York Pond Road closed to access Bunnel Notch and Unknown Pond trails starting Monday

[peakbagger]

I was up doing a hike today to Unknown Pond Peak and there were numerous notices that the York Pond Road will be closed to public traffic starting this Monday (Oct 28th) during logging operations on the road. Hiker will need to park at the Mill Brook trail parking which is at the primary fish hatchery complex. Hikers can then walk by foot to the trailheads for Bunnel Notch and Unknown pond trail. The distance from the Mill Brook Trail to Unknown Pond trail head is about 1.8 miles so plan on an extra 3.6 miles to any hikes using these trails.

The is the first I have seen of this They do not list an end date. The woods at the Unknown Pond trail head are marked up for what looks to be thinning cut.

 

[JustJoe]

If ones goal is to do the Cabot, Bulge, Horn loop. Then an out and back from UPT North is pretty close to the same stats. In both mileage and elev. gain. Just a little more driving involved assuming most would be coming from the south. UPT North is an awesome section of trail.

 

[DayTrip]

If ones goal is to do the Cabot, Bulge, Horn loop. Then an out and back from UPT North is pretty close to the same stats. In both mileage and elev. gain. Just a little more driving involved assuming most would be coming from the south. UPT North is an awesome section of trail.

Doesn't that road get gated (is it Mill Brook Rd??) at this time of year? I forget where the gate was but that is like a 4.5 mile access road or something like that. I agree though that is a great trail and route. Much prefer it to Bunnell.

 

[peakbagger]

Mill Brook Road is like all the FS roads, they try to keep them open until past hunting season but any significant snow or icing can close them early. It does tend get closed due to logging more often as since its out of the public's view it tends to be managed for wood production.

Of course there is always the option of taking the unmaintained former Mt Cabot Trail. I have heard but not verified that the problematical landowner who caused the closure is no longer in the picture. I talked directly to a homeowner who lives near the former trailhead last summer and he told me that there was no reason why people should not be using it again and the homeowners along the road welcome hikers.

 

[Salty]

My guess is it's part of this:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=46507&exp=overview

 

[peakbagger]

The area north of York Pond road had a lot of birches and birch glades that got hammered by the ice storm of 1998. While hiking the loop up Unknown Pond trail to Kilkenny Ridge trail and then over to Roger Ledge there a lot of stands of dead standing white birch.

The Bog Dam loop area has been subject to intensive management over the years and some of the stand developments that have put in place are impressive. I expect they are bit heavy handed by today's standards but the woods definitely have park like look to them (mature even age hardwoods with minimal understory).

 

[JustJoe]

Yes, forgot about that part. Most likely with in the next month I'd guess.

 

[maineguy]

I've only climbed Cabot once, back in the early 80s. I did it from the East and White's Farm (Arthur White Road). When did this access cease to exist?

 

[peakbagger]

The trailhead from the west side (Lancaster area) was removed about 20 years ago due to landowner dispute with the USFS. He did not own the land at the trailhead but did own land along the road and claimed he could close the trail. There was evidence to the contrary but the FS and AMC did not want to cause a problem with other privately owned trailheads in the region. Since Bunnel Notch trail on York Pond road was available, the FS marked the section of the Mt Cabot trail as unmaintained and AMC removed reference in the guidebook. To someone from Maine, the York Pond access is somewhat closer but to the typical southern NH/Mass resident the Bunnel Notch option adds about 1 hour of driving. Many folks are informally using the former route and as mentioned the adjacent landowners near the former trailhead welcome hikers.

 

[maineguy]

Thanks Peakbagger. Yeah, I meant from the West.

 

[sierra]

The trailhead from the west side (Lancaster area) was removed about 20 years ago due to landowner dispute with the USFS. He did not own the land at the trailhead but did own land along the road and claimed he could close the trail. There was evidence to the contrary but the FS and AMC did not want to cause a problem with other privately owned trailheads in the region. Since Bunnel Notch trail on York Pond road was available, the FS marked the section of the Mt Cabot trail as unmaintained and AMC removed reference in the guidebook. To someone from Maine, the York Pond access is somewhat closer but to the typical southern NH/Mass resident the Bunnel Notch option adds about 1 hour of driving. Many folks are informally using the former route and as mentioned the adjacent landowners near the former trailhead welcome hikers.

According to a friend of mine today. The landowner does not welcome hikers and the trail is closed.

 

[skiguy]

Here we go again.

 

[jjmcgo]

This is and has always been B.S. First, what’s his name and who is giving him cover?
The government and the AMC defer to this ****o*e but there is an easement.
The government is “great” in getting other Americans’ land, so who is this jerk who flouts the law.
The USFS should take some of his land in eminent domain, post signs that it’s OK to use the trail, pave the land that “we” want, floodlight the area and put up security cameras.
Also, he can’t use our parking lot. Make your own, jerk.

 

[jjmcgo]

Oh yeah, lots of portable toilets in front of his home.

 

[peakbagger]

This is and has always been B.S. First, what’s his name and who is giving him cover?
The government and the AMC defer to this ****o*e but there is an easement.
The government is “great” in getting other Americans’ land, so who is this jerk who flouts the law.
The USFS should take some of his land in eminent domain, post signs that it’s OK to use the trail, pave the land that “we” want, floodlight the area and put up security cameras.
Also, he can’t use our parking lot. Make your own, jerk.

Its all been covered in the past on VFTT. Search and you will find

 

[ChrisB]

According to a friend of mine today. The landowner does not welcome hikers and the trail is closed.

This is at best second (third?) hand information.

I suggest that our own north country "reliable source" Peakbagger drive the hell over there and find out what the situation is.

And if he can't do so then "Skiguy" is in the on-deck circle.

We await your post Peakbagger!

cb

 

[skiguy]

This is at best second (third?) hand information.

I suggest that our own north country "reliable source" Peakbagger drive the hell over there and find out what the situation is.

And if he can't do so then "Skiguy" is in the on-deck circle.

We await your post Peakbagger!

cb

I believe peakbagger has already done a pretty good job of summing it up in post #9 already.

 

[peakbagger]

I think Roy S had actually been to the registry of deeds and pulled the applicable deeds. I hiked with a retired local Lancaster doctor last year that lives and has lived on the road for many years where the former trailhead was located last. He confirmed the situation. The only item I have not confirmed is the report that the landowner up the logging road who objects to hiker access is "out of the picture". Its has been a moot point of late as with the exception of the recent York Pond closure the Bunnell Notch and Unknown Pond loop is quite popular.

 

[Snowflea]

>> I think Roy S had actually been to the registry of deeds and pulled the applicable deeds.

Roy May have done it. So did I. There are a couple different rights of way. Probably a moot point since the WMNF decided against pursuing the matter and “closed” the trail so many years ago. I do know that it still gets hiked.

 

[jjmcgo]

I don’t need to search it. I was involved and sided with Roy back then. The government loves closing trails and whole national forests to all except to an elite group of people.
That jerk believes he is elite.
A government that works for taxpayers who want recreation opportunities wouldn’t rip out bridges and shelters, close trails, remove signs, encourage expansion of deadly animals, and close the forest to the handicapped.
A government like that would tar the jerk’s land, put in port-O-lets, and permit lunch trucks.
Yes, I remember the issues. I also remember that there were hundreds of VFTT members and many topics than there are now.