3 Hikes in Western Maine: Albany Mtn; Round Mtn; Browns Ledge

On a sunny day in late October, I did 3 hikes south of Bethel, ME.  Albany Mountain and Round Mountain were both done as on-trail hikes, whereas the trek to Browns Ledge was a bushwhack.   As can be seen on the map presented below, all three destinations are in the same general vicinity and are just a short distance from each other.

Map showing locations of three hikes south of Bethel, ME (click to enlarge)

1) Albany Mountain

This hike began at the north trailhead near the Crocker Pond Campground.  The trail is now officially known as the Albany Mountain Trail.  However, until signage at the trailhead sign can be replaced, the sign still reads "Albany Notch Trail".  The trail was renamed when  large segments of the Albany Notch Trail were abandoned due to extensive flooding caused by beaver activity.

Albany Notch Trail sign will eventually be replaced to read "Albany Mountain Trail"

This trail is one of the best maintained trails that I've hiked.  Water bars are in great shape, the trail is well-blazed, and the corridor is very well brushed out.  Not much more you could ask for!

And to top things off, there is now a defined pathway with a complete line of cairns that lead you about 0.2 mile southwest of the summit to a spot described in the White Mountain Guide as "the best viewpoint on the mountain".  Previously, this route was sketchy and required some light bushwhacking.  This defined pathway is beneficial not only to hikers, but also to the thin soil and fragile flora on the ledges since it does away with multiple herd paths leading to this viewpoint.

The ledges on Albany Mountain afford panoramic views which I think would be very dramatic during the peak of colorful Autumn foliage.  However, this hike was done during a time of year known as "stick season" when the leaves are off the trees and the forest is generally drab.

The photos shown below are just two of my personal favorites from this hike.  Rest assured that in addition to these views, Albany Mountain provides many other fine vistas of mountains, ponds, ledges.

Lakes in vicinity of Stoneham, ME.  Keewaydin Lake is prominent, just left of center

A small slice of snow-covered Mt. Washington viewed over a ridge of Speckled Mountain

If you extend your trek to include the approximate 0.2 mile pathway to the ledges located southwest of the summit,  the round-trip hike to Albany Mountain is a little over 4 miles. 

2) Round Mountain

Round Mountain was a delightful surprise!  For whatever reason, the Maine Mountain Guide (10th edition) doesn't include this hike.  However, it is described on the Maine Trail Finder website (click HERE).

There is a sign posted at the trailhead which you can see once you pull into the parking area.

Sign at trailhead for Round Mountain Trail

Just a few steps beyond the trailhead is a sign-in logbook, as well as a nice map which is shown below.  The yellow diamonds represent the various viewpoints along the route.

Trail map posted near trailhead (yellow diamonds represent viewpoints)

The trail is very well maintained.  Although it is unblazed, it is exceptionally well-marked with cairns all along the route.  The next photo shows one of the more elaborate cairns.

One of the many cairns all along the corridor of the Round Mountain Trail

Soon after leaving the trailhead, you enter a predominately hardwood forest with many Red Oak trees.  Some of them are gnarled, broken, and hollow, but still living.

Example of some of the stately oak trees along the Round Mountain Trail

The trail has many steep spots, but there are several switchbacks to provide relief.  The steepness moderates somewhat as you come closer to the Rock Castle Loop trail.  However, the loop contains some of the steepest sections of the entire route.  Doing the loop clockwise involves a steep ascent.  And, of course, if you do the loop counterclockwise, then it involves a steep descent.  So, it's your choice as to which direction to follow!  My personal choice is to ascend steeply, and so I chose the clockwise option. Regardless of how you do the loop, there are three very fine viewpoints to enjoy along the route.

The next three photos provide examples of some of the vistas that can be seen while hiking the Round Mountain Trail.

Huge line-up of peaks on western horizon, including Baldfaces, Presidentials, Carters, and many others

Zoomed photo showcasing the peaks in Presidential and Carter mountain ranges

Low-lying Oxford Hills area in foreground with peaks in Mahoosuc Range on horizon

The Maine Trail Finder website lists this hike as 1.8 miles round-trip.  However, this description seems to have been written prior to the addition of the Rock Castle Loop.  My guess is that the round-trip mileage with the loop would be slightly over 2 miles.  And just as a side note, I commend those who constructed the Rock Castle Loop.  It's quite obvious that a lot of work went into it!

3) Browns Ledge

The open ledges portion of Browns Ledge are within the boundary of the White Mountain National Forest, and these ledges can be approached entirely on public land through open woodlands of hardwoods and conifers.   For my bushwhack, I parked along Flat Road and did a short trek of about 0.3 mile (one-way) to reach the open ledges.

There are several pleasant views from Browns Ledge.  But by far, the most striking sight is the vista of Haystack Notch with a piece of Mt. Washington and the Carter Range visible through the notch.  Caribou Mountain is on prominent display to the right of the notch, which serves to enhance the overall scene.

Portion of Mt. Washington and Carter Range seen through Haystack Notch

It is somewhat common to find a bootleg trail leading to spots such as Browns Ledge which are located just a relatively short distance from a roadway.   Admittedly, very little time was spent searching for such a trail, but nonetheless I found nothing.  Once on top of the ledge, an old cairn was spotted near the northwest corner at the edge of the woods, but no readily apparent pathway was associated with the cairn.

To sum it up, it was easy to do these three hikes in a matter of a few hours.  All were relatively short, uncomplicated hikes, and it took only a few minutes to drive between the trailheads.  And to top it off, each of these treks were new to me which always makes me 1HappyHiker! :-)