were most rocks and such. All the ledges were iced over and very slick on Bald Rock Mtn. I wouldn’t describe the shelters along the trail as a spur…then again I think I only saw one east of the summit. The summit/view itself however is accessed by a spur trail. Seems a bit different than what the guidebook says. I never threw on my spikes as I wasn’t so sure they’d help with a think film of ice and I foolishly only had brand new spikes with me that I didn’t want to dull on rock. That said, some people I saw had yaktrax and such which seemed the best option. One or two guys in Hillsounds I believe but with the longe spike I’m not sure how effective they were.
I walked by the spur on Zeke’s Trail heading south. There is a sign for it in both directions but it’s hidden/slightly up the trail if headed south. I caught it on my way back. The spur trail isn’t hard to follow but it easy to walk right by. When Cameron Mtn Trail comes to the road and makes a sharp right, note that it’s private property to the left (trails shown on Gaia). The spur to the summit is the easternmost of two shown on Gaia. I don’t think it was signed but is obvious as it’s a road. Snowy and cloudy when I was there but nice walking through the blueberry patches :) Please respect the private property and stay on trails here! Long, easy walk back to my car from here.
Gaia had me at almost 13mi with about 2200ft of gain, taking me almost 6.5hrs to complete. |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
|
 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-01-14 |
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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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