| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Saddleback Mountain (TB R11 WELS), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Take Merther Road, which begins just east of Katahdin Iron Works. Coming from Brownville, it is the unsigned fork on the right immediately after a sharp turn west. It is actively logged along the first few miles, but is passable with high clearance 2WD. The road is in good condition all the way to its height of land on the SE side of Saddleback at just under 1,700', about 6-7 miles from the Katahdin Iron Works road. You can park right alongside the road in an overgrown clearing just past that height of land, or about 1/2 mile before it in a much larger clearing. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Some easily crossable small streams at the bottom. See below for more information about Crater Pond. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
This wild, remote mountain has no trail systems! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Dogs would have a rough time with all the bushwhacking! |
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 | Bugs: |
Very prevalent today - both black flies and mosquitoes (no surprise due to how wet it's been - the ground was always moist). I did everything short of putting on a head net and they were still quite bothersome at times. Fortunately, breezes at the viewpoints kept them somewhat at bay. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Saddleback Mountain (NE of Katahdin Iron Works)
As one of the New England Fifty Finest peaks, the “other” Saddleback has always been on my mind, especially as it’s one of the mountains I can see right through the window of my in-laws’ camp. I’d seen the few trip reports online, which went straight to the top and back without much lingering, but when I noticed nearby Crater Pond and the crags surrounding it on the satellite map, I was intrigued. From what I could tell, there were no online trip reports mentioning visiting the pond, and only a couple tantalizing photos from one of the crags. So I determined to include the pond and its surroundings in this day’s endeavor - an exploration of the whole Saddleback massif.
I began bright and early at 6:30, as it was forecast to be warm and humid (thankfully it was a rather decent July day in the end - warm but not oppressive, and the chances of afternoon showers never materialized). From my truck, I went up the side of the mountain to the NW, seeking to reach the pond near its outlet. Once I got through the first hundred yards of logging growth, the woods alternated between relatively open and more tangled. There’s no definite route - just pick your way up. Moose love this mountain - their signs and primitive paths are all over it, and sometimes the paths do help.
Once on top of the first slope, there’s a more recent logging cut that is fast becoming overgrown with new conifers. It’s easily bypassable to the south, and it’s not too far from there to the SE side of Crater Pond (which, thankfully, the loggers did not get to!).
Crater Pond is an absolutely gorgeous Maine tarn. From what I can tell, it may be the largest body of water in Maine above 2,500 feet. Adding to its rugged and wild character is the difficult truth that it’s not easy to get right to its shoreline. Thick conifers, boggy ground, rocks, and cliffs more or less completely surround the pond. I had to thrash hard for a few minutes to get to the east end outlet, and then had to carefully step over the boggy area on tussocks. Above the pond to its north loomed the huge cliff of the loftiest crag surrounding it. Some more tough bushwhacking under the cliff and to its left led me to the top, at about 2,760’. What a view - the huge pond below, the crags on the other side, the summit of Saddleback in the distance, and the endless lowlands stretching away into the haze!
Some more bushwhacking along the top led me to another nice rocky area at the western end of this crag. This time, there were great views N towards the White Cap range. From there, a short sharp drop led me to slightly more open forest west of Crater Pond. This may be the best way to get close to the pond, though I didn’t check into it.
From there, I wasn’t sure if the ridge leading to the summit of Saddleback was thick, so I started off by traversing under its west side. But easier forest leading up enticed me to the crest - and the ridge was pretty open forest! A primitive herd path or moose path was apparent at times leading up it. This was the easiest bushwhacking of the day. The final summit cone is a bit thicker, but nothing too difficult. I flushed out a spruce grouse there, a very neat sight. At the top is a canister with names of the usual peakbaggers, some of whom have also visited Crater Pond - entries go back into the 2000s. Just a few yards beyond the wooded summit is a small ledge with a wonderful panorama west, north, and east from the Barren-Chairback Range to Crater Pond, including Katahdin in the distance.
Since the upper ridge had seemed pretty nice, I decided to return along it to check out the other crags S of Crater Pond. It was relatively easy going until I reached the area right above the pond - then things dramatically thickened up once again. It was once more a struggle for a while to get to the most prominent crag (spot elevation 2,662'), which was pretty neat - towering about 100 feet above the ridge. Some inventive scrambling/brush whacking is needed to get to the crest from any direction. Once more, the reward for the pain was superb - sweeping 360-degree views.
From there, it’s not too far to where I came up the mountain. Of course, it’s difficult to follow the exact same way down, and it was no easier going down than up. I was relieved to get out of the conifers and back into hardwoods, and from there I stayed in the hardwoods to avoid the overgrown logging cuts. I broke out into the main road about 100 yards east of where my truck was, at 1:30pm.
Saddleback Mountain, IMO, is a classic Maine peak and has huge rewards that require work to earn. The area right around Crater Pond, in particular, is untamed wilderness and hopefully will stay that way perpetually. |
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 | Name: |
Dan Saxton |
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 | E-Mail: |
daniel.saxton7@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-07-06 |
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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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