Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mount Blue, Weld
: Mount Blue looks the part of the quintessential
mountain, rising to a clear peak above the surrounding valleys and
nearby ridges.
Follow the signs from the village of Weld to Mount Blue State Park and to
the trailhead at the end of a dirt road. The trailheads right off into nearby
woods and begins climbing steadily to make the 1,800-foot elevation gain
before reaching the summit in just over 1½ miles. About halfway up pass
the remains of the old fire warden's cabin. There is a spring nearby. The
trail continues steadily upward to the summit, which sports the remains
of an old fire tower. The top is forested but there are good views in all di-
rections from various ledges. This is a strenuous hike. Return by the
same route.
Mount Will, Bethel and Newry
: The Mount Will Trail is a compara-
tively recent effort on the part of the Bethel Conservation Commission.
The 3¼-mile loop includes a rugged ascent to open ledges offering great
views of the Androscoggin River Valley.
The trailhead is on Route 2 directly across from the Bethel Transfer Sta-
tion. Park here and head up an old logging road to the North Ledges
Trail, which climbs 630 vertical feet in just under a mile. Several sections
are steep and slippery. Blue and green blazes mark the way. Some of the
path is on private land and the rest is in the Bethel town forest, which
was designed to demonstrate regeneration after timber harvesting. From
the North Ledges Overlook the trail continues to ascend to the peak of
Mount Will with good views from various ledges. It then drops gradually
to an area called the South Cliffs, where you'll have views of the valley
and the village of Bethel. It is a long, steady, one-mile descent (of 730 ver-
tical feet) back to the parking area. Strenuous.
Tumbledown Township, North of Weld
: There are two choices for as-
cending and descending this 3,068-foot peak; one that requires only mod-
erate effort and another that requires some non-technical climbing and
steady nerves. Both begin from separate trailheads on the Bryon Road,
which can be used as a connector to form a long loop hike. Both trails in-
clude about 1,400 feet of elevation gain.
The easier of the two, the Brook Trail, is just under 2½ miles long. It
starts out on an old logging road and for a time follows Tumbledown
Brook as it rises up the hill before becoming very steep. It skirts scenic
Tumbledown Pond and cuts west rising more steeply to the summit.
The Chimney/Loop Trail begins with a gradual gradient and seems de-
ceptively easy. After a mile it cuts around a large boulder and rises
sharply to some open ledges with good views of the mountain's 700-foot
“Tumbledown” cliffs. The defunct Chimney Trailheads left and across
broken and loose rocks and ascends up a narrow cleft in the rock. The way
