Current Maine 4K List

[DayTrip]

I've been "kinda doing" the Maine 4k list and after hitting Abraham on WED and getting a good look at the area I decided to go ahead and complete the list and explore a new area. So I've been planning some of the hikes. I'm going off the list at the back of the AMC Guide 29th Edition, which has 14 peaks. However, as I've been looking at the routes on Gaia I'm noticing several of the peaks are well below the 4k elevation, such as The Horn (Saddleback) and Redington. I did some Googling and don't seem to find an official list like NH has. The AMC site had a New England 4K list but it only had 13 peaks, not 14. Peakbagger.com also has a 13 peak list and many of the elevations do not agree with Gaia. (EDIT: PB's list has a tie for 13th so it is 14 peaks)

Was there a recent rejiggering of the list with recent technology (LIDAR, new surveys, etc)? Who would be the "definitive authority" for the ME 4k's? I don't care about a patch or anything and I'm inclined to just go with the 14 peaks listed in the AMC guide out of what I assume was tradition until recently but I was curious what the most accurate and/or referenced list would be.

If anyone out there is a stickler for the details and knows of such a source I'd like to know. Thanks in advance.

 

[skiguy]

For what it's worth The Horn(Saddleback) and Redington are easily done in coordination with other adjacent peaks. Most who do them have the longer-term goal of completing the New England 100 Highest. The Horn is totally worth it as the ridge walk from Saddleback and the peak itself are classic NE alpine tundra. Redington is straightforward coming over from the Cockers. The aesthetic value of that peak varies as it gets logged a lot in that area although I am not sure of its current state. Personally if I were driving up from down south that far I would bag 'em while your in the area.

 

[Sherby]

The NE67 list has 14 ME peaks (same for the 111/115 list), including Spaulding and Redington. Never heard about Saddleback -The Horn being unranked...

 

[maineguy]

Personally if I were driving up from down south that far I would bag 'em while your in the area.

Amen to that. When I did Sugarloaf and Abraham in pursuit of the NE 4K list we hiked by the spur trail to Spaulding. I noticed that it was just a few feet under 4K, and since it was just a very short spur, we did it "just in case". Sure enough, not that long after, it appeared on the ME 4K list along with Reddington (which I did not have the foresight to also do). Got the NE 4K club, but had to go back and do Reddington for the 111 (115) many years later, but thankfully not Spaulding.

 

[DayTrip]

For what it's worth The Horn(Saddleback) and Redington are easily done in coordination with other adjacent peaks. Most who do them have the longer-term goal of completing the New England 100 Highest. The Horn is totally worth it as the ridge walk from Saddleback and the peak itself are classic NE alpine tundra. Redington is straightforward coming over from the Cockers. The aesthetic value of that peak varies as it gets logged a lot in that area although I am not sure of its current state. Personally if I were driving up from down south that far I would bag 'em while your in the area.

I am absolutely doing the Horn on Saddleback regardless of its height. That was my intended hike WED after researching that ridge walk (almost 2 miles above treeline it looked like) but the snow and colder temps had me scale back to a more reasonable distance (I was driving 5 hours home after my hike WED). Having been on top of Abraham now and seeing that ridge in person it is definitely the next hike. It looks awesome. Redington looked pretty underwhelming but seems like a pretty comfortable out and back so no doubt I'll do it.

In general, I was just surprised at the discrepancy in elevations. From Gaia to some of the lists the difference is over 100 ft, which seemed like quite a lot. in the case of Bigelow it had Avery peak higher than Bigelow. Just seemed odd to me but there is better technology now and I have no idea what the methodology was for the original elevations. Not sure what source Gaia uses for its data or if it is just an interpretation of the plot or an alogorithm or whatever.

 

[DayTrip]

Amen to that. When I did Sugarloaf and Abraham in pursuit of the NE 4K list we hiked by the spur trail to Spaulding. I noticed that it was just a few feet under 4K, and since it was just a very short spur, we did it "just in case". Sure enough, not that long after, it appeared on the ME 4K list along with Reddington (which I did not have the foresight to also do). Got the NE 4K club, but had to go back and do Reddington for the 111 (115) many years later, but thankfully not Spaulding.

