Baxter Park - new trail to pond near East Turner?

[RoySwkr]

The Baxter State Park paper shows a new trail to open August 2011 to a pond near East Turner. Anybody hiked it yet?

The map also shows 2 roads in the NW corner that don't connect to other roads, is a park fee required there?

And how about a road to near Russell Pond from the E shown on the park online road map?

 

[spencer]

Roy,

the new Twin Ponds Trail stays below East Turner's flank and follows the remnants of a trail that was there some time ago. I have not been on it personally but have spoken to several Park folks who have been on it. I believe it is very near complete.

The online map, which is poor at best, shows the Wassataquoik Stream itself, not a road. Of course, there was the W. Tote road there many moons ago. What's left of the modern road stops at a bridge that's been out for quite some time and is on Quimby's land. I believe it's a bridge you and I have discussed before. I went as far as that bridge on a scouting trip a year or so before Al and I did the E. Turner bushwhack.

I still think the best way to get to E. Turner is from Roaring Brook

I'm not sure which roads you are talking about b/c I don't have the Park pamphlet handy but I'll hazard a guess that you are talking about roads in the SFMA. There are no entrance stations to enter the SFMA from the west (Telos Rd./Useless Rd. approach). Are those the roads you are talking about? I'm not sure why they would show them not connecting, unless you are misinterpreting rivers as roads.

 

[RoySwkr]

I still think the best way to get to E. Turner is from Roaring Brook

I just read a trip report from a guy who couldn't get a parking space at Roaring Brook and climbed it from Avalanche Field using the new trail to the N end of Katahdin Lake with a bushwhack from there. This will probably be the preferred access now that Quimby has closed the roads to the E.
http://keepmebeautiful.org/sanctuaries/east-branch.html
http://keepmebeautiful.org/images/stories/pdfs/East_Branch.pdf

I guess I am to lucky to have been to E Turner during that brief timespan when the E road was improved for cars but not yet gated, even if it was an afterthought to a much better trip

Looks like Quimby is following in the footsteps of Baxter and Rockefeller/Acadia in attempting to create a park by buying the land and donating it. It will be interesting to see whether the AMC feels pressure to contribute their extensive holdings instead of keeping them for more upscale resorts.

the new Twin Ponds Trail stays below East Turner's flank .... I believe it is very near complete.

Apparently it didn't officially open in August but can be followed easily

The online map, which is poor at best, shows the Wassataquoik Stream itself, not a road.

http://www.baxterstateparkauthority.com/miscPages/maps.html
I knew the stream was there but the legend uses that linestyle for roads?

There are no entrance stations to enter the SFMA from the west ... I'm not sure why they would show them not connecting...

Because the park map cuts off at park boundaries

I'm surprised to see these roads not gated and even a picnic area, although if access is from W not E you need to pay the NMW fee to get there

Here I thought that bump in the NW corner would stymie your quest to climb every peak in the park, and now it appears you can drive to it

On a recent trip to Maine when I visited neither, I picked up the summer newspapers for Baxter and Acadia at a rest stop. Baxter seems to be trying to be what Acadia once was, with activities for kids and short term visitors. Wonder what the road congestion will do to the park's sense of remoteness? Acadia seems to be trying to be like East Germany, with a paper full of rules.