| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Horseshoe Mountain, ME |
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 | Trails: |
Horseshoe Mountain Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, June 20, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The guidebook's directions were accurate. While the peaks we did on this day involved WAYYY more driving on dirt roads than I ever did when working on the NH500 Highest up in northern NH, the roads are in MUCH better condition. They are private logging roads that are well taken care of. Expect the main ones to be very wide and, each turn from there generally speaking, the roads will get narrower and narrower. That being said, even by the time we got onto the grassy centerline type of roads, the centerline wasn't really raised and they were in good shape with few exceptions. Low clearance should be okay; just watch out for the potholes and logging trucks (mainly Monday through Thursday and they don't run on weekends). $18/person for non-ME residents ($13 for residents) for day-use fee. $110 for season pass, and $15 on top of day-use fee for camping. Day-use free for those under 18 and over 70 and camping free for those under 18. We got a massive kick out of the fact that the guidebook said not to block the old tote road/trail when parking; as if a vehicle could manage to drive through that overgrown thing; HA!! |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
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: |
Insignificant |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
This is more of a route than a trail and should only be attempted by those experienced with bushwhacking and off trail navigation. The road at the start is terribly overgrown. Expect lots of blowdowns. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Very steep in the upper portion with some minor scrambling so some dogs may struggle. |
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 | Bugs: |
Interestingly, though I think this was the only hike it really rained on us for any significant portion of the hike, this was also the hike where the bugs were by far the worst. Go figure. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
3rd and final hike of the day as we ran out of time for Round Pond Mtn. This one was truly an adventure. Everything was soaked from rain, it was actually raining when we started and for quite awhile after (we were so soaked I don't think we really noticed when it stopped raining anyway), bugs were awful, the road was horribly overgrown, and there was no trail for much of the hike. Crocamole's famous one liner on this hike was "Well there may be no trail and we have to bushwhack but at least it's not raining and the bugs aren't attacking us"...if only.
The guidebook's description of this route are very accurate and it's easy enough to follow to the start of the old firewarden's trail; basically just stay on the old tote road, bearing left at any jcts until you come to the intermittent stream about 1mi in (just above the 1400ft contour). I don't think there was a cairn here but there was flagging (there may have been very occasional flagging along the old tote road as well but I don't really remember). At this point, the fun of trail finding really begins. There isn't really a discernible footpath but follow a pretty dry and minor drainage NW'ly as the guidebook says. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll see some flagging (most of it is currently on the ground and not on trees). Now the really difficult piece about the guidebook directions is that it doesn't tell you exactly when to start bearing W/SW'ly to avoid the cliffs. On our way up, we did this after about 600ft of following the drainage and overshot it. On the way down we got right and were able to follow it correctly. TURN LEFT AND START FOLLOWING AN EVEN SMALLER DRAINAGE AFTER ABOUT 350FT. If you get this right, you should be able to see flagging again soon enough. As the grade steepens and you pass cliff bands to your right, the remnants of the old footpath may become visible to you as well. Looking for the old telephone wire can also be a help. We found some wrapped around a tree down low soon after turning SW'ly to follow the more minor drainage, and there's some flagged higher up around where the footpath is actually visible. Expect overgrown, steep, and slick.
The grade moderates as you hit the sag. Make sure to stay IN the sag, and look for flagging and the path on your right. Initially it slabs/sidehills, before going straght up the grade very steeply. Some scrambling in here but this is also where the path is most obvious and the flagging most abundant. We were glad when we finally popped out of the woods and saw the firetower. This firetower actually had steps and not some crazy ladder so we climbed it in the rain and wind (it was COLD!!!). Make sure to watch for the platform that has a piece or two missing, hahah!! On our way back down, we corrected the mistakes we made on the ascent and I felt pretty confident we followed the route of the old trail the entire way down. This is a tricky one; feel free to ask for a track if you like.
Lots of mud, wetness, and puddles along the old tote road. Gaia had us at 3.4mi, 825ft of gain, 2hr21min. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney and Crocamole |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-07-03 |
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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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