Bald Bluff Mountain from the road a half mile from the trailhead
When I included Bald Bluff Mountain as an Honorable Mention in Hiking Maine, the hike was an out and back. Since then, the state built a trail to connect the two ledges that slabs around the shoulder of the mountain through a beautiful forest of towering pines. Now the hike is a 2.0 miles lollipop with less than 400 feet of climbing. The trail visits granite ledges with fine views of the surrounding wildlands and MDI in the distance. You pass through a surprising variety of forest types for such a low mountain. The summit ridge feels like a much higher mountain as you hike among spruce over moss and granite.
To get to the trailhead, drive east on ME9 (the Airline) from the Bangor area. The hike is in the Amherst Community Forest. There are two roads into this large block of state reserved land. You want the one farther east—Ducktail Pond Road. The turn is 9.0 miles past ME 180, 5.6 miles east of Chick Hill Road, 4.1 miles east of the Amherst town line, and 1.2 miles past the first road (Trout Pond Road which leads to Halfmile Bluff). Watch the milage. The signs for Amherst Community Forest sneak up on you—they are far enough off the road that you don’t see them until you are right at them.
Turn onto Ducktail Pond Road. Drive 3.0 miles, passing the trailheads for Partridge Pond and Ducktail Pond. Turn left at the fork, staying on the main road. Drive another 0.8 miles and again turn left, staying on the main road. Drive 0.8 miles through a boulder field. The road descends to a bog. You can see Bald Bluff Mountain across the snag-filled marsh. Drive another 0.5 miles. Parking is on the right just past the sign at the trailhead.
0.0 The trailhead is at the sign just downhill from the parking area. There’s also a small cairn beside the road at the trail.
0.3 The trail climbs gently through young hardwoods, mostly birch and beech. Turn right at the overlook sign.
Because this hike passes through so many forest types, there are a great variety of wildflowers and mushrooms to see in season
0.4 Climb gently across increasingly ledgy ground to the first ledges. You have nice partial views west and south. The trail continues across the ledges. Look for the faded blue blazes on the ground.
The view across the bog from the first ledges
1.0 The trail crosses the ledges, then descends into a piney forest. The trail slabs along the ridge before climbing to the ledges below the summit.
After a short, rocky climb, the trail pops out onto the ledges. You have fine unobstructed views southeast, south, and west.
Looking southeast from the ledges
Looking south from the ledges. The mountains of MDI are visible between the nearby hills
Looking southwest from the ledges. The conical mountain with the tower is Peaked Mountain (Big Chick Hill)
1.1 Cross the ledges, climbing gently. The trail then turns away from the open rock and climbs to the summit. The summit is a large, flat, mostly open expanse of granite. There’s lots of blueberries, huckleberries, lichen, and small spruce trees. But no views.
The summit
2.0 The trail crosses the open granite summit, then descends gently through a mossy spruce forest. Then descends gently into a mixed forest. You reach the trail you took to the first ledges, closing the loop. Continue straight ahead 0.3 miles to the trailhead.
Indian Pipe
This is a good hike to combine with visits to Partridge and Ducktail Ponds. Or you can explore Halfmile Pond and climb the bluff there. Or climb Parks Pond Bluff. Or Eagle Bluff. Or Big and Little Chick Hills. There are lots of good, short hikes close by.