On our next Community Hike of the winter, we will go to Four Ponds/Spruce Mountain. This 2,530-foot summit is very close to the famous Height of Land overlook, We will proceed to the summit of Spruce Mountain and then down the backside to series of remote, high-elevation ponds within the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands’ Four Ponds area.
This is a moderate snowshoe hike and we can choose to make it shorter or longer, depending on ability, conditions and interest. It is a great way to get out on the A.T. in Maine without having to navigate woods roads or climb steep mountains. Total mileage will be up to 3.6 miles each way – the distance to the Sabbath Day Pond shelter – with the only ascent/descent involving approximately 300 feet of elevation gain on either side of Spruce Mountain.
Having just come down Bemis Mountain, the Appalachian Trail proceeds from the parking area to the east, up Spruce Mountain (2530’) and down to large areas of montane spruce-fir forest in largely wet areas. The terrain in this section is largely flat, and proceeds along the first two ponds, Moxie and Long, before heading up along the south side of Four Ponds Mountain. The A.T. skirts the northern edge of the state land while remaining just below the summit of Four Ponds Mountain and becomes steep in this section, but only briefly. As the trail descends to the isthmus between Long Pond and Sabbath Day Pond, the third of the Four Ponds, it reaches the A.T.’s Sabbath Day Pond shelter.
You must RSVP for this hike via email or by calling (207) 808-2073. Snowshoes will likely be required! We will meet at 9am at the Height of and overlook, on the opposite side of the road from the parking area (further details will be provided in the organizer’s email upon registration).
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