QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 36,000 acres
- Trail Mileage: ~6 miles round trip
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: difficult
- Sights: views, open summit (3,070 ft.)
(Map show most of Bigelow Preserve. The section for Little Bigelow is in blue)
A Scenic 7 hike!
Little Bigelow Mountain is one of the seven hikes in the High Peaks Alliance Scenic 7 guide and challenge. The guide is incredible — it’s filled with detailed information, up-to-date maps, photographs, and recommended routes for each location.
This trail, part of the longer Bigelow Preserve trail, lends itself well to an afternoon or day hike for families, particularly if you stop at the first great peak (about three miles). It’s the easiest trail in the Bigelow Preserve.
After a long stretch in the woods with a fairly gentle incline, the trail takes you along some great ledges with wonderful views. I couldn’t find anything that marked the actual peak, but once you get high enough, you walk from what appears to be one summit after the next, enjoying the sights along the way. Eventually, you’ll start heading down to Stafford Brook campsite and the rest of the Bigelow Range trail. If you’d like to swim after your hot and sweaty hike, follow Bog Brook Road (at the base of the mountain) to its end, at Flagstaff Lake. There’s a lovely public swimming beach.
Other mountain trails in Bigelow Preserve: Avery Peak-West Peak-The Horns Loop, Avery Peak via Safford Brook Trail, and Cranberry Peak.
Directions: From North New Portland, take Long Falls Dam Road (which is paved) 17.2 miles north to the junction with East Flagstaff Road (also called Dead River Road on Google maps). Take a left onto the gravel road, you’ll see the parking lot on the right in one mile by a gravel pit. The trail to Little Bigelow is across the road, 50 yards past the parking area.
