South Turner Mountain
3.6 mi
Distance
1 hrs 36 min
Time
terrain
1,588 ft
Elev Gain
Overview
This is a easy out and back trail to South Turner Mountain in Baxter State Park.
This trail goes by Sandy Stream Pond, Directions, and Big Rock Viewpoint.
Sights to See
Rate this Hike
★★★★★
We hiked this trail the morning of 9/15/2020, and found it moderately strenuous. I would not say it is actually an easy trail, though this is subjective, but it's less long and demanding than the Hunt Trail on Katahdin. The day was quite cool (low 40s Fahrenheit), and hazy due to the fine ash transported across the continent from wildfires on the Western US coast, which caused the sky to be a dull grey rather than a clear blue, despite the lack of clouds. Going by Sandy Stream Pond, we checked out the viewpoints for moose. No luck, though my husband spotted a beaver swimming before it dove. When we got to the treeline, the wind was probably around 15-20mph, so we donned fleeces, windbreakers, gloves and neck warmers. Views of Katahdin and the mountains were good except for the high haze. We were surprised to see lots of bluejays or Canadian jays (they were flying too fast for a definitive ID) migrating South by going right over the summit. Had a second breakfast in a sheltered spot on the trail a bit below the top, and returned down, still finding no moose at the pond. We were done by 10:45am, just under 4 hours.
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