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Maine's Epic New Trail Lace up your boots. New England's first new multiday backcountry loop in 30 years opens for backpackers this summer.
Stretching 39 miles along bald and forested ridgelines in western Maine, the loop twists up and over eight peaks through stands of old-growth maple, hemlock, and balsam fir. Step on the trail at one of its two junctures with Route 26, near Grafton Notch State Park or farther south at Eddy Road. Either way, be sure to save time for one of the best swimming holes on earth: the half-Olympic-size natural pool near the Lane campsite (7.9 miles east of the Grafton Notch State Park entrance). "I wanted people to enjoy the views that I saw -- but keep out the six-pack group who just wanted a place to drink," says the man behind it all, local landowner Bob Stewart. The 65-year-old environmentalist was so taken with the area that he bought 1,400 acres around Puzzle Mountain in 1991; soon after, he began advocating for a trail to traverse his grounds and beyond. Stewart and trail designer Mike Cooper point to the views from Puzzle Mountain and Grafton's string of other scenic high points as major trail highlights. Hikers standing atop 4,170-foot Old Speck Mountain's southwest ridge can scan the Sunday River Valley; from the 3,335-foot exposed summit of Sunday River Whitecap, weary summiteers peer down at Rangley Lake's beckoning waters. Wherever you go, watch out for bear tracks and moose droppings -- among the loop's few signs of traffic.
Do It Yourself
TRAILHEADS Access the trail from one of its two crossings with Route 26, about 50 miles northwest of Portland.
MAPS & CAMPSITES For trail details and information about its seven free campsites (all with freshwater spigots), contact the Maine Appalachian Trail Club (matc.org) or the Appalachian Mountain Club (outdoors.org/conservation/trails/work/grafton/index.cfm).
AFTERWARD STOP at the Puzzle Mountain Bakery's roadside shack on Route 26 for a $6.50 rhubarb pie. Or go for the steaks and burgers at the Bethel Inn's Millbrook Tavern & Grill (207-824-2175) and wash everything down with a tasty pint of Sunsplash Golden Ale at the Sunday River Brewing Company (207-824-4253).
By: Sarah Tuff WENNER MEDIA: RollingStone.com | Us Online |
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It's taken more than 12 years, a half-million bucks, a series of strange bedfellows, and nearly 1,000 volunteers, but Maine's Grafton Loop Trail is finally ready for its inaugural season.