Pittsburg Peaks - Road Updates

[Damselfly]

8/17/14 - Bill Magyar, Lew Dow and I hiked several peaks in the Pittsburg area this past weekend. Road are in terrific conditions.

So. Deer: Big Brook Bog Road can be easily driven to about 2300' (which we used); the logging road going up the west flank appears to be open

Prospect / Perry Pond: Day Road / Perry Stream Road is being upgraded / repaired; culverts were mostly / are being replaced; the "dilapidated bridge" at mile 11.7 has been replaced, and one can easily drive up to the road's end at 12.8 miles.

Magalloways - Magalloway Road & Tower Road well maintained to the Magalloway trail head

Diamond Ridge - we parked at Magalloway Road mile 6 and approached via the logging road there; roads in great condition

Garfield Falls - followed the Magalloway Road and Garfield Falls Road as outlined in the AMC White Mt. Guide; roads in terrific condition

On the way out from Garfield Falls, we backtracked a mile or so an intersection (back on Magalloway Road) and drove this SW to Wilson Mills, ME and eventually to Errol. I am not sure if this road is open in winter, but going out this way was a nice alternative to backtracking to Pittsburg. We followed the "main" road the whole way..... very easy to navigate. For our friend who lives in Maine, this saved a half hour of driving.

Beth Zimmer
Damselfly
btzimr at gmail dot com

 

[RoySwkr]

On the way out from Garfield Falls, we backtracked a mile or so an intersection (back on Magalloway Road) and drove this SW to Wilson Mills, ME and eventually to Errol. I am not sure if this road is open in winter, but going out this way was a nice alternative to backtracking to Pittsburg. We followed the "main" road the whole way..... very easy to navigate. For our friend who lives in Maine, this saved a half hour of driving.

Presumably SE

I have seen this road gated in the past (in November), glad to see it's open

 

[sdways01]

I am not sure if this road is open in winter, but going out this way was a nice alternative to backtracking to Pittsburg.

Nope. In winter this road (and many others) are snowmobile trails or currently in use for logging equipment and active logging jobs.

 

[Damselfly]

Roy... yup... SE ha!

 

[RoySwkr]

Nope. In winter this road (and many others) are snowmobile trails or currently in use for logging equipment and active logging jobs.

You are correct that the recreation plan for the Connecticut Headwaters doesn't allow private vehicle travel basically from the end of hunting season to the end of mud season. This was written by the same people who said it was OK for the Ossipee Range to be closed to hiking as long as snowmobiling was allowed. I have never been able to get any hiking club involved in contesting this, even the Cohos Trail people don't much care about winter hiking away from Rte.3 corridor.

Note however that there is no guard and some people drive in anyway hoping to talk themselves out of a fine if caught. One guy got permission from the property owner (which trumps state rules for the easement) to drive in on Sunday when there was no logging. Someone else said that anybody with a cabin lease had legal access built in.

 

[sdways01]

Even with a cabin lease giving access, they only plow where logging. The rest of the road will just keep getting snow on top of it, so you'd only be able to drive that far at best.