Old Speck Camping and Additional Peakbag/Point of Interest

[Sherpa John]

ON Fathers Day weekend my dad and I plan on going hiking in the Mahoosuc Range. Current plans have us summiting Old Speck as our first Maine Peakbag ever.

My questions are:
1.)What are some good camping spots near Old Speck?
2.)Any other Maine 4k's Near by that could be bagged and or 100 highest?
3.)Any other great spots to hike to near by in this 2 day extravaganza without too much difficulty in getting back to the car?

Thanks in Adavance

SJ

 

[Barbarossa]

There is a tent platform near Speck Pond. You are going swimming in Speck Pond, aren't you?

 

[Sherpa John]

With my bikini yes

 

[SherpaKroto]

Ah, my old neck of the woods
Baldpates are right across the highway (NEHH) (same parking lot)
Goose Eye just across Mahoosuc Notch (NEHH) (no recent pics, but I'll be curing that on 7/9)

Two of the premier summits in New England. If you do the Baldpates, head up to Table Rock. Fantastic views of Grafton Notch

Barbarossa is right: make the nice cold swim in Speck Pond. (Old Speck was "unofficially" my first 4K, Goose Eye was my first mountain)

 

[MichaelJ]

Speck Pond is gorgeous. I have a few shots of it in my Mahoosucs hike photo album online. There's a "typical" backcountry shelter site there: tent platforms large & small, a lean-to shelter, a privy, a caretaker (& fee, IIRC), and the beautiful, leech-free pond which is wonderful to swim in.

When I was there, a group of guys had hauled up 80lb packs and had floating lounge chairs from which they were spending the weekend fishing. The cooking smells from their tent platform were heavenly...

 

[Jonatha]

You will love it!

SherpaJ

You will love Old Speck - took a camp group up there last summer, we spent the first night at Old Speck, someone had left an inflatable boat - with LGT counselors looking on, campers had a blast in it. Old Speck and the watch tower is great. Then we went through the notch 8 13 year old boys and a co-leader to Goose Eye shelter and out over Goose Eye - it is a gorgeous spot. I don't think you want to take your dad down into the notch though

 

[bobandgeri]

John

Check out our Hiking Page for links to trip reports for Old Speck, Goose Eye, and Baldpate - all we great hikes. When you do Goose Eye be sure to do the loop over Carlo as well.

http://rbhayes.net/hike.htm

 

[Stan]

I second Speck Pond as a good campsite. We had the leanto to ourselves the time we camped there.

There is a good leanto with space for tents about two miles up the AT to Baldpate. Has an outhouse and a spring nearby.

When we hiked Goose Eye (highly recommended) we drove up, in a SUV, one of the old logging roads off Success Pond Road as far as we could go and ended at a grassy spot where we pitched our tent. Early the next morning we were awoken by early visitors, a moose and her calf. They seemed about as curious about us as we were of them but gave us a wide berth as they made their way up the road that nature had reclaimed.

P.S. consider Mahoosuc Arm and Mahoosuc Notch.

 

[Barbarossa]

Speck Pond is gorgeous. I have a few shots of it in my Mahoosucs hike photo album online. There's a "typical" backcountry shelter site there: tent platforms large & small, a lean-to shelter, a privy, a caretaker (& fee, IIRC), and the beautiful, leech-free pond which is wonderful to swim in.

When I was there, a group of guys had hauled up 80lb packs and had floating lounge chairs from which they were spending the weekend fishing. The cooking smells from their tent platform were heavenly...

I worked a week as volunteer trail crew back when it was still free ;] We stayed at Speck Pond for 5 days. If it is the same one built in '79, I helped build that privy.

Sherpa John: I expect to see pictures of that bikini.

 

[Quietman]

If your hot after a days hike, check out step falls, located just south of Grafton Notch.

See info on post#4 from a previous thread.

Previous Thread

 

[king tut]

if you want a quick 3 or 4 mile hike w/ great views go across the road from the parking lot and go up to table rocks. you can see the old speck area perched on some huge boulders. if you have a little more time, i would recommend tumbledown in weld maine. it's only 1700 vertical feet, but it has great views, some cool rock formations and a mountain pond. it's probably less than an hour drive from old speck. not too many other 4k mts near old speck though.