| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bald Mountain, Speckled Mountain (Peru), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Bald Mountain Trail, Speckled Mountain Trail, Speckled Mountain Pasture Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, August 30, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Long dirt but mostly residential road. Some potholes and all but should be fine for any car. Two separate parking areas for Bald Mtn Trail (one with room for two cars, one with room for a half dozen or so) and we were the third or fourth car there at 11:30am so plenty of room for others. No official parking area for Bald Mtn Pasture Trail so just park roadside which was not too difficult with a small car. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Nothing that wasn't bridged. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Bald Mtn and Speckled Mtn Trail were blazed in blue. Some on ledge so it wouldn't be visible in winter and I'm not sure how frequent it was. There's a sign at the start of the Bald Mtn Trail and a sign where it bears right away from the pond. I believe there was a sign for Speckled Mtn Trail where the Bald Mtn Loop Jct was but not sure. No signs whatsoever for Bald Mtn Pasture Trail. It was crudely blazed in a couple different colors at different places (pink and yellow) but nothing consistent. Some flagging on the trails too. I believe there were a couple blowdowns but I don't recall where, sorry. Speckled Mtn Pasture Trail is very badly eroded. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
The ledge may be a little too steep for some but real scrambling so I imagine most hiking dogs would be okay. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
A nice hike with my parents and Lil Young. We all started up Bald Mtn Trail together, making sure to hike the 150ft spur to Little Concord Pond along the way. The 1/2mi to this point is along an eroded road so does not offer the best of footing but is pretty gradual though. From there, the trail becomes much steeper, at least in pitches, to the summit; we split partway up this. The loop around the ledges near the summit is very nice. Over the next small bump along the ridge is not too bad, but the climb up Speckled is, at first, rather rough. It moderates as it breaks above treeline though and again offers some great walking and views! Coming down off of Speckled Mtn, the Speckled Mtn Pasture Trail is not at all clear, but follow your nose and look for cairns in a short ways. Once below treeline, the trail looks like a rough ATV track though ATVs are not permitted. Very muddy and eroded at times.
I was worried about following the Pasture Trail down as it's not shown on Gaia, Lil Young and I were on a time crunch, and the guidebook describes it ascending, not descending. That being said, the guidebook's directions were spot on which was a huge help! Just be aware that there are NO signs! Some very muddy areas and some wet spots. Gaia had us at about 6mi, 1400ft of gain. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney and Lil Young |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-08-30 |
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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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