Burnt Jacket Mountain, near Greenville

There are three ways to summit this 1,680-foot mountain, and each trail is blazed with a different color. The red trail is the easiest to find, but I think the green trail is the prettiest, as it has a nice view along the way. All the trails are short, just about a half mile, but also a bit steep. The elevation gained is 440 feet.

You can make a nice loop here by walking up the red and down the green or blue trail, and then back to your car along the dirt road that connects them all, Allagash Road. There is a view through a break in the trees at the summit. It’s not glorious, but it does exist! Also, the trails are only open from June 1 to October 31, according to the Appalachian Mountain Club.

Finding the trails are a bit tricky. The red-blazed trail from the main parking area (see below for directions) starts out on a slightly overgrown wide track. At roughly .2 miles, look very carefully for the footpath to your right—it can be hard to see. There is also a short spur on your left here, also blazed red, that heads down to Allagash Road. It is .5 miles from this point to the summit, and you will pass the blue trail on your left on your way up. You can continue over the summit and down the green trail, or return the way you came (or down the blue trail). All the paths are well blazed.

Directions: To access the main parking area and the red trail trailhead, travel north on Lily Bay Road from Greenville (and by some real view stunners!) for 5.6 miles. Turn left onto the unpaved Burnt Jacket Road, and travel for just about 2 miles before you veer left. There should be a small sign for the mountain trailhead. In .2 miles, go right and drive .3 miles to a gravel pit. The trail is straight ahead.