Katahdin/Baxter Park Advice

[thetrailboss]

Hey Folks.

The GF is taking me to Baxter State Park after the bar exam for five days. We're spending the first night at Chimney Pond and then moving to another campsite for the remainder of the week.

We're planning on hiking Katahdin (definitely) and North Brother.

What other mountains do you suggest? Any other sights you think are "not to be missed?"

Thanks.

 

[David Metsky]

Katahdin isn't a single peak. From Chimney Pond most people do the loop up Saddle (or Cathedral) then to Baxter Peak, across the Knife Edge to Chimney and Pamola Peaks, and down the Dudley trail (or the reverse). But for a longer day you can go up the Hamlin Ridge trail to Hamlin Peak, then loop over the saddle to Baxter and back down via Dudley.

If you only have one day at Chimney Pond the weather will dictate whether it's a good day to summit. The rangers at Baxter do have the ability to turn you around and shut down access if the weather is really bad. It's not like hiking in the Whites, they really do control access to the summits. Don't attempt the Knife Edge if the weather is turning worse.

Where are you staying in the park? It's very important because driving around the Tote Road is a slow and tedious process. Everything takes longer so it's best to plan hikes near where you are staying.

 

[kingdom-tele]

are you tied to the car?, leave chimney pond and head north into the park off of the brothers, there are some sweet secluded camps, you could make various loop hikes out, if you tied to the car, I would recommend heading to the north end of the park to camp,

don't think you have to summit mtns in baxter to have a very fullfilling hike, the lakes and bogs offer just as much if not more to see

on your way up or back check of gulf hagas, pretty unique loop hike that won't dissapoint rain or shine

 

[bigbog]

~5 Days, Katahdin Range and anything else...

trailboss..a few things...
Map...from either online or along the way...that show trails of the Katahdin range/Baxter area....should do.
Maine has a lot of water that's picked up = there will be daily [thunder]showers somewhere, so the breatheable rain jacket is a must-have...along with a little fly-dope(just in case), and medium-to-mountain weight??? boots for the mountains. (*Roaring Brook Campsite can be Bug Infested!)..Chimney sounds good... But you never know when you'll happen to move into bug-infested areas.
Temps have been good..but as you know it can get hot when at lower altitude...and can be very chilly on top..
Just playing it by ear works..but as David mentioned...there is some mileage often involved..but the roads are pretty dry...not any major problems....but you can lose time if you're intent on a specific hike. Many of the smaller mountains have some pitch to them, but have no developed trail(s).
You'll quickly see that the state doesn't devote as much time to developing campsites as say NH does, but outside the Park the woodlands are open to any camping. *There are some campfire regs which you can check on the North Maine Woods website..
*No Dunkin Donuts once out of Medway...no Starbucks or McDonalds.
One stretch of road to avoid at all costs if coming by car....North-South Golden Road to Kokadjo stretch...a few nasty areas here & there.

$.01
SteveD

 

[MichaelJ]

Hey, we were just there last weekend!

Definitely important to know where in the park you'll be - that Tote Road is a long, slow drive.
Take all your water, all your food in coolers with 10lb block ice (Dead River Company gas station in Millinocket has it), and fill up the gas tank. Once in the park you don't leave. You can filter water, too, but I like to just bring in all I need.
No tents allowed at lean-to sites on the ground, but if you have an exclusive lean-to all to yourself, you can set it up inside as bug protection.
If driving to someplace within the parkfor day use, go early as many destinations have very few parking spaces available.
Kidney Pond and Daicey Pond both have canoe rentals and are definitely worth going out on. Go to the ranger station; last I checked they cost $1.
Doubletop is a wonderful peak to climb.
If in the Daicey Pond area, it's a beautiful walk along the AT southbound past the old Toll Dam, Little and Big Niagara Falls.
How huge a hike do you want? N Brother, S Brother, and Coe all together make a nice, big loop (go up the Coe slide; it's slab and not scary but make sure it's dry) and are all beautiful open summits. You can even bushwhack out to Fort and back for the extra NE100 peak, but now we're talking very long day.
All camping is at designated sites by reservation only. Check the regs at http://www.baxterstateparkauthority.com
Don't bother with the Golden Road; just take I-95 to exit 244, then go west through Medway into Millinocket and continue, following the park signs. The road is paved all the way to the Togue Pond gatehouse.
It's spectacular!

 

[billski]

mix it up

I've always enjoyed mixing things up, not just peaks, but BC as well. We packed it in for a week at BSP many years ago. We went in September, the "crowds" and bugs were mostly gone. It felt like another planet.

We first did lowlands, going to Russell Pond and spending a few days there as a base, and doing day trips to various ponds and lakes nearby. Not much vertical, but a lot of miles and very early days. It was probably as memorable as any peak I've ever been on. The abundance critters large and small and vast wilderness, sounds and things you just don't experience anywhere else; it's very difficult to describe the serene and majestic lands.
From there, with full packs, we went up the North Peak Trail to Hamlin Peak and down to chimney pond campground.
Because we backpacked with a week's food, we really could forget about equipment, supplies, ice, that sort of stuff and just focus on where we were. That adds to the de-coupling from everyday life.

