Hiking in the Moosehead Lake Region
Have you heard of the Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit? It’s a fantastic reason to get out and explore the Moosehead Lake region. I recently bagged Mount Kineo for my winter list with a group of likeminded people called the Northwoods Wellness Collective. Check them out if you’re looking for group hikes! We got to walk across a frozen Moosehead Lake, and it was a surreal experience! Enjoy my rundown of Mount Kineo – one of the best hikes in Mooosehead Lake, Maine
The Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit (MPP) is a six mountain hiking challenge in the Moosehead Lake region of Maine. The mountains include: Mount Kineo, Number Four Mountain, Whitecap Mountain, Eagle Rock, Big Moose Mountain, and Borestone Mountain.
Finish all 6 hikes anytime on or after May 27, 2016 and become a registered member of the Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit.
The MPP also offers three additional badges to collect: Ultra, Winter, and Winter Ultra.
Willow and I have already started working towards our badges – you can read more by following the next 2 links…
Hikes in the Moosehead Lake Region
Getting There
Greenville and the Moosehead Lake area are 1:45 – 2:15 hours from Bangor, depending on where you leave from. There are two ways to get out there – one by taking the Newport exit off 95S and take the Moosehead Trail, or you can head through Guilford using Route 15.
Mount Kineo is accessible by water only, with the nearest public boat launch site in Rockwood. Take ME Routes 15/6 through Greenville (also known as the Rockwood Road). Rockwood is 15 miles northwest of Greenville. Turn right on a road marked with signs for the Rockwood town landing and docks. A commercial boat shuttle (fee charged) to Mount Kineo leaves routinely from Rockwood in summer months. From the Mount Kineo docks, turn left and follow the shoreline path, an old carriage road, for 0.8 miles leading past private property to the State lands. Bear right on the Indian Trail or left for the other trails.
Directions above are from Maine Trail Finder. We all met up at the public boat launch and took off!
The Hike
We wore microspikes to cross the lake and we decided that we didn’t need snowshoes because of the warmer temps.
We went to take a selfie and then we heard a strange noise….. the camera captured the moment that the ice started sliding off the mountain. Samm and Amelia’s faces tell the story perfectly.
Dogs are welcome!
We split up into groups so that everyone could hike at their own pace! We would meet at different parts of the trail – we spent the most time at the overlook right before you reach the summit! You can see the Kineo golf course in the photos below…..
We all hung out at the summit together, explored and had a quick lunch break. It was pretty windy, so we weren’t up there long. Views from fire tower are epic – you have to go! This adventure’s Summit Beer – Geaghan’s Presque Isle Blonde!
Samantha Coffin explains to us what the view are around us! It got a little chilly up top, so we didn’t spend too much time up there. It’s always faster getting down the mountain, especially when some parts of the trail were so icy that we had to butt slide down!
There were tons of ice fishing shacks on the lake – ice fishing season is still in full swing up there!
It was a great day to connect with others with similar interests!
We went to grab a quick bite over at the Rockwood Bar and Grill before I went to meet up with my friends that were also in the area that day. I’m looking forward to learning more about the Moosehead Lake region – there’s so much to explore!
STATS:
Distance: Summer, 3.4 – I’d say winter adds another mile across the lake, so winter 4.4
Elevation: 905 feet
Dogs: Yes
Kids: Yes
If you’d like more info about the group I was hiking with, the Northwoods Wellness Collective, you can follow them on Facebook, or check out their website here
References:
Are you hiking the #MooseheadPinnaclePursuit? Let us know in the comments below + share your IG handle so we can follow along!
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