Trip report

Jackman, Maine. Boundary Bald & Sally Mts

Hiking/Walk DATE: 08/01/2019 - 08/03/2019

Trip/Event Location: Jackman, ME
US

Trip Leader(s): BillyB1976

Max # People: 10

Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money

Difficulty Level: Moderate to Strenuous

*** Clarification ***

The 8AM meeting time is meant for when I want to leave the campground on Friday morning to drive to the trailhead for Boundary Bald.

I plan on arriving in Jackman around

...
Driving directions to the location and spot to meet at:

**GPS may give different directions over nearby roads.

To get to Jackman from the south, take I-95 north to Fairfield, Exit 133.  It is 87 miles to Jackman from I-95.

Follow U.S. Rt. 201 north through Skowhegan.  Not long after entering Skowhegan you'll come to a traffic light at the intersection of U.S. Rt. 2 and Rt. 104.  Turn right to continue on U.S. Rt. 201 north, going through the one-way stretch in downtown Skowhegan.

Continue north on U.S. Rt. 201 to Jackman.  The stretch of road north of The Forks is notorious for moose, so keep an eye out for them...

Here are the directions to the Moose River Campground.  If you are not staying at the campground we can figure out another location.

In Jackman continue north on U.S. Rt. 201.  You'll cross the bridge over the Moose River and just beyond this turn right on to Heald Stream Rd.  Skowhegan Savings Bank is on the corner.  Follow Heald Stream Rd for 1.4 miles.  The driveway to the campground will be on the right just beyond the intersection with the Moose River Rd (woods road).

Campground address:

107 Heald Stream Rd

Moose River, Maine 04945

 


Trip Report/Photos
Featured Photo

*  Lengthily trip report  & lots of pictures  *

I went to the Jackman area to do some hiking. My main goal was Boundary Bald Mtn.

I camped at Moose River Campground just outside of Jackman on Thursday and Friday nights.  I didn't rough it as I was close to town and took advantage of the stores and restaurants.  Most of the people camping were in RV's.

Even though the campground is local to many hikes in the area, I'm not sure I'll stay there again.

One major issue is that the campground is close to a lumber mill.  I was aware the mill was nearby but was unaware of 24/7 operations.  I like it quiet, so I did use earplugs to block out the sound.

Another issue is with the campsites I had to pick from, many of them did not have a picnic table.  I would think every site should have a table?  I did ask for a table and the owner got one for me, although it could've used a paint job.

And also many of the campsites are fairly close to one another with no privacy. 

For positives, the owner was friendly.  The grounds looked well kept.  The bathrooms were clean with plenty of hot water.  The campground itself was fairly quiet.

On Friday morning I hiked Boundary Bald Mtn north of Jackman.  The elevation is 3,640 feet.  I was able to drive 0.3 miles further up the road than I thought I could. 

Boundary Bald is a former fire tower mountain.  I have some info on the locations of two former fire watchman's camps.  The first spot was easy to find, as it was just off the road, but not much there for artifacts.  The second spot was further away from the road but I had a general idea where to look.  After leaving the road and looking around I figured I probably overshot the location.  I could hear a small brook nearby so I went to that. Not long after, I came upon the site of the old fire watchman's camp.  The camp burned many years ago. There were several artifacts around including bed frames and pieces of the chimney.  I also found the dump for the camp. I spent 35 minutes looking for and exploring around the site of the second fire watchman's camp.

Boundary Bald is not well traveled but the trail was easy to follow.  Later on and closer to the top, I did lose the trail as I was drawn to open ledges with views.  I retraced my steps and found the trail and continued on.  For the most part the trail was dry, but there were 2 very muddy spots.  There are also a few steep stretches along the way.

Eventually the trail enters scrub and levels off before reaching the open summit.

It took me 2 hours 10 minutes to reach the summit from my parking spot.  It took me 1 hour 5 minutes to hike the actual trail. I was aware of the two radio facilities, but unaware of the large helicopter pad.

