My Favorite Mountains To Hike for Fall Foliage Views
Whether you’re chasing fall colors or they’re chasing you (hello, wind gusts 😅) fall in Maine is incredible for hiking. You can finally pack snacks that you normally can’t have during the summer temps (like cheese!), you can hike comfortably without breaking a serious sweat, and your views from are unmatched from trailhead to summit because of the beautiful colors.
Finding a hike that offers beautiful views of the foliage during such a short time of year can be stressful, because there are so many mountains to pick from. To make your life just a little bit easier, I’ve curated a list of some of my favorites (four epic trails, plus a bonus if you make it to the end 👀). Hope you enjoy! 🍁🍂😀
1. Mount Abraham
The Maine mountains ablaze with maple foliage.
I typically hike Mount Abraham (also known as Mount Abram) via the Fire Warden trail, which is roughly 9 miles out and back. This rail trail is considered HARD, and I always plan a full day to hike this. This IS a Maine 4,000 footer and the summit of Mount Abraham is the second largest alpine zone in the state (Katahdin is the biggest).
The Fire Warden trailhead is located on Rapid Stream Road (dirt) off West Kindfield Road in Kingfield, ME. About 2.5 miles down Rapid Stream Road, there will be a major fork: take the left. You will cross two bridges over Rapid Stream; after the second bridge crossing there will be another fork in the road. Follow the right-hand fork and the trailhead parking will greet you in approximately one mile. After typing this out, it does sound confusing…but AllTrails will take you to the right spot! Make sure to take a high-clearance vehicle for this hike.
Before hiking any 4,000 footer, I always check alpine zone weather. This summit can be especially windy, so dress accordingly and bring additional layers like a shell jacket, hat, gloves/mittens. Fire Warden Trail is very well maintained. The last half mile to the summit is above tree line, which offers breathtaking 360-degree views of the surrounding Maine 4,000 footers like Sugarloaf and Spaulding Mountains. Be prepared for the final push of this hike to be hopping on and around boulders!
2. Chairback Mountain
A three-layered cake of natural fall beauty!
Chairback Mountain rises 2,197 feet above sea level and is one of my favorite hikes in the northern Maine area. I typically hike this mountain via the Appalachian Trail, which is accessed via Katahdin Ironworks Road via the Jo-Mary Gate. The gate is open from 6am to 9pm, and Maine residents can expect to pay an $11/day fee —worth it!
To access the correct portion of the AT, park at Gulf Hagas Lower Trailhead Parking lot. Here, you have a couple of options: either continue west down Katahdin Ironworks Road via foot for about half a mile, or take the trail that meanders west along the Pleasant River for a more natural beginning to your hike, adding another couple tenths of a mile. The official Appalachian Trail trailhead will be about on the left-hand side of the road, where the true challenge begins! While this hike is considered strenuous due to the length of the trail (7.8 miles round trip), the ascent is actually quite gradual. However, there are some steep sections especially at the beginning of the hike.
See the pond full of my tears of joy for hiking during the fall.
I certainly consider this a full-day hike and always make sure to block out about 8 hours from my day to complete it. As with many hikes in northern Maine, expect many roots and rocks to walk around as well as a boulder scrabble on the last portion of the hike leading up to the official summit. The summit offers incredible panoramic views of the Gulf Hagas area and during the fall, the foliage on both the summit and trail are absolutely breathtaking!
You can continue on to Columbus and Third Mountain like the route below, but as I mention above, it can easily be a full day on its own to make Chairback (and back).
3. Big Moose Mountain
The chill of fall may be in the air, but I’d still jump in that lake!
Big Moose Mountain is a favorite of mine in the Greenville area and the summit is thought to have been home to the nation’s first ever fire tower. Big Moose Mountain is one of the larger mountains in the area standing at 3,150 feet above Moosehead Lake.
