Hiking in Maine

I first passed the sign for the Seboeis River Trails in 2020 on the way through northern Penobscot County to Baxter State Park’s north entrance, and made a mental note to check them out. Not much existed online at the time regarding this riverside hike from Grand Lake Road, part of the Seboeis River Gorge Preserve in T6R7 WELS, except the description of a 1.1 mile out-and-back trail along the Seboeis River, ending at the Grand Pitch. I had seen the sign, then saw that it was in the guide book Hiking Waterfalls Maine for the section of ledges at the Grand Pitch. Fast forward to 2024, and Penobscot River Trails has consistently improved this hike, which now extends 7.2 miles, crossing Shin Brook and following the Seboeis downstream to Grondin Road, with maps and descriptions at their site.

This is one of those secluded, beautiful hikes that I have to think twice before writing about, to see if I actually want to share it. One parking area, marked by a large wooden sign, is on the east bank of the Seboeis, shortly before the north entrance to Baxter State Park. A picnic table and a flat grassy area overlook a bend in the river, along with tent sites and a screened-in area, and an outhouse is available on a small hill above it in the woods. The trail itself begins across the street, from a larger parking area and kiosk on the south side of Grand Lake Road. Well-crafted wooden markers show the distances in kilometers along the path in both directions.

The trail starts as a flat gravel path, and then becomes a winding footpath, climbing above the riverbank on a small ridge, with a variety of frogs and toads hopping out of my way, and the continuous calls of woodpeckers and songbirds. The Seboeis becomes louder as it narrows and descends, and the scent of the bent and twisted riverside cedars wafts up through the river mist. A portage trail is marked by a sign in a tree for canoers to walk around the rapids. The trail turns inland next to a large rock outcropping and a bend in the river.

After a brief, narrow climb you’ll find yourself on a cliff overlooking the rapids, then a winding trail downward to another bend in the river, at its confluence with Shin Brook. This intersection has a series of clearings with a picnic table, which allows a view of the nearby mountains. A relatively new footbridge leads over Shin Brook. This out-and-back walk to the Grand Pitch is the original hike I took on this trail in 2021, a hugely rewarding one for being only about 2.2 miles, and easily done in about an hour.

On this mid-September 2024 visit, I stopped to listen to the cascading water and enjoy the view at the bend in the Seboeis of Sugarloaf Mountain, have lunch at the picnic table, then continued south. South of the Grand Pitch, the surface leans more to rocks and roots than gravel, but still flat and easy. In the muddy spots, there were intermingled (but not contemporaneous) tracks of human boots and moose. About 1.8 miles in, I reached Snowshoe Lodge in a large clearing by the river, a cozy, modern structure with two privies and stacked firewood outside, and smelling inside of cut cedar, with a warming stove and benches to rest on.

At about two miles, the trail was completely impassable due to a massive collection of blown down trees, with no apparent end in sight. I decided to make this my turnaround point, and save the rest for another day. On the way back, as on the first visit, the piercing call of a northern flicker high up in a pine tree and the songs of blue jays and sparrows blended again with the sounds of the rushing Seboeis River. All told, this was about 4 miles in a quick hour and 15 minutes.

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