It was a nice sunny day with a little bit of haze, and a slight breeze.  Excellent views in all directions from the summit.  Katahdin is 62 miles to the east and I could barely see it against the sky.  I edited the picture of that so it is a little easier to make it out.  Moosehead Lake is clearly visible.  To the west in Quebec there are wind turbines.

While I was on the summit a family arrived with their two children and a dog.  We talked for a minute but they didn't stick around very long.  I stayed on the summit for almost 1 hour.

My hike down the mountain took just over 1 hour.  My total time was 4 hours 10 min. The elevation gain was around 1,640 feet.  The road was around 1.1 miles and the trail 1.2 miles.  My total miles were around 4.6.

After Boundary Bald I stopped at Heald Stream Falls, which is just off the road that goes to Boundary Bald.  The water is very low.  I met the same family that was on Boundary Bald at the falls.

On U.S. Rt. 201, just a short distance from the road to Boundary Bald, is Jim Mac Falls, aka The Falls.  These falls are just a short distance from the road and there is a view from picnic area.  Again, the water was very low.  I went down the trail to the base and also went up along the stream to the top of the falls.

My original plan was to hike Sally Mtn, which was also a former fire tower mountain.  This hike would've involved a 1.8-mile walk along the railroad tracks each way.  It was almost 3:00 when I got back to Jackman, and the bank clock said it was 82 degrees.  I have info that walking along the tracks in the hot sun is not pleasant so I decided not to hike Sally.

My alternate plan was to hike Burnt Jacket Mtn west of Jackman.  The trail up Burnt Jacket is used even less than Boundary Bald.  The trail is marked with flagging and faded paint blazes/ax marks.  In one spot before the first viewpoint I had to scout for the trail.  The info I have on Burnt Jacket sounded like there were several viewpoints with good views.  It turns out only one viewpoint had good views, which happened to be the first viewpoint.  There were also many red pine trees there.  It was around 1 mile to this spot and took 35 minutes to reach it.

After the first viewpoint the trail drops sharply through a chimney like cleft and then starts going back uphill again.  After this spot the trail becomes less and less obvious.  There was some flagging that marked the trail but I did have to scout in several areas to find it.  Closer to the end it was basically a bushwhack with one spot totally overgrown.  I came to a broad spot with a view towards the south, but not as good as the first viewpoint.  The elevation at this spot was around 2,119 feet.  I did not see any signs of a trail or flagging beyond so I turned around.  It took me 1 hour 20 minutes to reach this spot. 

On the way back to the first viewpoint there were some spots with views between the trees to Jackman and Big Wood Pond.

The round trip distance was around 3.5 miles with a total time of 2.5 hours.  Estimated elevation gain was 1,030 feet.  It was warm in the sun if there was no breeze but almost the entire trail was under the cover of trees.

On my last day I drove to the Attean View south of town and hiked up the Owls Head Trail to the lookout.  If there is more than one lookout I could not find it.  A trail went beyond lookout number one but petered out. The trail up is around 1/2 mile and took 10 minutes.  Elevation gain was maybe 280 feet.

On my drive home I stopped in Rockwood on Moosehead Lake and took some pictures.

Even though Jackman is famous for moose, I did not see any.

It appears the area is popular with ATV enthusiasts as there were many around.  It looks like they are allowed to drive on the streets in town, including Rt. 201.

A lot of vehicles with Quebec plates in the area, but many of them are probably just passing through on the way to the coast.

Jackman is 245 miles away from me and takes 5 hours.

Even though I hiked alone, I did get a change to meet two GO members on may way to Jackman.  Andy invited me to his place for lunch and his friend Nate who is also a GO member was visiting.  Andy provided me with lunch and I stayed to visit for a couple of hours before continuing on to Jackman.  Andy wants to hike the Traveler Loop in Baxter and hopefully I can hike that with him.

Members That Participated

BillyB1976

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous


Fort Fairfield, ME


United States
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