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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Doubletop Mountain, ME
Trails
Trails: Doubletop Mountain Trail, Draper Pond Spur
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, August 27, 2023
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: We spotted a car at the north trailhead and managed not to forget the keys this time!! Kidney Pond was a little full but we found parking. Plenty of room at Nesowadnehunk. Long drive in from the South Gate. $16 for a day pass for non-ME residents and $42 for a season pass.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Rock hopable. The most difficult (not that it was that hard) was actually the brook crossing at 6.5mi on the north side.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Doubletop Mtn Trail is blazed in blue. I don’t recall if the spur to Draper Pond was blazed or not. All signage was intact. We ran into two mid-sized duck under/leaners around the jct of the two trails. A few mins later we ran into a number of leaners (mostly mid-sized) and widow makers hanging precipitously above the trail. 10min after Doubletop Trail diverges right/north from Slaughter Pond Trail, there’s a large duck under/leaner. A stepover and leaner on the far side of one of the water crossings about 5min after. About 10min later as the trail begins to climb some, you hit a microburst of blowdown area. There were several blowdowns over the next 10min some of which hadn’t been entirely delimbed unlike others on trail. Not many blowdowns on the steep and scrambly section above the Doubletop/Moose Bosom col. 20-30min down the north side, we ran into a few leaners and widow makers above the trail. About 30min beyond the old Doubletop sign there’s a relatively small duck under.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Dogs are not allowed in BSP.  
Bugs
Bugs: I don’t recall them being bad. And there don’t seem to be ticks this far north really.  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: None 
 
Comments
Comments: 3rd day in Houlton. Why I’d stay in Houlton, just to drive all the way to the South Gate of baxter each day…I don’t know.

Hearing how wet and muddy this trail could be and troublesome water crossings in the past made me a bit weary to do this one after all the rain we’d gotten Friday but it turned out to be quite easy. Still very wet and muddy at times of course but no real running water down the trail and the water crossings were very manageable. We were very torn about which way we wanted to descend but considering the water crossings on the south side were easy and the scrambles on the south side would indeed have been rather tricky to go down, we were happy with our decision to traverse from south to north. Views were of course fantastic and we only saw a few others out there.

Draper Pond Spur was signed and obvious. Gaia had us at 8.25mi, 2500ft of gain, a little under 5hrs.  
Name
Name: Liam Cooney and the CCC 
E-Mail
E-Mail: liamcooney96@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2023-09-01 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share 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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