QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 209,644 acres
- Trail Mileage: 3.5 mile loop
- Pets: no
- Difficulty: difficult
- Sights: Views!
Map shows trails near South Branch Pond and Trout Brook Farm campgrounds. Trout Brook Mountain in magenta.
For me, this was a deceptively difficult mountain (1,767 feet) — but worth the effort! The views from the summit are good; the views of North Traveler and Traveler Mountain from the ridge just south of the summit are amazing.
From Trout Brook Farm Campground, the trail begins along the Five Ponds Trail (old maps show the Trout Brook Mountain trail starting directly from the parking area, but it has been rerouted).
Soon you have a choice of taking a right to start your 1.3-mile ascent up the mountain and doing the loop counter-clockwise, or continuing on the flat (but rock-strewn) Five Ponds Trail. If you go up counter-clockwise, you’ll reach a few open areas with views of Grand Lake Matagamon and the vast marsh.
Both ascents, from either side of the loop, are steep. I recommend doing the loop counter clockwise, so you reach the summit first and the ridge with marvelous views soon after.
Here’s a great hiking resource to Baxter State Park.
Directions: The trail leaves from the parking area near Trout Brook Campground, 2.5 miles from Matagamon Gate.
