AMC Maine Mountain Guide

[Caveman77]

The AMC Maine Mountain Guide is now in the 9th edition from 2005. Does anybody know when a new edition might be coming out? Also does it have trail descriptions and maps for the 13 eastern Maine 4000-footers? (Old Speck is covered in the AMC White Mountain Guide.) And is the whole Maine AT covered?

I'm in the early stages of planning a trip for the Maine 14 and section-hiking the Maine AT and am hoping that I can find one book-map set that will get me through all of it.

Thanks for your help.

Steve

 

[Lefty E]

Maine Mountan Guide book

Caveman77: I do not know when a new edition will be out, but the present guidebook has a total of 8 maps on two sheets..Map 1 is Baxter/Katahdin, map 2 Rangeley/Stratton, Map 3 Gulf Hagas, map 4 Camden Hills, Map 5 Pleasant Mt., map 6 Weld Region, map 7 Mahoosuc, and map 8 Evans Notch..
all 4krs except Redington are covered on the maps and trail descriptions in the book, which has 260 pages and is an easy carry..plus checking Mr. Ellozy's site was very helpful in getting us to Redington..all of AT not on the maps..Lefty E

 

[audrey]

The AMC guides have never covered the entire AT in any state. There are separate guidebooks for that.

The 4K's except for Redington are all described in the current book. The new one should probably have some mention of the herd path since Redington is now an accepted established 4K.

Some editions have had quite a few years between them.

 

[peakbagger]

If you are section hiking the AT, The MATC guide to the applachian trail in Maine is all you need. Do note that is comes with a written guide with lots of useful info for trip planning but in reality very few folks carry the actual guide as the maps have the trail descriptions wrtitten on them. If you need further AT info any one of the three thru hiking guides readilly availlable will give you more specific info. If you are just doing Maine the least cost is to download the ALDHA guide section or Maine and print it out.

For the Maine 14, the best overall reference is the Delorme road atlas. It doesnt have extensive trail descriptions but it does have reasonably up to date road information. As you will learn, getting to the trailhead is sometimes as much of a challenge as climbing the mountain (MT Abraham is somewhat infamous in that regards).

Many folks buy the Delorme BSP map which has trail descriptions on the back although if you buy the MMG its BSP section is entirely adequate.

 

[jniehof]

All the Fours except North Brother and Hamlin are on the AT or close enough to be on the AT maps. The Maine Mountain Guide is a lot less descriptive than the WMG. If you want to keep it to just one, you could probably get by with the MATC guide plus a Baxter map. The one key piece of information that isn't in the MATC guide (but I don't recall if it's in the MMG) is the ski area approach to Saddleback.

 

[Caveman77]

Thanks! I think I'll just get all three: AMC Maine Mt Guide, ATC Maine AT Guide, and the Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer. All three cost about $70 and I'm certainly willing to pay that for the comfort of knowing where I'm going.

The AMC White Mountain Guide, 28th edition, does have a description of the whole AT in NH. It's not 100% obvious though, since it's called by various names like the Velvet Rocks Trail, Moose Mt Trail, or Holts Ledge Trail and you have to jump around throughout the book to follow the trail description. But it's all there. (But the maps start at NH-25A just north of Mt. Cube.) Likewise, the whole AT in VT is in the Long Trail Guide. Because of this, I never bought the ATC VT/NH Guide.

Steve

 

[Caveman77]

If you want to keep it to just one, you could probably get by with the MATC guide plus a Baxter map.

Ah, that's pretty smart. I was fixed on getting the MMG hoping it covers the AT well enough. Instead I could get the MATC and make do with that for the 4000ers.

The one key piece of information that isn't in the MATC guide (but I don't recall if it's in the MMG) is the ski area approach to Saddleback.

But doesn't the AT go over both Saddlebacks? (And Saddleback Junior too!) I wouldn't need a ski area approach then.

 

[David Metsky]

But doesn't the AT go over both Saddlebacks? (And Saddleback Junior too!) I wouldn't need a ski area approach then.

You can get Saddleback and the Horn, and Saddleback Junior from the ski area approach, avoiding the long approach from the AT. Both are enjoyable, but certainly the ski area is shorter.

