Hiking Chick Hill, near Bangor, Maine
Chick Hill, located right our side of Bangor Maine in Clifton, Maine.It was one of the very first hikes I did when I moved to the Bangor area because it’s pretty quick and easy. I like to hike this after work some days, and I have even hiked it at night to watch the stars. If you live locally, you have to add this one to your list. You can bring dogs and kids on this hike for sure. It’s the perfect pre-brunch hike!
I must note that there are multiple ways up Chick Hill. The easiest way up is the road, and the other trails are not well marked, so until you know the area I recommend starting with the road. Another important thing to note is It’s also known as Peaked Mountain.
Getting to Chick Hill in Clifton, Maine
Parking for Chick Hill is pretty easy to find, once you find it. It’s very easy to drive by Chick Hill Road, so if you haven’t been there, or even if you have, put this in your GPS. Once you take the road, it’s a short drive to the parking lot, and you’ll see a makeshift sign that says Chick Hill, which will direct you to the road, or the trails if you’re so inclined!
Trail Stats for Chick Hill - Peaked Mountain
Trail Stats according to All Trails
Distance: Approximately 2.9 miles
Elevation: Approximately 830 feet
Time: An hour and a half, more if you have lunch up top.
Kids: Yes!
Dogs: Yes!
Winter: Yes, bring microspikes
Hiking Chick Hill near Bangor
Chick Hill is a pretty gradual rise up a wide gravel path, that is used as a road to get up to the communications towers located on top of the hill. It makes the climb nice and steep! You do need to look out for the occasional trial vehicle that will take the gravel path, however they travel at a very low rate of speed because of the conditions of the path. Once you reach the top of Chick Hill/Peaked Mountain, you will see a chain link fence that is the communications tower. Keep going past the tower and there are views to the right and also to the left. I especially love the view of Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island from the summit!
Chick Hill is a great place to sit down and relax and take in the view on a nice day. You could certainly bring a picnic or a bottle of wine and enjoy this at the summit.
My friend Amanda from She Summits and I climbed Chick Hill one evening to catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis, which you can see in Maine on rare occasions. We missed the show, but we were able to see a TON of constellations. I highly, highly recommend doing this. Don’t forget your head lamp and your warm clothes though! Also, remember that you might not have cell phone service, so don’t rely on your cell phone for safety. Oh – and bring a star chart! We also used the Flight Aware App, which is super cool. You can see where the flights that are above you originate from. Hiking up there was high on my list of things I did this year!
Apres Hiking
Generally speaking, we are heading into Bangor to get a bite to eat after this hike, however there are a few restaurants on the way back that we haven’t stopped at. The Heritage on 9 Tavern is especially interesting, but they aren’t generally open the last few times we’ve been out there. I can imagine it would be a great place for lunch on a Saturday afternoon!
The Eagle’s Nest is a staple in the local community and has a certain charm all it’s own. It features fried seafood and claims to have the best lobster roll in town. I can’t eat much there with my gluten allergy, but if you’re visiting the area, you should check it out. It’s right on the Penobacot River, however its a dive, and only a few tables have a view.
Learn more about Chick Hill/Peaked Mountain
Here’s a great article by our friend Aislinn! –
Where in the Maine Woods am I?
Article from Q 106.5 – Sounds like we need to do the “Airline”!
I hope you hike Chick Hill and you LOVE it. Make sure to tag us on social media – #lovemaineadventures
HAPPY TRAILS
DD