Gaia has Spaulding at 3,999 ft. Peakbagger has it at 4,000 ft. The AMC Guide has 4,010 ft (with the dreaded "*" next to it).

 

[sierra]

I don't hike in Maine, but after seeing pictures of the Horn and Saddleback, I'm tempted to cross the border.

 

[peakbagger]

The multiday hike from Caribou Valley Road to RT 4 south of Rangeley that goes by Sugarloaf, Spaulding, Saddleback JR, The Horn and Saddleback is hard to beat in Maine. I did it solo in 2 days. Adding in Abraham would push it out to 2 nights. That stretch between the Horn and Saddelback is quite spectacular.

The bummer is Middle Abraham got pushed off 100 highest list 20 years ago. The Abraham ridge is quite long and has many open patches above treeline. Kennebago Divide and Cupsuptic Snow may have been discovered to be taller but neither match Middle Abraham.

 

[Mac]

I don't hike in Maine, but after seeing pictures of the Horn and Saddleback, I'm tempted to cross the border.

Did Saddleback and the Horn a few years ago. Views from the ridge are spectacular. A bit like Franconia, but trail is much less rugged.

 

[peakbagger]

Note, rugged is a relative thing. I remember some boulder hopping but its been 20 years. Still a worthy hike but not a walk in the park. The approach from Rt 4 adds a lot of miles but the views along the ascent up via the AT from Eddy Pond to the summit with a stop at Piazza Rock makes for a long but nice day. There is realtively new multiuse trail called the Flyrod Crosby Trail that connects the Saddleback Parking lot with the AT at Eddy Pond that might make for a potential loop hike to include the stretch of the AT from Eddy Pond up to the summit but it would still be an out and back along the ridge to bag the Horn.

Fly Rod Crosby Trail - High Peaks Alliance

 

[DayTrip]

The bummer is Middle Abraham got pushed off 100 highest list 20 years ago. The Abraham ridge is quite long and has many open patches above treeline. Kennebago Divide and Cupsuptic Snow may have been discovered to be taller but neither match Middle Abraham.

Is there an old trail/herd path to Middle Abraham that still gets use? I didn't see anyone on the Firewarden's Trail (or is it Mount Abraham Trail? I've seen both on maps. Sign at trailhead was Mount Abraham Trail) but when I reached the summit I was surprised to see fresh footprints in the snow. The trail from the AT side was also untouched. I followed the footprints over to the top of the knob and they went down toward col. When I got home I looked on CalTopo and there was a track coming up from a 4WD road. I'd like to revisit that in the Summer. Mt Abraham is quite an impressive sprawling summit with all those knobs and alpine terrain.

 

[DayTrip]

I don't hike in Maine, but after seeing pictures of the Horn and Saddleback, I'm tempted to cross the border.

Other than many trips to Baxter, Grafton Notch and the Caribou Speckled Wilderness I really hadn't investigated Maine either. I go up to Lewiston/Waterville area a couple of times a year for work so I figured it was time to explore a new area. The views on Abraham give you a really good look around at various ranges and it does look like good hiking. I'm definitely going to make some trips into that area. Saddleback and Bigelow look like awesome ridges.

 

[DayTrip]

Note, rugged is a relative thing. I remember some boulder hopping but its been 20 years. Still a worthy hike but not a walk in the park. The approach from Rt 4 adds a lot of miles but the views along the ascent up via the AT from Eddy Pond to the summit with a stop at Piazza Rock makes for a long but nice day. There is realtively new multiuse trail called the Flyrod Crosby Trail that connects the Saddleback Parking lot with the AT at Eddy Pond that might make for a potential loop hike to include the stretch of the AT from Eddy Pond up to the summit but it would still be an out and back along the ridge to bag the Horn.