 

[Jay H]

By doing saddleback and the Horn via the Ski Area, you will miss the "best outhouse on the AT", at the campsite south of Saddleback where there is a caretaker, at least that is what a friend and I heard from a thruhiker as we passed the campsite on our way to Saddleback!

Jay

 

[RoySwkr]

You can get Saddleback and the Horn, and Saddleback Junior from the ski area approach, avoiding the long approach from the AT. Both are enjoyable, but certainly the ski area is shorter.

But if he's hiking the whole AT anyway, why come up from the ski area also?

I never liked the ME AT guide once they went to the shaded maps which were hard to read (The NH-VT AT guide is even worse with it's non-existent treatment of many side trails)

The AMC MMG simply can't cover every mtn in the state so they leave out much of the AT, and more recently had dropped Acadia. But now coverage is so spotty that sales are down and it may be discontinued entirely according to rumor.

 

[rup]

I've found the MMG somewhat 'thin' on trail description. Why buy the book if the trail map has more info??? Like to read a bit more about it to be more immersed in the journey (and to be able to provide an answer to the chorus of 'are we there yet?').

 

[Stan]

FWIW I still refer to the 7th edition (1993) which, combined with the others you're planning to buy should get you where you want, especially the major mountains and along the AT.

Check VftT and Google for minor mountains and trail conditions for due diligence ... assuming you are not comfortable with the information in your Maine Mtn. Guide. I also have the 3rd edition (1971) and some of the trails have little or no substantial change.

 

[bcskier]

"best outhouse on the AT"
Jay

I haven't seen the o.h. on Saddleback but for size and engineering it would be hard to beat the one at the Bromley Shelter in VT. Built to A.D.A. specs, it is the first and only wheelchair accessible o.h. I've ever seen in the backcountry. At the risk of sounding negative I must confess to being baffled how someone could get there in a wheelchair.

 

[MichaelJ]

Just south of Saddleback is Piazza Rock Shelter
Two seats and a built-in cribbage board

 

[Jay H]

Aha, that's the name... I know Zero-G and I kept calling it Pizza Rocks.. I remember there is also a short spur trail to check out the rocks and caves themselves, we walked a little bit through it but not the full loop just cause we were hungry and wasn't sure how long it was. You'll miss this cool place too by climbing via the ski slope.

Jay

 

[audrey]

I haven't seen the o.h. on Saddleback but for size and engineering it would be hard to beat the one at the Bromley Shelter in VT. Built to A.D.A. specs, it is the first and only wheelchair accessible o.h. I've ever seen in the backcountry. At the risk of sounding negative I must confess to being baffled how someone could get there in a wheelchair.

Where is the Bromley Shelter? In 1990 we stayed at the Mad Tom shelter which was just north of Bromley Peak. There was an "outhole" with a backboard and a really nice view. The shelter was torn down a few years later.

 

[roadtripper]

Where is the Bromley Shelter? In 1990 we stayed at the Mad Tom shelter which was just north of Bromley Peak. There was an "outhole" with a backboard and a really nice view. The shelter was torn down a few years later.

The shelter is south of the summit of Bromley Mtn on the A.T/Long Trail. It's accessible via a pretty easy hike north from VT 11. It's probably the nicest open shelter I've ever seen.

 

[bcskier]

This is from Whiteblaze's AT Database 2006:

"Bromley Shelter was built by Green Mountain Club volunteers in September 2003. The shelter was dedicated on September 7, 2003. The shelter is a three sided, open-front timber frame structure with a covered porch. It sleeps 12 people. The shelter is located one mile south of the Bromley summit, facing west. It is huge -- could easily sleep 12 and they are planning to add a loft... It also has porch benches running along the two front sides and a nice butcher-block style table."

I remember it having two sleeping levels in '05 so the "loft" is probably in place. The only downside to sleeping there was the metal roof. Very noisy in a heavy rain.

 

[BillDC]

Heard today that the 10th edition of the Maine Mountain Guide is now available. Picked mine up at Twice Sold Tales bookstore in Farmington, ME.

Bill

 

[Summerset]

My husband talked to the proprietor of the map/bookstore in Lincoln at the end of February and he said that the new AMC guidebook for Maine would be out in April. It is good to know that they are already available.