Speckled Mountain, White Mountain National Forest

Map legend: Pinks trails, Speckled Mountain. Blue trails, Blueberry Mountain and Rattlesnake Pool loop. Yellow trails, Shell Pond loop. Purple trails, East Royce. Miles Notch Trail is not shown.

The summit here is amazing, with a great view over Caribou Mountain and mountains to the north and west. Once, when I was here, a Gray jay was grabbing snacks from a hiker’s outstretched hand.

There are many ways (all, I think, equally strenuous) to summit the 2,906-foot Speckled Mountain, one of the two biggies, along with Caribou Mountain, in this part of the White Mountains. You can start at the parking area for East Royce Mountain on Route 113, and climb 1.9 miles over Spruce Hill, connecting to the Bickford Brook Trail for the final 1.2 miles to the summit. Or you can start at the Brickett Historical House, and hike 4.1 miles to the summit along the Bickford Brook Trail, past Bickford Slides (which are nice). Or, you can hike up and over Blueberry Mountain, along the Blueberry Ridge Trail (4.2 miles). Finally, you can hike up Evergreen Link Trail to the upper portion of Cold Brook Trail (3.4 miles), on the southeast side of the mountain.

I really recommend hiking up Blueberry Mountain and over the ridge trail. There are fabulous views along the way. You can then do a loop back along Bickford Brook Trail. Also beautiful is the upper part of Cold Brook Trail.

Great Brook Trail, Red Rock Trail, and Cold Brook Trail do not seem as well traveled as the trails that begin from Route 113, and consequently they are rougher and not as well marked. If you are nervous about getting lost, definitely hike up and over Blueberry Mountain, since this route is so popular. Also, Great Brook Trail, Spruce Hill Trail, and the Red Rock Trail are all wooded, with scant views.

I also recommend getting yourself a copy of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine Mountain Guide, if you don’t have one already, for a great map of this area!

Note: The 2-mile lower portion of Cold Brook Trail on the southeast side of the mountain has been decommissioned as of 2024. You can still hike the nearby Evergreen Link Trail to the upper part of Cold Brook Trail.

Directions: From Route 2 in Gilead, travel south on Rte. 113 for 10 miles to the parking area on the right, at Brickett Place. From the south, travel north on Rte. 113 for 19 miles from Route 302 in Fryeburg. Or you can start at the East Royce Mtn trailhead off Route 113.

To find the trailhead to Great Brook Trail, take Adams Road to Hut Road. Drive all the way to the end, after it turns into a bumpy jeep track, and you’ll see park signs and trailhead signs. Walk along the track, past a pretty stream. You should see a trail sign a hundred yards so so from the stream showing you which way to go (there are other tracks heading off in different directions, so take care). Also, at about 1.8 miles in, there is a junction with a trail sign pointing to the left, but it is very hard to see.

To get to the Evergreen Link Trailhead, take Adams Road to Mountain Road. When the road turns right into a private drive, park your car, and start walking up the snowmobile track straight ahead. When I hiked this in the fall of 2016, there was no sign at the start here, just a faint yellow mark on a tree. The official trail sign is a ways up the snowmobile path. After about half a mile, the snowmobile path heads right, and you’ll see a walking path continuing straight ahead.