| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Slaughter Pond (Baxter State Park), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Slaughter Pond Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 13, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
$16 for a day pass for non-ME residents and $42 for a season pass for non-ME residents. Roads in the park are narrow and can have large potholes but are kept in good enough shape that any car should be able to pass through on them. Parking is in a grassy area next to the trailhead 0.4mi down the access road to Kidney Pond. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
There are a couple of water crossings not mentioned in the guidebook. One, near the start, a branch of Nesowadehunk Stream, had rocks to hop across, but they were JUST below water which made it a pretty tricky rock hop. I barely made it across with dry trail runners. Others I saw just chose to wade across and I'm sure it was a shallow wade as it's a relatively small crossing. Another crossing, shortly after the western jct of Doubletop Trail, is of a branch of Slaughter Brook and though not large at all, is tricky with dry feet as there is very little to nothing to hop across on. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
I believe all trails in Baxter State Park (BSP) that aren't part of the Appalachian Trail (AT) are blazed in blue. I don't recall the blazing but the trail is not difficult to follow. Part of the section where it coincides with Doubletop Trail is very overgrown though and should really be cut way back. The trail is signed at its start. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Dogs are not allowed in BSP. |
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 | Bugs: |
They were awful and the bug spray didn't seem to help. The no-see-ums and flies are just horrific this year...we seem to have traded in ticks for them. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
2nd day in Millinocket. Just a couple shorter hikes before mass and this was the first. The trail is quite flat. I don't recall ground conditions but I'd assume there was deep mud in spots. Note the somewhat difficult water crossings above and the overgrown section of trail. I'd comment on how beautiful the pond was but the other ponds on Saturday are the only ones coming to mind...
Gaia stats are off on this one as I dropped my phone on the ground and didn't realize it at first but it had me at about 4.7mi, 100ft of gain, 1hr40min. |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-07-15 |
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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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