| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Little Niagara Falls, Big Niagara Falls, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Appalachian Trail, Toll Dam Spur, Little Niagara Falls Spur, Big Niagara Falls Spur, High Water Bypass |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, August 25, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We spotted a car on Golden Rd by Abol Bridge, then drove into the park to Daicey Pond. Golden Rd is wide but very rutted and bumpy. Should be okay for low clearance cars but it’s going to feel painful. Watch out for logging trucks in season. $16 for a day pass for non-ME residents to enter BSP. $42 for a season pass. The roads in BSP can be bumpy but are kept in good enough condition for low clearance cars. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All crossings were rock hopable. There’s a high water bypass not shown on Gaia or mentioned in the 11th edition of the guidebook that bypasses the tributary of Nesowadehunk Stream about 2mi south of Daicey Pond but it was not necessary to use this day. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The AT is obviously blazed in white. The trail was easy to follow. The high water bypass may not have been blazed and I believe was a tad obscure in places. I’m sure there were some blowdowns but I don’t recall any so they couldn’t have been bad. All signage was intact. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Dogs are not allowed in BSP. |
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 | Bugs: |
I don’t think they were too bad. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
On my 2nd full day in Houlton, the CCC joined me for the weekend for an attempt at a traverse of the AT southbound from Daicey Pond to Golden Rd. We were expecting rain showers at least earlier in the day but it turned out to be quite nice and sunny actually, which was much appreciated after yesterday’s hike.
The only spur technically needed for redlining the 11th Ed is to Big Niagara but we hiked all the spurs. They were well signed and worth the visit. Watch out for sometimes dry but nonetheless slick rock on one of them…it may have been Little Niagara. I slipped here and scraped up my shin worse than I ever have before. The trail was muddy and wet at times of course but nothing extraordinary for this season to the best of my memory. Note that there’s a high water bypass about 2mi south of Daicey. It’s signed southbound and I believe northbound as well. Not shown on Gaia or mentioned in the guidebook but it could be mentioned in the next edition so after hiking the AT south, we did an OAB on it. It is about 0.9mi each way which is roughly the same distance as the AT over this section.
Imagine our dismay after completing a rather obnoxious and long car spot, after realizing that we did not have the keys to the spotted car. So what would’ve been a relatively short and easy hike became a much longer one clocking in at almost 17mi with about 800ft of gain. It took us almost 6hrs to complete. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney and the CCC |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-09-01 |
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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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