The Horns Pond on Bigelow Mountain (2003)

The Horns Pond on Bigelow Mountain (2003)

Trail head at Stratton Brook Pond

Trail head at Stratton Brook Pond (2003)

Stratton Brook Pond

Stratton Brook Pond (2003)

Stratton Brook, Bigelow Mountain

Stratton Brook, Bigelow Mountain (2003)

Entering Wyman Township (2012)

Entering Wyman TWP (2012)

Mountain View Motel (2012)

Mountain View Motel (2012)

The Bigelow Public Reserve Land tract is located in Wyman Township, Bigelow Township, and Dead River Township in Franklin and Somerset counties. All three townships are contiguous and lie just south of Flagstaff Lake.

East of Stratton in the town of Eustis, about 40 miles north of Farmington, it holds over 36,000 acres of public land. The preserve encompasses the entire Bigelow Range, including seven summits. Highest of these at 4,150 feet is West Peak, one of only 10 Maine summits over 4,000 feet.

AT Crossing Route 27, South (2012)

AT Crossing Rt. 27, South (’12)

AT Crossing Route 27, North (2012)

AT Crossing Rt. 27, North (’12)

Appalachian Trail crosses combined Maine Route 16/27 at N45° 6′ 19.13″ W70° 21′ 32.42″ at the southern boundary of the Township.

The trails have magnificent views of Sugarloaf Mountain and the 20,000-acre Flagstaff Lake and the Dead River that passes through it (photos below), bounding the preserve on the north.

The Horns

The Horns (2007)

West Peak from the South Horn

West Peak from S Horn (2003)

Bigelow Preserve offers many options for outdoor recreation, including hiking six miles of the AT.

Access to the Appalachian Trail is gained over gravel roads off Maine combined Route 16 and 27 on the Carrabassett Road at the Carrabassett Valley – Wyman Township line, and by the Long Falls Dam Road from North New Portland.

Sugarloaf Mountain

Sugarloaf Mountain (2003)

Flagstaff Lake, Jim Eaton Hill in center (2003)

Flagstaff Lake, Jim Eaton Hill in center (2003)

The Bigelow Range Trail from Stratton village leads to Cranberry Peak (3,213 feet), then joins the Appalachian Trail beyond Cranberry Pond. The combined trail continues approximately 13 miles to the southeastern tip of Flagstaff Lake.

Two side trails (Horn’s Pond and Fire Warden’s) lead south to Stratton Brook Pond, then along a dirt road to Routes 16/27.

Spectacular views . . .

Spectacular views . . .

along the Appalachian Trail

along the Appalachian Trail

. . . in Wyman Township

. . . in Wyman Township (2007)


Photos 2003 and 2007, video content 2007, courtesy of Brady G. Williams.

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