It rained for two days at chimney. We couldn't see a thing 30 feet ahead due to the fog. We waited a day, then two days, hoping for the clouds to lift, so we could summit and get a view. No dice. So we consulted with the ranger, he sized up the weather, he sized us up, and gave us his nod to go. It wasn't a strenuous hike from Chimney and we knew it would be slow going due to limited visibility and slippery conditions. It was a psych challenge, not physical. We went up to Pamola first, and then it got interesting. The winds were fairly steady, strong enough that a shout from 20 feet could not be heard. Visibility was about 10 feet. We took the one-mile Knife Edge incredibly cautiously, because even finding the carins was a challenge. Some places we were on all fours. Getting to Baxter Peak was almost anti-climactic, because it was relatively expansive summit. The next day, we had to depart CP, the sun came out, we looked across the pond at Knife Edge and were absolutely dumfounded at what we saw. Holy Bleep. The slides, the clouds clearing, the jagged, narrow cliffs. We were up there??? It made Mt. Washington seem so tame.

The downside to campground reservations is that it generally locks you in. The weather often forces a change of plans. That said, we had luck haggling last minute changes (are there any cancellations for tonight?) with a ranger. At the more remote sites, it's more difficult to change if a ranger (with a radio) doesn't come through when you're there.

I've got great film camera photos, sorry no digital, no time to find and scan them right now.

I found "Guide to Baxter State Park and Katahdin" by Stephen Clark, which is produced locally and printed in Bangor to be excellent.

The peak experience and the days spent at Russell Pond were days I think about often, even still. I am sure anyplace you go in the park will be memorable. My advice is to ditch your car for the whole time if you can wing it.

 

[bigbog]

...

Nesowadnehunk Stream's lower 33% contains interesting hiking along with a drop in altitude which makes for some nice drops/falls..etc.
The Golden Road is a road that eventually heads W-SW..away from the Katahdin Range, not towards the Medway exit (I-95), and easy road home.
____________________________
As a Way Home...sometime:
*If you're ever up to see the woodlands(all over...mostly outside the Park)..you can do so, then head over via GoldenRd(do hit ~$8-10 fee), down past PittstonFarm(food..etc)...and in ~25mi you arrive in Rockwood, take #6/15 west towards Jackman, #201 southward..to Skowhegan..#2 to Farmington...to Bethel...etc.. Slower than I-95 but you see a lot of country/wildlife...which makes the driving less boring..Sometimes!;-)...

$.01

 

[MichaelJ]

For your viewing pleasure...

Last Weekend staying at Katahdin Stream, hiking Brothers-Fort-Coe and Katahdin-Hamlin.
September 2007 staying at Foster Field, hiking Doubletop and the Owl plus wandering around Kidney, Draper, and Slaughter Ponds.
Summer 2005 staying at Daicey Pond, hiking Brothers-Fort-Coe and Katahdin-Hamlin, wandering along Nesowadnehunk Stream, plus a day of relaxing.
March 2005 staying at Daicey Pond, winter conditions ski-in/ski-out, two nor'easters kept us off any summits so we explored the ponds.

 

[thetrailboss]

Nesowadnehunk Camp Site is where we are staying most of the week.

 

[MichaelJ]

You can hike directly from there up to Doubletop, and it's not a long drive to the Marston (Brothers-Fort-Coe) trailhead. Not too much longer to Daicey or Kidney Pond, either. Definitely get in some canoeing!

 

[bigbog]

Nice pics from the last trip...

Nice pics from your last trip in MJ!

 

[MichaelJ]

Thanks!
We had über-fun.

 

[thetrailboss]

Thanks for the advice folks. It was an amazing week....Baxter is an amazing place and I am DEFINITELY going back...wow...what a place.

 

[MichaelJ]

Woot! Can't wait for the Trip Report and pics!

 

[bigbog]

...the "W" word....

trailboss,
Did the clouds break up for ya' for things to dry out!?
Maine weather's timing can do it to ya'.....just when it's time to leave, the clouds break....:roll:
Looking forward to TR..

SteveD

 

[BeanoNYC]

Come on Michael. Where are those pictures?

 

[thetrailboss]

I have about 300 pics. No internet at my new place....at the GF's right now. In a nutshell, most of Monday was good...we did get quite wet on the way up to Chimney Pond. Tuesday was great...it cleared as we were up high....awesome. The stars on Tuesday night were amazing...and our lean-to at Nesowanahunk was nice. Wednesday we drove up to South Branch and paddled one of the ponds...and hiked to the falls. Thursday was a rainy day...waterfalls and moose hunting. We upgraded to better digs for Thursday night and I got to go kayaking within sight of Katahdin. Friday we headed out. Nice and relaxing.

 

[the original trailboss]

And when do we get to see the photos?

:-D

 

[thetrailboss]

A small sample of my pics....

John Wayne digs Chimney Pond and Katahdin!

Ascent on Saddle:

Amazing!

Summit:

The views widened as we descended:

Wow.

Chimney Pond:

Tuesday Night at camp:

 

[MichaelJ]

Sweeeeeeet! I'm so glad it cleared up for you when it did!