Tue May 30, 2017 @ 06:17

Berry Pickers Trail, Saddleback Mountain, ME

I had the opportunity to help with some light trail maintenance on a brand-new side trail to the Appalachian Trail on Saddleback Mountain. The access to the trail is pretty tricky, with 3 miles of driving on logging roads with no signage, but once you're on the trail it's awfully pretty. I didn't have any views because we were stuck in the clouds the whole time, but there's a lot of open ridgeline on the way up to the trail.

Another bonus of the new trail is that it reaches the AT right between Saddleback and The Horn, so you can make a good day-hike of it, or head further along to Redington Stream campsite for an overnight.

Here are the driving directions that I'll include in the AT Hiker app when I add this trail in there: To reach the trailhead, drive about 15 miles east from Rangeley on Route 4. Then, turn left on Reed’s Mill Road and continue about 3 miles. Just after crossing Conant Stream on a bridge, turn left on a gravel road across from a white house. The gravel road is passable by cars, but can be in very rough shape. Keep left at junctions on this road, and continue about 3.2 miles to the trailhead.