| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Katahdin - Pamola Peak , ME |
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 | Trails: |
Chimney Pond Trail, Helon Taylor Trail, Dudley Trail, Pamola Caves Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, June 30, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
This was a sunny clear Saturday and I got a spot at Roaring Brook no problem and I was at the gate well past 10am!! $20 day pass or $50 season pass for out-of-state residents to access BSP. No day-use fee for Maine residents. The road should be suitable for all cars. Just lots of potholes to be wary of. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I believe most if not all crossings on Chimney Pond Trail are bridged. Bear Brook Trail on Helon Tayloe Trail is unbridged but is very small and easily rock hopable. Probably bone dry at this point. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
I believe all trails in BSP are blazed in blue. I don't recall any blowdowns but that doesn't mean there aren't any. Trails are easy to follow below treeline. Above treeline, Helon Taylor can be hard to determine EXACTLY which way the trail scrambles up at times, but the general route isn't hard to follow as it just follows the ridge. I imagine Dudley Trail was a bit hard to follow coming down the summit but don't specifically recall. I do remember taking a wrong turn or two on the long, obnoxious contour in the boulder field at the start of Dudley Trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Dogs are not allowed in the BSP with the exception of service dogs. |
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 | Bugs: |
I'm not sure if they were that bad on my way up, but I remember an AWFUL swarm of flies on the summit...not sure if I'd seen this variety before but they were large and looked likey they might sting too so I (nor others) seemed to linger. Pretty gross and weird... |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Late start after a very long hike the day before. My final trail on Baxter was Dudley Trail and I decided to make a loop of it with Helon Taylor. Originally, I'd planned on ascending Dudley Trail, thinking that it was too scrambly to descend but a rnger told me it's not on their "don't descend" list so I asenced the "easy" way instead. Not to say I regretted this decision but 1) Helon Taylor Trail was not merely steep as I thought it would be, but also has a number of scrambles, some of which I even paused at, wondering how I'd get up, and Dudley Trail was very slow coming down. I figured my avg speed on Gaia would go up as I went down but alas it did not. Helon Taylor Trail is still certainly easier than others on the mountain in terms of scrambling but, like I said, was much more difficult than I remembered it being. Worst of all, however, was the Pamola Caves Spur. Even with just a trail running vest, I nearly got stuck, took the trail running vest off, etc. I've done a number of cave spurs before, but this one felt exceptionally difficult. It is stepper than the guidebook stats make it sound and the boulder scrambling and squeezes through rocks were veyr challenging. I was actually thinking to myself how this is one that if I were to do again, I'd really much prefer to have someone there with me. Follow the blazes carefully. If I recall correctly, it felt like it just kept going, and going, and going too, and the end of it was a bit hard to determine, so, if redlining, make sure you've reached the end of the blazes!! There was a nice view either at the end, or close to it. It looked like some people tried to create a herd path to avoid the caves going back down but quickly got turned around/cliffed out. Not sure if this is doable/safe. The cave spur took me about 45min to complete...very slow going. The boulder field at the base of Dudley Trail is cool but pretty tedious and long at the end of a very steep and scrambly descent. Uneventful walk out Chimney Pond Trail.
As far as I recall, the trail was pretty dry, even back then. This was a relatively short hike and while I knew this wouldn't be no 2mph hike for me, it still took an hour or two longer than I expected to. A good reminder to never underestimate Katahdin. Gaia had me at 8.2mi, 3500ft of gain, 7hr32min. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-07-30 |
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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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