Over the past few summers I’ve chronicled hikes on several of Maine’s many so-called Bald Mountains. Every one of them was different, but they all share the same delightful characteristic: a bold, rocky summit offering, in virtually every case, a nearly 360-degree view of the surrounding countryside.

They vary from 3,640-foot Boundary Bald in Somerset County to 1,234-foot Bald Mountain in Dedham. Then of course there’s 2,443-foot Bald Mountain in Oquossoc, with its stunning views of Mooselookmeguntic Lake from a platform on the site of the old fire warden’s tower, and 2,370-foot Bald Mountain in Weld, with a summit panorama overlooking Webb Lake, Mount Blue and Tumbledown.

And let’s not forget 1,100-foot Bald Rock Mountain in Camden Hills State Park looking out over Penobscot Bay, and Baldpate Mountain in Grafton Notch with its twin peaks (East at 3,780 feet and West rising to 3,662 feet).

Moxie Bald in Bald Mountain Township, northeast of Bingham, is another not-to-be-missed adventure.

I thought I’d pretty well completed the list until I stumbled upon another, by accident, on a recent trip I made over to Franconia Notch for a visit to the New England Ski Museum at the base of Cannon Mountain.

As I checked DeLorme for the best route to Franconia, I saw yet another Bald hidden away in the northeastern corner of Woodstock, in what I later read in the AMC Maine Mountain Guide is characterized as “offering interesting hiking in a little-known and secluded area.”

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I can tell you, from a few delightful hours I spent on the mountain, that’s an understatement. Interesting, yes, but even more so serene, scenic and stimulating to the senses. There’s a mix of young and old growth trees, with some hemlocks that look like they may have taken root during the Civil War, along with a surprising pond called Little Concord. The pond is about half a mile up the trail, and it’s clearly a fishing treasure known well by the locals, as I spotted a couple aluminum canoes chained securely to trees on the shore.

Signs indicate that live bait is not allowed as the pond has been stocked with native trout. Next time I’ll bring a fishing rod for a few hours of pristine casting on the shore of the quiet little Alpine-like pond.

You’ll find the trailhead by turning north off Route 219 on the Tuell Hill Road about fourmiles east of the intersection of Routes 26 and 219 in West Paris. If you’re coming from the east on 219, you’ll spot the road just after you pass Pleasant Pond in West Sumner.

Follow Tuell Hill Road to where it dead-ends with Redding Road. Turn left and proceed past Shagg Pond (where a nice view of your upcoming hike is provided at a public launch site) about half a mile to a parking area on the left, where the trail heads north from the other side of the road.

The hike into Little Concord Pond is along a well-traveled ATV trail, which explains how the canoes made it up to the pond. From the pond, you’ll scramble up through a crack in a ledge to a cairn, at which point you’ll commence a hike of another half-mile along the ridge up to the summit on a trail well-marked with blue blazes.

Just before reaching the summit you’ll come upon the intersection with a trail to the east up 2,183-foot Speckled Mountain in East Peru. Reaching its summit requires a hike of another 1.3 miles, and it has definitely been added to my list for another day when I have a couple more hours available.

John Christie is a former ski racer and ski area manager and owner, a ski historian and member of the Maine Ski Hall of Fame. He and his son, Josh, write columns on alternating weeks. He can be reached at:

jchristie@fairpoint.net


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