Horseshoe Pond Trail - East Section

Trail Overview

This moderate loop leads to Horseshoe Pond and Horseshoe Pond campsite. The trail follows a contour around the base of Indian Mountain and offers views of Pearl Pond and Elephant Mountain.
There are no photos saved for this trail yet.   Add a Photo
Trail Activity
Walking
Length
1.40 miles, One Way
Difficulty
Easy
Town
Bowdoin College Grant West Twp
Surface
Dirt/Forest Floor
Pets
Permitted
Fees
Yes
There are no photos saved for this trail yet.   Add a Photo

Description

Horseshoe Pond Trail is a wide, grassy forest path. Cross four log bridges through a wet area to reach the junction with Pearl Ponds Trail on the right at 0.3 miles. Continuing ahead on Horseshoe Pond Trail, the route follows a contour around the base of Indian Mountain on an increasingly rough foot trail, crossing 29 bog bridges. Heading gradually downhill, the trail crosses a small stream just before a large wooden bridge. There is a view of Pearl Ponds to the right. The wide path climbs a small rise, then descends to a junction just above the pond at 0.9 miles. A spur trail to the right leads 50 yards to Horseshoe Pond Campsite and the pond, where a grassy clearing offers a beautiful view across the pond to Elephant Mountain.

Continuing on Horseshoe Pond Trail, the path leads north, away from the pond, climbing gradually to its end on a logging road at 1.4 miles. To the left (north), this road may be followed for 0.8 miles to the start of the trail just south of Baker Pond Road, thus making a loop hike possible.

Other Information

This trail is within 66,000 acres of conservation land owned by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) as a part of AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative. The Maine Woods Initiative is the AMC’s strategy for land conservation in the 100-Mile Wilderness region. The Initiative is an innovative approach to conservation that combines outdoor recreation, resource protection, sustainable forestry, and community partnerships. Through conservation purchase with our partners, AMC permanently protected over 66,000 acres of land in the region, creating a 63-mile-long corridor of conservation land stretching from AMC's property near Greenville north to Baxter State Park. This land is open to the public for recreational uses including hiking, paddling, camping, skiing, and snowshoeing. Fishing and hunting are also permitted in accordance with state law.

Project partners include the Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, the Land for Maine’s Future Program, the federal Forest Legacy Program and the Forest Society of Maine.

LMF Logo

This trail passes through a property that was acquired in part with funds from the Land for Maine’s Future program. For more information about the LMF program and the places it has helped to protect, please visit the LMF webpage.

Trail Manager

Visit AMC's Maine Woods Initiative online for more information or contact:

Appalachian Mountain Club, Greenville Office

Appalachian Mountain Club, Greenville Office
PO Box 310
15 Moosehead Lake Road
Greenville, ME 04441
Phone: (207) 695-3085
information@outdoors.org
View website

Nearby Events

VIEW EVENTS CALENDAR

Trail Tips

Dispose of Waste Properly
Wash your dishes at least 200 feet away from water sources, use biodegradable soap sparingly, and scatter the dishwater.
Legend
Hide All

Trailhead Information

This section of Horseshoe Pond Trail leaves from a logging road just south of the Upper Valley Road, at a point 3.8 miles north of the junction of Greenville Road and KI Road. From Upper Valley Road, walk south on the logging road for 100 yards to a trail junction. Here, Horseshoe Pond Trail leaves the road to the right (west), while Indian Mountain Circuit leaves the road to the left (east).

From the east via Brownville: Approach the Katahdin Iron Works Rd. on ME 11 either 26.0 mi. southbound from Millinocket or 5.5 mi. northbound from Brownville Jct. Signage for the Katahdin Ironworks Historic Site (KIW) may be missing, so check your mileage. Turn west onto Katahdin Ironworks Rd. The checkpoint at the entrance to KI Jo-Mary Forest is 6.3 miles from ME 11. Stop and register (fee charged May through October $10 per person $6 for Maine Residents).

From the west via Greenville: At the blinking traffic light in the center of Greenville on ME 6/15, proceed north one block and turn right onto Pleasant St. After 2.0 mi. the road becomes gravel. This road becomes the KI road. At 11.0 mi. from Greenville, stop and register at the North Maine Woods Hedgehog checkpoint (fee charged May through October $10 per person $6 for Maine Residents).

Click on a parking icon to get custom directions
Please Log In or Create Account to add comments.
These awesome businesses support our goal of connecting people to outdoor adventures in Maine!
Hang Tight!
Nearby services are loading
No Results
No Services Found
SHARE THIS TRAIL

Add Trail Log

Please wait…
Join In on the Fun!
Log in or create an account below to unlock all the great features of Maine trail finder: keep track of trails you want to do, preserve memories of trails you’ve done, earn badges, and more!
Your log in attempt was not successful. Please try again.
    Lost your password? Reset your password
    Don't yet have an account?
    There was an issue with your submission. Please try again.
      * Indicates required field
      Already have an account? Login here
      Enter your username, and we will send you a new, randomly generated password to your email account.
      There was an issue with your submission. Please try again.

        Success! A new password has been emailed to you.

        Log in now

        Please wait…