Frohock and Derry Mountains, Camden Hills State Park

Matty and I visited Camden Hill State Park today.  I dropped Matty off at the base of Mt Battie at the end of Megunticook Street for a planned run/hike of all of the mountains in the park.  I then drove over and parked at the Youngtown Road entrance to the park.  

The Frohock Trail leaves the multiuse trail approximately 1/2 mile from the parking lot.   The trail rises gradually until it intersects with a trail to Garey Mountain.  It then dips a bit before climbing Derry Mountain in a series of switchbacks.   It then meanders down again before a slight climb up Frohock Mountain.

Both summits are forested, although Penobscot Bay can be seen this time of the year through the bare trees.   The hike is a pleasant forested path and I saw only five other people, surprising for a beautiful late fall day.   

Below is a map of my hike. 

St Sauveur Mountain and Valley Peak (Acadia National Park)

My younger son and I hiked St Sauveur Mountain and Valley Peak this morning.  We had never done this hike before and amazingly (for Acadia) we didn't see any other people until we were 3/4 of the way through our hike.  

This is a fun 2.8 mile hike, steep at parts and requiring some light scrambling but overall we rated it as a moderate hike.  There were a few obstructed views from the top of St Sauveur and amazing views of Somes Sound from the Valley Peak trail.  

Here is a map of our hike.  

John B Mountain (Harborside)

A group of friends and I hiked John B. Mountain this morning.  The mountain, owned by the Blue Hill Heritage Trust (see https://bluehillheritagetrust.org/john-b-mountain), features a beautiful forested trail that leads to sweeping views overlooking Eggemoggin Reach, Deer Isle and other nearby areas.  The roughly mile long trail is steep and rocky in parts.  Here is a map of our hike.  

Holden Community Trails

My younger son and I hiked the Holden Community Trails this afternoon.   The trails offer a convenient and not overly stressful way to get out in nature as they wind through the woods behind the Holden Elementary School and Town Office.   As we arrived, a town employee was just finishing up leaf blowing the trail, which resulted in the cleanest hiking trails we've ever been on!

Here is a map of our hike.   

 

Blue Hill Mountain

My sons and I hiked Blue Hill today.  We ascended the Osgood Trail and descended the Hayes and South Face Trails.  The hike was unexpectedly challenging, particularly the Hayes Trail, which was steeper and rockier than we expected.  Here is a map of our hike.

Blue Hill Mountain is owned and managed by the Blue Hill Heritage Trust and the Town of Blue Hill.  For more information, visit https://bluehillheritagetrust.org/blue-hill-mountain.  

   

Tucker Mountain and Birch Point Trail (Petit Manan NWR)

My younger son and I went hiking along Maine's coast north of Ellsworth today.  We started by visiting Tucker Mountain Preserve.  The preserve, managed by the Frenchman Bay Conservancy, is located off of Route One near the Long Cove parking area in Sullivan.   There is no sign for the preserve.  The trailhead is across Route One and starts as an old paved road.  The trail then turns inland and begins to climb, at times steeply, to the summit.  A rock clearing on the way to the summit offers views of Mt. Desert Island in the distance.  A map of our hike is here.  To find the parking area, enter these coordinates into your GPS 44°30'56.6"N 68°11'11.3"W.  

We next visited the Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge and hiked the Birch Point and Lobster Point Trail.   The trail is relatively flat, starting through blueberry fields before heading into a coastal woodland.  The trail leads past two fields and past pine forests, where the smell of pine trees reminded us of Christmas trees.  There are a number of benches and chairs overlooking fields and coves along the trail.  During our hike, we observed two porcupines - one climbing a tree and another near a beach area.  Here is a map of our hike at the refuge.