tower Archives - Maine by Foot

Chase Hill Fire Tower

The 0.6-mile hike (round trip) to the Chase tower follows an eroded jeep track that is short and moderately easy. The tower is set within an open area of ledge and is in pretty good shape, minus a few planks. Even those scared of heights might find climbing the staircase to views above the tree canopy

Kelly Mountain

20JulyadminBingham, near Binghamtower, view

The 0.6-mile track up this 1,676-foot mountain is rocky and rough, but short, bringing you to a sturdy 1925 fire tower with great views from the observation deck. I didn’t climb the (very tall!) tower, but was pleased to catch some views from the trail a short distance below the summit. The elevation gained is

Flagstaff Mountain

19JulyadminDear River Township, near Dead River, Eustis, near Eustistower, view

Flagstaff Mountain (~2,462 feet, elevation gain ~1,076 feet) is a remote mountain with decent views from the summit that get a lot better if you’re brave enough to scale the 50-foot fire tower (I wasn’t!). A further impediment is that the first 15 or so rungs are missing from the ladder, so you have to

Kibby Mountain

19JulyadminEustis, near Eustistower, view

Kibby Mountain (3,656 ft) is legendary for its beautiful 360-degree views from a rickety observation deck built in 1926. It’s also remote — close to the Canadian border, requiring a long drive on a logging road. The 2.3-mile hike up never feels too strenuous, except for a ~0.2-mile steep section close to the top. The

Snow Mountain

19JulyadminEustis, near Eustistower, view

While the trail on this 3,967-foot mountain is not blazed, it is easy to follow and attracts enough hikers to be fairly well etched the whole way up. There are also cairns and other markers at critical intersections. The peak, on land owned by the Penobscot Indian Nation, is one the 100 highest in New

Trout Mountain

9Octoberadminnear Baxter State Parkclimb, Nature Conservancy, small mountain, tower, view

I learned about The Nature Conservancy’s trail up Trout Mountain from the AMC’s 12th edition of its Maine Mountain Guide, a great resource. When I hiked the trail, I met a fellow who had just hiked Katahdin the day before and was walking off the stiffness in his legs on this relatively easy hike with

Tower Hill Trail

17AugustadminDowneast Lakes Community Forest, Grand Lake Streambrook, lake, tower

The roughly three-mile trail that loops around Tower Hill follows a well-marked trail maintained by Downeast Lakes Land Trust. It is part of the Downeast Lakes Community Forest’s 57,000-plus acres, which includes several large lakes. The highlight of the longer Tower Hill trail is an outlook at Bonney Brook Lake, a lily-strewn wide section of

Mount Kineo State Park

22SeptemberadminGreenville, and near Greenvillecampsite, climb, island, lake, picnic tables, small mountain, swimming, tower, view, wheelchair accessible

&lt;span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”>&lt;/span>&lt;span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”>&lt;/span>&lt;span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”>&lt;/span>The 700-foot cliffs of Mt. Kineo rise seemingly straight up from Moosehead Lake. From the comparatively undramatic shores of Rockwood, the cliffs don’t look surmountable

Jewell Island

5Septemberadmin2 CommentsCasco Bayhistory, island, meadow, tower

Jewell Island, which runs parallel to Cliff Island in Casco Bay, offers many curiosities: concrete watch towers, World War-era batteries (they were built after 1922 and occupied between 1943-1946), and and a beach path colorfully decorated with dozens of scavenged lobster buoys. Its trails bring you to beautiful vistas, beaches, and campsites atop bluffs. The

Big Moose Mountain

21AugustadminGreenville, and near Greenvillechairlift, climb, dirt road, lake, tower, view

<span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”></span>Big Moose Mountain stands sentinel at the southern end of Moosehead Lake, and is part of the ~15,000-acre Little Moose Public Land. On its eastern side, the popular 2.1-mile Big Moose Mountain Trail brings you to the 3,194-foot peak and its great views over the