Little Moose Mountain is a long, narrow ridge that runs from Greenville Junction west southwest for about four miles to Big Indian Pond. Most people hike it via the Loop Trail reached from the gravel road in Little Moose Public Reserved Land. That hike is one of the best for wildflowers in the region, passes several ponds, and two overlooks on Little Moose Mountain’s long summit ridge. (It’s in both Best Easy Day Hikes Greenville and Hiking Maine). What that hike doesn’t do is go anywhere near Little Moose Mountain’s summit. The Little Moose Mountain Trail does. It starts at the Shadow Pond Trailhead off ME15 less than a mile north of Greenville Junction. There’s a small sign for the trailhead at the side of the road.
Big and Little Spencer Mountains across Moosehead Lake from one of the overlooks
The hike is 6.4 miles out and back with 1761 feet of climbing. That’s a fair amount of climbing for a mountain that’s just over 2200 feet high. The hike has so much climbing for two reasons. First, the trail rollercoasters along the summit ridge, crossing several knobs. Second, you have to climb it twice if you hike all the way past Papoose Pond to Loop Trail. You can cut down on the climbing and shorten the hike by a mile if you only hike to the bottom of the boulder cliff.
One of the knobs along the ridge
The hike offers lots of views of Moosehead Lake and the surrounding mountains. You pass through several different forest types and over varied bedrock. It’s a beautiful journey.
0.0 Begin at the Shadow Pond Trailhead.
0.4 Climb gently over a series of ledges and small bogs to the junction with the trail that descends to Moose Mountain Inn in 0.1 miles. In another 300 feet arrive at the first overlook.
The first overlook
0.5 Just past the overlook, cross an ATV trail. The trail crosses the ridge through spruce and reaches the second overlook with a fine view of Barren and Borestone Mountains to the southeast.
Barren and Borestone Mountains across the southern end of Moosehead Lake
0.7 Climb steadily up the ridge to another overlook with a partial view of Moosehead Lake and a fine view of Big Moose Mountain
Along the ridge
1.1 Climb across a knob and reach another overlook.
Big Moose Mountain
1.3 Climb steadily to another overlook on a large shelf. This overlook has fine views of Big Moose Mountain, Mount Kineo, and the Spencer Mountains.
Big and Little Spencer Mountains across Moosehead Lake
2.2 Rollercoaster along the ridge tending upward and reach the base of the cliffs below the summit.
One of the wooded knobs along the ridge
2.3 Climb steadily beneath the cliffs to the high point on the hike. This climb is very dramatic.
The trail doesn’t cross the summit. It should be possible to bushwack from just past this point back to the summit and the top of the cliffs.
The top of the cliffs from near the high point on the hike
2.4 Descend through an open forest of hardwoods with an understory of hobble bush. All the hobble bushes are the same hight—bitten off where they stuck out of the snow by moose over the winter. This section always has lots of moose scat. In summer, though, the moose descend off the ridge and feed in the nearby ponds.
2.6 The trail descends steadily to the top of the boulder cliffs. You can walk out onto the boulders and look down the cracks that bisect them.
Crack in the main boulder
2.7 From the top of the boulders, the trail turns left and squeezes through a crack. You descend beside the boulders, then turn right and hike beneath an overhang.
The trail beneath the overhang
Looking up the boulders from the trail
2.8 Beyond the boulder cliff, the trail descends steadily off Little Moose Mountain to the shore of Papoose Pond. Little Moose Mountain continues west but the trail descends to the pond and ends at Loop Trail. Loop Trail climbs up onto Little Moose Mountain and passes two nice overlooks with views both across Moosehead Lake and southwest towards Moxie Bald and the mountains of western Maine. (For a description of Loop Trail see Best Easy Day Hikes Greenville or Hiking Maine.)
Big Moose Mountain across Papoose Pond. Notice the beaver lodge
3.2 Hike around the shore of Papoose Pond. Be sure to watch for moose and beaver. There’s an active lodge near the east end of the pond. Beyond the pond, reach Loop Trail.
The shoulder of Little Moose Mountain you just descended seen from near the west end of Papoose Pond
This would be a good hike to do as a shuttle. Start at Shadow Pond Trailhead and end at Little Moose Mountain Trailhead in the state reserved land. That would be a 5.5 mile one way hike.