Moosehead. What can you really say about Maine's biggest lake? Its big, its out there, and three of us took off for it this weekend. First up, after an enticing evening at Lily Bay State Park, was Big Moose. Formerly known as Big Squaw, Big Moose Mountain rises just over 2,000 feet above Moosehead Lake. And, as it turns out, a lot can be said about Moosehead Lake. It is New England's largest lake, sprawling over 100 square miles and containing 80 some-odd lakes, and its waters flow directly into the Kennebec River, a flow that eventually empties into the Gulf of Maine at Merrymeeting Bay. The most distinguishing characteristic of the lake is certainly remoteness. From Big Moose Mountain views extend across the western portion of the lake where hardly any development is visible. In fact, the extended views from the top of the mountain led to a fire tower being built in 1904.
A Sunday forecast of rain influenced us to reverse our itinerary. We decided to head up Big Moose early Saturday morning, in order to summit with clear views. We headed out from Lily Bay, already swatting at insects before even getting to the trailhead. The trail is easy enough to find, just take 15 through Greenville about five miles out of town, keeping an eye out for the sign directing you left onto a dirt road. Not too far in, the trailhead is on the right.
The trail up Big Moose is about three miles. The first couple miles rise nicely through stands of birch trees. Ground sorrel follows the path up the entire way. Being mid-June we saw quite a few nice wildflowers amid moose poop scattered in piles every few steps. Warblers sang off in the distance, and a rich, humus-y smell permeated the air.
A Sunday forecast of rain influenced us to reverse our itinerary. We decided to head up Big Moose early Saturday morning, in order to summit with clear views. We headed out from Lily Bay, already swatting at insects before even getting to the trailhead. The trail is easy enough to find, just take 15 through Greenville about five miles out of town, keeping an eye out for the sign directing you left onto a dirt road. Not too far in, the trailhead is on the right.
The trail up Big Moose is about three miles. The first couple miles rise nicely through stands of birch trees. Ground sorrel follows the path up the entire way. Being mid-June we saw quite a few nice wildflowers amid moose poop scattered in piles every few steps. Warblers sang off in the distance, and a rich, humus-y smell permeated the air.
Somewhere around the two-mile mark the views begin to open up. These overlooks are certainly a welcome sight, but they come with a price. The trail begins a steep(ish) ascent not too long after they appear along the trail. Some stone steps begin to filll the trail and not too long after heading up some wooden stairs the old warden's cabin appears on the right.
The entire thing looks and feels as if it could fall down at any moment. Enter at your own risk. We did stop and check it out, but only for a moment before moving on. Walking ahead, discussions arose among the three of us where we pondered being up here, alone, especially when the weather was bad. It most certainly takes a certain kind of person to enjoy that lifestyle, and I am sure that my fellow hikers were, like I was, silently questioning if they had that lifestyle in them.
Not too long after reaching the ridge, a short, pleasant walk along it leads to the earlier-mentioned fire tower. The fire tower is worth noting because, "In 1904, Elmer Crowley, a recent forestry graduate of the University of Maine who worked for M.G. Shaw Lumber Company, was on top of Big Squaw Mountain when he suggested it would be a good idea to put a fire watchman on top of the mountain.A year later, M.G. Shaw Lumber built a fire lookout tower on the mountain, the first continuously operated forest fire lookout tower in the country."
The fire tower at the top of Big Moose provides a great opportunity to take a break and picnic. The warblers, at this point, are singing far below. Views of Kathadin, Camden Hills, and even the western mountains are visible on a clear day like the one we were lucky enough to enjoy. The ultimate goal among my group was camping on Little Moose Pond, so we headed out the way we came, so that we could begin our hike onto the lower ridge via the Greenwood Trail. This is most certainly not the only way to get to Little Moose from its larger neighbor. It takes only about a mile or so of hiking in once you are back to the trailhead. We wanted to keep walking though, and had been eyeing the ridge that Greenwood Trail took up to the chain of ponds all week, so down we headed.
This is a fun trail with some great payoff, but ultimately it isn't an ultimate destination. I would highly recommend adding this walk onto a series of walks in the immediate area, with plans to camp at one of the ponds along Little Moose Mountain. Chances are, you will have the place to yourself. Well, you and some moose, some loons, a bunch of warblers, ducks, chipmunks, beavers and quite a few other non-humans.
This is a fun trail with some great payoff, but ultimately it isn't an ultimate destination. I would highly recommend adding this walk onto a series of walks in the immediate area, with plans to camp at one of the ponds along Little Moose Mountain. Chances are, you will have the place to yourself. Well, you and some moose, some loons, a bunch of warblers, ducks, chipmunks, beavers and quite a few other non-humans.
