| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Rum Pond, Caverly Pond, Rocky Pond, Cranberry Pond Trail, ME |
|
 | Trails: |
Roaring Brook Road, Rum Pond Trail, Kettle Pond Trail, Caverly Pond Spur, Cranberry Pond Trail, Upper Togue Pond Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, August 12, 2023 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
BSP day pass is free for ME residents, $16 for non-ME residents, and $42 for a season pass. Tote Park Rd has plenty of potholes and low clearance cars might need to exercise caution but they keep it in good enough condition that any car should be okay on it. Note that there’s no parking directly at Rum Pond Trail and although the gate attendant wasn’t terribly clear on this, I think they require that you park at Rum Brook Picnic Area 0.3mi north along Roaring Brook Rd and walk back to the trailhead. The picnic area is just a dirt turnaround more than a parking lot so we just parked on the grass. We were the only ones there. Cranberry Pond Trail parking is just before the gate. Room for several cars and we were the only ones there. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
One very small washout/stream crossing toward the eastern end of Rum Pond Trail that’s easily stepped over. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Rum Pond Trail and Cranberry Pond Trail were blazed in blue. I believe the former’s blazing was fresh and the latter’s blazing was not so much. I think Kettle Pond Trail was blazed in blue as well but not certain. There’s a rocky/rooty area with some rougher footing toward the middle/western end of Rum Pond Trail where some logs had been placed down between rocks to aid in walking across. These logs are wet and rotting and should be replaced with something more structurally firm or just taken down. Some small leaners/widowmakers overtop the small stream crossing mentioned above. Small-mid sized stepover/straddled that’s pretty easy maybe 2/3 of the down Rum Pond Trail. An easy duck under just before the western end of Rum Pond Trail. It’s not actually a blowdown I think but a tree that’s grown into the trail. Two stepover/straddled blowdowns 5-10min apart toward the eastern end of Cranberry Pond Trail that are pretty easy to get over. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No dogs allowed in BSP. |
|
 | Bugs: |
The most important thing about this trail report is to report that the mosquitos along these trails were very bad. Elsewhere in the park and hiking elsewhere recently I really did not find them to be that bad but these ponds must be a very significant breeding ground for them because they were quite bad. Ticks don’t seem to exist this far north. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
None |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
1st hike of the day on our 2nd day in Millinocket. A nice little loop of sorts but with a car spot with the parents. The road walk from Rum Brook Picnic Area to Rum Pond Trail is 0.3mi. All the trails were relatively flat, pleasant, and in decent shape. They were a nice combination of not being hard to follow or overgrown, but also being relatively lightly travelled. The ponds were scenic but not all of them had views to the surrounding mountains from the trail. Make sure not to miss the spur (well signed, easy to see) to Caverly Pond which is shown as Round Pond on Gaia but the trail on Gaia is called Caverly Pond Trail. There’s other spurs as well but that’s the only one needed for redlining. As Cranberry Pond Trail nears its east end end by the campground, we walked a little ways off trail and found a nice fallen tree to sit on and at lunch by the short of Upper Togue Pond. Quite nice and windy enough to keep the bugs away! 4-4.25mi, about 100ft of gain, |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
|
 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2023-08-21 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
