| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Cutler (Hiram), ME |
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 | Trails: |
Barnes Trail, snowmobile trail, Saco Ridge Trail, Ridge Walk, North Trail, Hiram Hill Road, Mountain Division Line Railroad, Moraine Trail, Moraine Trail Link, White Flag Trail, Boulder Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, September 1, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked on Mountain View Ave n Hiram. No one there at 10am. There is a sign suggesting you park at the new trailhead on Hiram Hill Rd instead (mentioned in the guidebook as the trailhead for North Trail) due to the difficulty of Barnes Trail. One other car there when I returned shortly before 1pm. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The guidebook mentions a few water crossings but I don't remember any so they were probably either dry or quite trivial. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Honestly, this trail system could use some love. Some trails are laden with blowdowns, presumably from the winter, and were never cleared. Snowmobile Trail had several areas where a number of blowdowns of various sizes were down across the trail more or less necessitating that you go around them as they had not been trimmed or anything. Saco Ridge Trail wasn't as bad but was similar. The other tails may have had some blowdowns on them but were not nearly as bad. That being said, some of the signs at the trail jcts are faded, torn, etc and are not always readable. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Sections of Barnes Trail are too scrambly for dogs. I think all the other trails would be fine for them. |
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 | Bugs: |
I didn't notice at first, but I actually had several mosquitos on me when I stopped around 10:30am! I was surprised as they haven't been so bad lately. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
A nice little Maine Redline to hike all the trails on Mt Cutler. I missed several jcts and turns and so what was meant to be one hike turned into two instead. My route: Barnes Trail --> Snowmobile Trail --> Saco Ridge Trail --> Ridge Walk --> North Trail --> Road Walk (Hiram Hill Rd) --> walked the Mtn Division Line Railroad train tracks (no longer active) to --> Moraine Trail --> OAB on Moraine Trail Link --> Moraine Trail --> North Trail --> White Flag Trail --> OAB on Boulder Trail --> White Flag Trail --> OAB on Ridge Walk to North Trail --> Barnes Trail --> OAB on spur to gold mine --> Barnes Trail to car.
While there are some nice viewpoints, ledges, and trails on this mountain my initial opinion of this trail system was rather sour given what Snowmobile Trail, and, to a lesser extent, Saco Ridge Trail, looked like (see trail conditions above). Those were not terribly pleasant and I also did not find the abandoned portion of Old Saco Ridge Trail mentioned in the guidebook. The ridge walk was much nicer and some sections of North Trail were quite cool though rather rough and steep at times. Note, especially if ascending it and redlining, that there's a spot where the dirt has been eroded exposing steep ledge instead with some rope up ahead seeming to block off the trail. Turn left here into the woods. The trail is obvious but without turning left, there's really no way you'd see this and you'd very likely just scramble up the steep ledge. Going downhill it is slightly more obvious as the rope blocking off the ledge is closer to you (though it hardly blocks off any of the ledge) so your eyes might actually wander right and see the path leading into the woods. Look carefully for the start of Moraine Trail from the train tracks. It's not well-used and could be walked by easily enough. The OAB on the lower part of Ridge Trail wasn't too awful even in the heat; it starts off rather steep but moderates as you gain the summit ridge. I was a bit concerned to be coming down Barnes Trail after the sign I'd seen recommending you park elsewhere and go up another way, but it really wasn't that bad. Definitely wasn't on y feet for one part of it but nothing too difficult or sketchy at all if you're a hiker used to a bit of scrambling.
There were some nice views and I believe the trails wee pretty dry and I doubt that's changed much since. I only saw a few others out. Gaia had me at 5.7mi, 1500ft of gain, 2hr42min. |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-09-09 |
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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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