Hi all! As many of you may know from Maine Trail Finder’s previous posts, my name is Paige Emerson and I run a social media account called @chubbyhikerreviews. I use this platform to review hikes from the perspective of someone who is “plus sized” or fat, and I encourage people of all shapes and sizes to get outdoors. I’ve been putting together some collections of my favorite hikes from the past, and in this post I share a few of my favorite small mountains in Maine. These are great for beginners or those that are new to hiking. They are also perfect for those of us that consider ourselves a little chunky. So check out these three hikes and let me know what you think!
Trail Length: 1.3 miles
Elevation: 334 feet
My Time: 1.5 hours
Chunky Rating: Easy
Views: 6/10
Trail conditions:
Dry with no mud. Lots of dead leaves. Very rooty and rocky with some rather large rocks towards the beginning.
When you start this trail, you can either go left or right around the loop. Left is a little bit steeper, so we chose to go right on the way up and left on the way down.
This trail is a leisurely stroll through the woods, it's hardly noticable that you’re going up until near the end. It was very well marked, though there were a few spots where I wished the blue markers were closer together.
The view is nice but nothing spectacular. The mountain over looks the Belgrade lakes, but because there are so many trees at the top I imagine the view is pretty crowded when the leaves are out. This was a pretty easy hike, with a nice view for hardly any work.
Chubby Hiker Approved!
Trail Length: 1.2 miles
Elevation: 577 feet
My Time: 1 hour
Chunky Rating: Moderate
Views: 7/10
Trail conditions: Very wet due to recent rains. The wetness combined with the leaves covering the trail made it slippery on the way down. There were also a few granite slabs towards the top that were incredibly slick.
I would say this trail is on the moderate side just due to its steepness. The first 0.3 miles is pretty steep, then it levels out for a bit, and then becomes steep again. It definitely had me breathing hard! But it’s not very long and the view is amazing, so you get quite a lot of bang for your buck. Once you reach the top, you get lovely views of Keoka Lake with Mcwain Pond and Crooked River in the distance. The actual summit is marked with cairns and does not have a view, so make sure you spend some time taking in the sights!
I greatly enjoyed this trail and noticed that there were several signs of wildlife if you look hard enough. We found a mushroom, holes made by a wood pecker, and blooming Trillium. All in all a perfect hike (minus the black flies!).
Chubby hiker approved!
Trail Length: 1.3 miles
Elevation: 521 feet
My Time: 1 hour
Chunky Rating: Easy-Moderate
Views: 5/10
Fun fact: Bauneg Beg (pronounced "Bonny Beg") comes from the Wabanaki word “Bannebeaugue” which means “spread out” or “still water.”*
Trail conditions: While I didn’t notice any water in the trail, there was mud in spots.
The trail is flat in some areas and rocky in others, and there are several sets of wooden planks to cross over. If you take the North Peak Trail first, you end up at a small summit with several cairns and no view. But if you keep following the white arrows, they will take you to the actual summit with a small view of Mount Washington. Since this is a quick hike, it’s the perfect place to go and have lunch. There are wild flowers in spots along the way and we noticed several yellow butterflies at the summit. According to Wikipedia, this mountain is home to one of the rarest orchids in the world, the small whorled pogonia. I don't recall happeing to see it, but now I want to go back and look!
This is one of those small, underrated hikes. The view from the summit isn’t anything spectacular, but the trip to get there is fun. This would be a great first mountain for a beginner! It’s pretty short but you still get that mountain-top feeling.
Chubby hiker approved!
*Bauneg Beg origin from the website mainebyfoot.com
Check out Paige's blogs and social media at:
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