Posted on August 28, 2017 and last updated on August 28, 2017

Mount Christopher, Woodstock

QUICK TRAIL FACTS

  • Preserve Size: ~200 acres
  • Trail Mileage: 3.1 miles in network
  • Pets: yes
  • Difficulty: moderate to challenging
  • Sights: views, camp, pond, summit is ~1,200 ft.

This is a great and varied hike on the University of Maine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond. The camp asks that hikers check in at the main office to let them know you’re on their trails. You can park in one of the two small lots that are almost immediately on your left once you turn into the driveway, or park at the gates to the camp on Lakeside Drive. Once you’re on the camp campus, walk up the steep dirt road, headed away from the lake. It goes by a few camp buildings. At the top of the hill, you’ll see two blue-blazed walking trails — one heading right, the other left. If you go right, you’ll do a wooded loop walk that ends up at a little field close to where you parked (you can also start here, of course. The trail can be picked up at the far right corner of the field on the right of the driveway).

If you go left at the junction, you’ll walk down toward the pond. When you reach a short bridge, you’ll see a sign for the mountain. Continue walking alongside the lake here, until you get to a mausoleum, a tall concrete tower with no doors. Turn into the woods here, away from the pond. You’ll cross a dirt road and see the walking path continuing up on the other side of the road. The trail gets steep as you head up the ridge. At the top are delightful views, as well as a small trail to a glacial erratic. The blue-blazed trail continues down the other side of the mountain, depositing you back at the dirt road that winds through the campus.

Directions: From Route 26, turn onto Lakeside Drive (the junction is about .6 miles from Bryant Pond village). Drive about .5 miles and you’ll see the sign for the 4-H Camp on the right. The address is 17 Conservation Lane, Bryant Pond.

Let me know if you have any trail updates or corrections!