| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Sanders Hill, Round Pond, McIntire Pond, Kidder Pond, ME |
|
 | Trails: |
Sanders Hill Trail, Kennebec Highlands Trail, Roxy Rand Trail, McIntire Pond Trail, Kidder Pond Trail, The Singletrack, unnamed trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, April 6, 2021 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at the Sanders Hill trailhead |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
|
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Lots of muddy spots, but the only challenging crossing was the outlet of Kidder Pond on the Kidder Pond Trail. It took careful route finding, but I stayed dry. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Sanders Hill Trail is well maintained. The other unmarked trails are maintained to various degrees,, mainly as snowmobile trails |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
|
|
 | Bugs: |
Not yet |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
I spent this afternoon exploring the interior of Kennebec Highlands Public Land and visiting some of the remote ponds. I started at the Sanders Hill trailhead and followed an old unmarked trail which was shorter than the adjacent section of the Sanders Hill Trail. I took the obscure side trail to the shore of Round Pond. Although it's only a quarter mile from the popular Sanders Hills Trail, Round Pond sees very little traffic.
From Round Pond, I followed the Sanders Hill Trail to the picnic area at the cascades, which were running well. Then I headed down the unmarked Kennebec Highlands Trail into the interior of the public land. Following two more lightly used and unmarked trails, the Roxy Rand Trail and the McIntire Pond Trail, brought me the shore of McIntire Pond. The more popular access route to the pond from the north has been closed by the landowner, so now the pond sees very few visitors thanks to the longer and more obscure route from the south.
I then doubled back for a little while and turned on the the even more lightly used Kidder Pond Trail. After a somewhat tricky crossing of the pond's outlet, I visited both access point to the pond, the lesser used northern one and the southern one which is more easily accessed from Vienna Mountain. From here, I made my way back via The Singletrack and the other side of the Sanders Hill Trail. The interior of the Kennebec Highlands is fun to explore and feels much more remote than you'd expect for central Maine. |
|
 | Name: |
Sam Shirley |
|
 | E-Mail: |
newenglandskier13@aol.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2021-04-06 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
|
