Trails Used

Tote Road, Mt Zircon trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

I knew the holiday weekend would turn my usual hiking area into a crowded suckfest, so I opted to stay closer to home today. It worked well since it rained on and off all morning and this hike is a good one for a rainy day. The tote road was dry with some weedy areas but nothing too bad. The spring is still flowing at the MoonTide Springs spring house if you need water. The Mt Zircon trail was dry mostly but the rocks were a little slick from the humidity and light rain. Views are usually great from this peak but were limited due to the weather. We had a wonderful and quiet morning and saw lots of cool mushrooms, frogs and toads. What a lovely way to start the long weekend. Time for BBQs and ice cream!

Parking

We were the only ones today so there was plenty of parking. A few cars will fit right at the bottom of the tote road but be sure to pull way off the road so be out of the way. Overflow parking is available at the base of Hall Hill Road.

Water Crossings

N/A

Wildlife

Not and issue and no hornets.

Trails Used

Mount Zircon Trail, Mount Zircon Reservoir Trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

Today, we returned to a local favorite and one of my most hiked mountains, Mount Zircon in Rumford. However, we made a small detour on the way up that I hadn't done before to the old Mount Zircon Reservoir. The trail to the reservoir diverges to the right from the main trail, following a grassy track. Because of the grass, I would probably not hike this trail during peak tick season. After heading downhill for a bit, the trail reaches the dam. The reservoir, now with a much lower water level than when it was in use, is a beautiful spot! It is nestled in a basin surrounded by Thurston Mountain, Hemingway Mountain, Mount Glines, Mount Zircon, and Little Mount Zircon, all of which are visible from the dam. The lowered water level has created a meadow surrounding the water; and the water intake tower has a castle-like appearance. I am very glad that we made the short detour to visit this unique spot! After our detour, we continued up to the summit. One of my favorite things about Mount Zircon is that that there are so many viewpoints near the summit, all facing different directions. I like to choose a different one to linger at each time I hike it. Today, we chose viewpoint looking northeast towards Rumford and the Androscoggin River Valley. It was a spectacular clear day with a cool breeze at the summit and excellent views. We did see a few other people out on the trail, but it wasn't too busy.

Parking

plenty of parking

Water Crossings

no unbridged crossings

Wildlife

very few

Trails Used

Tote Road, Mt Zircon trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

The trail is in really nice shape. The rocks on the upper part of the trail are still damp and very slick so use caution on those. The ledges up to the summit were dry and offered good traction. The spring is flowing well if you want water. Trillium are starting to pop out all along the top part of the trail. The bugs are out in full force so bring all the stuff for those but there was a nice breeze today which really helped. If anyone can move that log back (see trail maintenance notes) to block off ATVs that would be great. I am just not strong enough to do it aolo.

Parking

I parked at the turn around at the bottom of Hall Hill Road. Lots of room.

Water Crossings

N/A

Wildlife

Oh boy. The black flies are out and they are hungry. I used picaridin on my skin and a head net. I also found one tick despite all that and despite treating my clothes and summer gaiter, socks, and boots with permethrin.

Trails Used

Tote Road, Mt Zircon trail

Trail Conditions

Notes

I had planned on heading to NH but the remaining 4 peaks I need to finish my grid are all above treeline and the higher summits forecast was not favorable so I stayed local. What a delight the morning turned out to be! All the snow and ice are melted out. The tote road was clear and not even muddy. The Mt Zircon trail was also snow-free. The rocks on the upper half of the trail were wet and slick but I have hiked this mountain so many times by now that I have my own way of route finding to use the ones that offer some traction. The upper ledges were dry and the views were lovely. I saw no one all morning and this was a perfect rehab hike for my knee.

Parking

I parked at the turn around at the base of Hall Hill Road and walked to the start of the tote road.

Water Crossings

N/A

Wildlife

Still in Hell, surprisingly