Fly Rod Crosby Trail - High Peaks Alliance

My plan for Saddleback was to do an out and back from RT4 up the AT and over the ridge. I think it was about 15 miles out and back so I talked myself out of it with the snow conditions. I think I might do it as an overnight now, set up camp at Eddy Pond on the way out and camp there on the way back to break up the mileage. I could certainly do a hike of that length in non Winter conditions but it's definitely more demanding with snow. The cone on Abraham was slow going with 3-4 inches of fresh snow on all those rocks, especially coming down. If the 2 mile ridge on Saddleback was like that it would have added major time to the hike. I think November is the most challenging month of the year for conditions.

 

[peakbagger]

Is there an old trail/herd path to Middle Abraham that still gets use? I didn't see anyone on the Firewarden's Trail (or is it Mount Abraham Trail? I've seen both on maps. Sign at trailhead was Mount Abraham Trail) but when I reached the summit I was surprised to see fresh footprints in the snow. The trail from the AT side was also untouched. I followed the footprints over to the top of the knob and they went down toward col. When I got home I looked on CalTopo and there was a track coming up from a 4WD road. I'd like to revisit that in the Summer. Mt Abraham is quite an impressive sprawling summit with all those knobs and alpine terrain.

I think many folks just went along the ridge and bushwhacked between thick and thin patches through the spruce. A friend and I did it 25 to 30 years ago using a logging road that paralleled the fire wardens trail and then crossed it. About 1/4 mile past was a very large log landing with a view of the summit. We parked in the middle of it (with a regular passenger car) and then took the Firewarden Trail up then hiked along the ridge to the Middle Abraham summit. We were most of the way along the ridge and heard someone calling and met a lady in her late sixties that was solo bushwhacking from new set of logging roads from the Barnjum side (west side). She was a bit sketchy on how she would get back down to road she parked on so she joined us in bushwhacking to our car on compass bearing and then gave her ride around to her car.

Note this was prior to Sappi selling most of the land on Abraham to land trusts so they were hitting the woods hard cutting wood before selling it. no doubt that landing we parked in is now full of trees.

 

[tomcat32]

I lived in Maine 8 years and have done the 14 4ks. Spaulding and Readington are definitely climbed just to finish the list. I never saw anything listing there elevations above 4000’. I’ve seen 3983’ I believe for both. They have that rule for measuring for I believed a non benchmarked peak( ( don’t quote me on this) of rounding to the next interval plus 10 feet. At 3983 you have a definitive 3980 interval on the map, fount to the next interval ie 4000 and add ten- voila you got the inflated 4010 for those two peaks.
I did a long day going up Abraham via the Wardens cabin which has since burned and the trailhead pushed back due to road damage from when I did it in 09 or 10. Then down to the AT to Sugarloaf, hitting Spaulding on the way. I did the Crockers on my AT thruhike but revisited making them a loop with the quasi bushwhack to Readington.
Although I had no desire to hit Readington or Spaulding again Abraham is as nice an alpine summit as anything in Maine with huge alpine area but the roads were a mess and complicated after the flooding and washouts that I never revisited before I moved. I never lived the infrastructure on Sugarloaf and only went back when skiing. I mad multiple trips to the all the other 4K peaks when I lived there including 17 in all seasons to Katahdin, probabilities 5-6 on Hamelin, 5-6 to Bigelows, at least 3 up the Two Saddleback summits via the AT and at least two up old Speck.

I left Maine for CO but eventually ended up in the ADK and this year I finished the 111 (115) after 24 years and never really trying until I was down to the last handful of mountains. It was much easier doing those Maine peaks when I lived there.

I never registered my NH, ADK, New England, or 111 finishes and probably never will- I know I was on all the peaks and don’t care about patches.

 

[JustJoe]

As mention, there are estimated elevations, making the a couple 4010's questionable. https://www.amc4000footer.org/newenglandfourk.html

I was doing the NE67 first, so these pics are from that peak-bagging. So imagine my surprise when getting to Spaulding and Redington.

 

[nartreb]

It was the 1998 USGS map that placed Redington and Spalding above the 4000' contour line (without supplying an exact summit elevation for either one). AMC promptly updated the Maine 4K list. (As they had promised. List-keeping is sometimes subject to human foibles, but this is not one of those cases.)

 

[OnAClearDay]

Come in the winter for some extra elevation