The trailhead is on the North Road within the Little Moose Publish Reserve Land off Route 6 in Greenville. North Road is clearly marked, and Big Moose Trailhead is obvious. While this trail is only 4.2 miles out and back, I would consider this a “hard” hike for the area. The trails are well maintained and are a combination of rocky areas, dirt, roots, and my favorite, boardwalks!
It’s always fun to look down onto the clouds.
The trail up Big Moose is surprisingly gradual, and there is a large abandoned fire warden’s cabin about 2/3 up the mountain. Although I wouldn’t recommend walking around it as it is becoming more dilapidated, it is a really neat spot! After the fire warden’s cabin, the trail becomes very steep for the rest of the hike.
There is a scenic overlook which is clearly marked — while this does add another roughly .3 miles to the hike, I definitely recommend detouring from the main trail to see the lookout. From the summit of Big Moose, there are incredible views of Mount Kineo, Spencer Mountains, Moosehead Lake, the Bigelow Range, and on a clear day, you can even see Katahdin.
Insider tip: The North Road to Big Moose Mountain trailhead although traveled regularly by hikers is an old logging road and “rough” so take it slow and make sure to have a spare tire just in case.
4. Borestone Mountain
No words, just 😮
Borestone Mountain is an absolute MUST DO hike during peak foliage. I would consider Borestone a moderate hike – at 3.7 miles out and back in Monson, the trail itself is not entirely technical, but the hike does stay consistently steep to the summit.
There are two options to summit Borestone; the Borestone Mountain trail or the access road. While the access road is much more gradual, I like to hike the Borestone Mountain Trail up and take the access trail down to save my knees. The access trail does feel longer as it’s gradual and consists of many switchbacks.
About halfway up, you will need to stop at the Borestone Audubon Sanctuary visitor center at Sunrise Pond to check in and pay a fee (Non-Audubon members can expect to pay a $5 fee). After Sunrise Pond, the trail turns especially steep. This part of the hike feels like stair stepper, but I promise the views are worth it.
Summit spruce fading to magnificent maples.
There is a section of this hike near the summit that requires hikers to use metal rungs on exposed rock to continue climbing up. While these can be intimidating, the rungs are placed strategically for both feet and hand placement — as long as you’re not terribly afraid of heights, I wouldn’t consider these rungs difficult. The 360-degree views on top of Borestone Mountain are unmatched in the area and offer beautiful views of Sunrise and Sunset Ponds, Barren Mountain, and the surrounding Moosehead Lake Region.
BONUS: Peregrine Ridge
If you aren’t too spent after hiking Borestone, I recommend adding Peregrine Ridge to your day. It’s both short and stunning, a welcoming combo. You’ll find this trail right across from the Borestone Audobon visitor center. This trail is 0.4 miles out and back and offers a panoramic view of Borestone and the surrounding ponds. This trail is not entirely steep until the last quarter mile to get to the summit. It should be noted that this summit is practically a cliff so it’s important to be careful if you have kiddos for this one!
Early evening sunset reminding us why we hike.
Parting Wisdom from years of fall hikes
Arrive early: These trails are quite popular in the area, so I recommend arriving the trailhead early (before 9:00am)!
How to photograph colors: If you’re looking to get that perfect fall foliage photo, I have some counter-intuitive advice: the cloudier, the better. Clouds diffuse light much more evenly on the landscape naturally removes harsh shadows and highlights. Similarly, sunrise and sunset (and the 30 minutes before and after each) provide unique colors in the sky to complement the vibrant greens, yellows, reds, and oranges in your foreground. If you do embark on a sunrise or sunset adventure, be very prepared: headlamp, extra batteries, food, layers, handwarmers, etc. The footing on these trails is hard enough in the full daylight.
I hope these recommendations help you fully experience a New England fall! At times, I get sad with how fleeting this display can be (a couple weeks of peak at best), but I’ve also found it as a gentle reminder to fully embrace the present.
See you out there!
Lindsay
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