February 12, 2025
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Park chief opens 1 Katahdin trail

MILLINOCKET – Inaccessible trails and fear that rare alpine plant life might be damaged prompted Baxter State Park to open only one of three hiking trails to Mount Katahdin on Friday for Memorial Day weekend.

Abol Trail, the shortest route to Mount Katahdin, is open. Hunt and Chimney Pond trails remain closed at the trail heads until further notice, said park naturalist Jean Hoekwater.

“It isn’t unusual for us to have some trails still closed at this time, and Memorial Day is a little bit early this year,” Hoekwater said Friday. “The good news is that all the hiking trails below the tree line are open. People should expect to find muddy conditions. In some cases, they may not be able to get to a trail head.”

Park Director Jensen Bissell decided to open Abol Trail after hiking Mount Katahdin on Friday morning. He could not be reached for comment.

“Some of the roads are too soft and there are too many washouts that need to be repaired to make the closed trails accessible,” Hoekwater said. “In some cases, there are portions of road that are still not open, so you cannot get to the trail heads.”

Park officials are also concerned that by straying from the closed trails, hikers might accidentally stomp rare foliage that is crucial food supply to many rare or endangered animals and insects.

“These are basically rare plant habitats that are extremely limited in supply on Katahdin,” Hoekwater said.

It isn’t the busiest time at Baxter, but Memorial Day weekend starts the hiking season and does draw a significant number of hikers, Hoekwater said.

“It is not as big a day as Columbus Day,” she said. “Memorial Day always depends on the weather. It’s usually a quieter start to the hiking season. We are very, very busy if we get sensational weather, but it’s not that often.”

A wilderness and forest area of 209,501 acres, the park offers about 200 miles of very primitive wilderness hiking trails. The trails have many rocks and roots, even on the flattest terrain, according to the park’s Web site, baxterstateparkauthority.com.

Several lowland trails will be open this weekend. Hikers can drive to Roaring Brook Campground to hike South Turner Mountain or visit Sandy Stream Pond, one of the park’s most popular hiking spots. They can also enjoy the Roaring Brook Nature Trail, Hoekwater said.

Trout Brook Mountain’s hiking trail on the north end of the park is also open by way of the park’s north gate; hikers can also hike Sentinel Mountain by way of Kidney Pond Campground or the Owl Trail by way of Katahdin Stream Campground, Hoekwater said.

The park’s main road, the Park Tote Road, is closed from Foster Field to Trout Brook Crossing, Hoekwater said.

Hikers are encouraged to have sturdy footwear, to be prepared for obstacles including boulders and stream crossings and to use up-to-date maps for elevation gains or stream crossings on trails. Maps are sold at campgrounds, the park headquarters on Route 157 in Millinocket and at the Visitor Center at Togue Pond.

Visitor Center guides can provide up-to-date trail conditions and weather reports.

The closed trails will probably open soon, Hoekwater said, as early as two weeks.

nsambides@bangordailynews.net

794-8215


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