QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 6,800 acres in Kennebec Highlands
- Trail Mileage: 3.9 miles total
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: easy to moderate
- Sights: views of the Belgrade Lakes (Long Pond, Great Pond, etc.), summit is 1,133 ft.
Round Top Mountain in blue; A Trail in orange; Monataka Trail in pink
Round Top appears to be a fairly popular little mountain, 1,133 feet, in the Kennebec Highlands, with decent nice views and an easy to moderate hike. After about one mile or so of a steady, gentle uphill, the trail crosses an old track and also at this point splits, forming the start and end of a loop. I recommend doing this loop clockwise, to get some of the nice easterly views over the Belgrade Lakes as you go down. The spur trail, at 1.7 miles, also leads to a small ledge with views (but these aren’t as nice as the ledgy views you’ll see on the hike down).
The footpaths on this mountain at times intersect with an older, less well maintained track called the Kennebec Highlands Trail. Some of the Round Top trail also overlaps onto this trail, so keep an eye out for when the footpath turns off of it (it’ll be marked with blazes and signs, but if you’re lost in thought, these can be easily missed).
There is also another trail, the A Trail, for both mountain bikers and hikers, that starts at this trailhead parking lot that goes up the neighboring McGaffey Mountain. I’ll return to do this at some point (although not on a bicycle!).
If you want to do a swim after your hike, check out the Monataka Trail, which brings you down to the lake in about 0.7 miles. (The loop is 1.8 miles.)
Directions: A parking lot is located at the corner of Watson Pond Road and Wildflower Estates, 4 miles south of Watson Pond Road’s junction with Route 27.
