Sugarloaf Mountain, Dixfield

The little mountains around Rumford look unusual. They’re conical forested humps, and remind me a bit of hills I saw in Vietnam.

Sugarloaf is probably the most dramatic of them, and there is a mostly unmarked 1.6-mile trail to the lovely open summit. The route up is not regularly maintained, so unless you have good instructions, you might find yourself wandering off down the wrong woods road. I used the Appalachian Mountain Club’s guide to Maine Mountains, which helped us find the summit very easily. There is also an overlook to a rocky outcrop called Bull Rock about 0.3 miles from the trail start.

Important note: There has been a change in the trailhead to Bull Rock since I last hiked it. The latest edition of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide reports that hikers should park on Weld Street (Route 142), close to the intersection with Mountain View Drive. The landowners requested the trail change after they reported too many hikers leaving behind trash and behaving poorly at the trailhead.

The hike begins across Weld Street on an old tote road, reaching the lookout at Bull Rock on the right in about 0.3 miles. In another quarter-mile or so after the lookout, you’ll reach a T junction. Turn left. You’ll continue on a wide track, which is fairly easy going. At 0.6 miles you’ll cross an open area — stay straight here. The easy part ends at 0.9 mile, where you’ll see a narrower track heading up on your right. This part of the trail was marked with little orange tags and faded maroon blazes when I visited. The path leads steeply up, through an overgrown, grassy section, and then into the woods for the final push to the rocky summit. The views of the town and surrounding hills are very gratifying.

From the 12th edition of the very helpful MMG, with permission: “To begin, facing ME 142, cross the road, angling right to a dirt driveway (in 2022 there was a small shed with campfire wood for sale on the right side of the driveway). Look for an old tote road—the trail—just ahead and begin climbing. Beyond a bridge over a small brook, the trail becomes steep and eroded. After a steady, moderate ascent on a narrow ridge, reach the lookout at Bull Rock on the right. Continue past Bull Rock on a wide, level trail, which eventually bears left and gently down to a T jct. at 0.5 mi. Turn left, and at the next fork, bear right to stay on the wide track. At 0.8 mi., reach a 4-way jct. and turn left. Follow the grassy old tote road (old red blazes) easily along a contour. Cross an old log yard clearing that’s growing up with alders at 1.0 mi. At 1.3 mi., turn right into a foot path (flagging and cairn). Climb steadily, passing boulders on the right. At a level spot in the col between the north and south peaks, at the remains of an old tote road in a small clearing, bear left to stay on the foot path. Follow flagging and old blazes as the slippery trail of conifer needles climbs steeply up the summit cone. Reach the open ledges on top, where the fine views include the Androscoggin River valley, the northern Oxford Hills, the Webb River valley, the Mahoosuc Range, and the White Mountain summits of Carter Dome, Mt. Washington and others.”

Directions: (Provided by AMC’s Maine Mountain Guide.) From the junction of US 2 and ME 142 in Dixfield, drive north on ME 142 for 1.5 miles to the entrance of Mountain View Campground on the left. The campground owners prefer hikers park on the shoulder of the state road now, not on the grass. Check in with them for clarification. Please do not park on the campground road or block the ATV trail.