The turnoff for Snow is fairly easy to find now if you're looking for the large "Penobscot" plywood sign, although the town line marker south on ME 27 is now back in place. It's easy to follow the main road all the way in, then turn right at a T for the parking. We found buckyball1's car there (although we didn't know it was him until I read his report.)
From here the trail was fairly obvious, following an old road at easy grades. The bugs were out in force though. Are a few obscure turns further in were adequately signed (occasionally requiring a bushwhack around blowdowns). Shortly before reaching the pond, there is an unmarked crossroads, where the trail continues straight and a fairly significant road crosses it. Directly after, the trail became VERY wet and muddy and we had a rotten time getting through. At the north corner of the pond, a small arrow points off the road and up the trail (now a normal footpath.) Easy to miss...it's pretty overgrown.
After crossing another road (cairned at the trail, on the uphill side) the trail became better defined and was normally fairly good, not too steep except for one scramble (nastily exposed). The very top had a narrow corridor, lots of trees closing in, but a clear treadway.
We got some views from halfway up the ladder, most notably of the wind project on Kibby. It's a pretty major mark on the mountain and I hope it can recover a bit once the installation is done. Signed into Paradox's register (I think we got it closed properly? Hard to tell) and headed down before the bugs got too much more of a meal.
On return, we hit the road with the cairn a little above 3000' and decided, on a hunch, to take it down. Sure enough, it follows the little ridge NNE of Snow Mountain Pond and rejoins the trail at the four-way below the pond. Not much distance savings, but it avoids the mucky confusing bit and is really good footing. I'd recommend it. (Turn right at the four-way on ascent, left on descent.) The cost, of course, is missing a view of the pond, but we couldn't get down to the pond without hip waders anyhow.
The walk out was long, mucky, but mostly easy. buckyball1's Forester was gone when we got there (we wished him luck) and another truck had pulled in. Most of the drive back to the campground involved shooing mosquitoes and horseflies out the window.
From here the trail was fairly obvious, following an old road at easy grades. The bugs were out in force though. Are a few obscure turns further in were adequately signed (occasionally requiring a bushwhack around blowdowns). Shortly before reaching the pond, there is an unmarked crossroads, where the trail continues straight and a fairly significant road crosses it. Directly after, the trail became VERY wet and muddy and we had a rotten time getting through. At the north corner of the pond, a small arrow points off the road and up the trail (now a normal footpath.) Easy to miss...it's pretty overgrown.
After crossing another road (cairned at the trail, on the uphill side) the trail became better defined and was normally fairly good, not too steep except for one scramble (nastily exposed). The very top had a narrow corridor, lots of trees closing in, but a clear treadway.
We got some views from halfway up the ladder, most notably of the wind project on Kibby. It's a pretty major mark on the mountain and I hope it can recover a bit once the installation is done. Signed into Paradox's register (I think we got it closed properly? Hard to tell) and headed down before the bugs got too much more of a meal.
On return, we hit the road with the cairn a little above 3000' and decided, on a hunch, to take it down. Sure enough, it follows the little ridge NNE of Snow Mountain Pond and rejoins the trail at the four-way below the pond. Not much distance savings, but it avoids the mucky confusing bit and is really good footing. I'd recommend it. (Turn right at the four-way on ascent, left on descent.) The cost, of course, is missing a view of the pond, but we couldn't get down to the pond without hip waders anyhow.
The walk out was long, mucky, but mostly easy. buckyball1's Forester was gone when we got there (we wished him luck) and another truck had pulled in. Most of the drive back to the campground involved shooing mosquitoes and horseflies out the window.
