When you think of New England mountains, what comes to mind?
Mt. Washington, probably. At 6,288 feet, it is the highest peak in the Northeast. You might also think of Adams, Jefferson, Monroe and Madison, the other 5,000-foot peaks in the Presidential Range of New Hampshire. Or Mt. Katahdin, at 5,268 feet the highest peak in Maine. Or Mt. Mansfield, the tallest of Vermont’s Green Mountains at 4,393 feet.
If you have climbed any of those mountains, kudos to you!
I am not a mountain climber. Not even a hiker, really. So Mount Agamenticus, just a few miles from the mouth of the York River on the Maine coast, is more my speed. Topping out at 692 feet — that’s six hundred, not six thousand — Agamenticus offers beautiful views of the Gulf of Maine to the east, Boston’s skyline to the south, the Presidential Range to the west and Cape Elizabeth and the entrance to Casco Bay to the north.
The Big A, as locals know it, features an abandoned fire tower, the remains of a short-lived ski area, an impressive communications tower and a summit lodge. You can hike trails through woods and over boulders.
Best of all, Mount Agamenticus is close enough to Providence that you can get there without mounting an expedition and hiring guides. Drive about two hours and 120 miles north on I-95, and you have arrived at Exit 7 in York, a town rich in colonial history. Mount Agamenticus is about 8 miles from the highway exit. The small parking area at the base is also about 8 miles from the resort village of Ogunquit.
Agamenticus — Abenaki for “the other side of the river” – is a monadnock, a geological term for a hill or small mountain that rises abruptly from a level surrounding area. Trails connect three hills. Most are on First Hill so I parked in a small area on Mt. Agamenticus Road, took a map from a box and headed up the well-trod Ring Trail, which encircles First Hill. Layers of pine needles from seasons past provided a soft carpet that winds among rocks, small boulders and gnarled roots. A leafy tree canopy shielded me from the warm July sun while breezes slipping through towering branches provided soothing background music.
I hiked about 4/10s of a mile and turned left onto Hairpin Trail. About 1/10th of a mile later, I turned right on to Summit Staircase. Clambering over slabs of stone, mounds of boulders and scores of rocks, I reached the summit. Remember, we’re not talking mountaineering here. No jagged peak reaching for the sky. The Mount Agamenticus summit is a wide open park with picnic benches, portable toilets, observation platforms, panoramic photo boards pointing out distant areas of interest and reliefs of various sites.
The fire tower rises like a steel skeleton. The original built in 1918 was wood and rose to a height of 24 feet. A 47-foot tower went up in 1934 and a 65-foot lookout in 1981. A catwalk was added in 1985. Observers could spot fires in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The catwalk and enclosed observation deck are gone. The tower was added to the National Historic Lookout Register in 1994.
The Big A ski area operated from 1966 to 1974 with a 2,400-foot double chairlift, 1,200-foot T-bar and a rope tow. Nine trails from beginner to advanced descended 500 vertical feet. The longest was a mile. Snowmaking was available, and there was even night skiing. Elements of the lift, including the bull wheel at the summit and an ancient roller used for grooming, remain.
I descended the quarter-mile long, somewhat steep Blueberry Bluff trail to pick up the west side of Ring Trail. Posted along the trail are signs featuring traditional stories about nature from several of the region’s Indigenous tribes. I turned right on Vulture’s View, a steep, 1/10-mile climb to the Big A, a relatively new nature path that offers access to all. I crossed the summit park, carefully picked my way down the Summit Staircase and walked back to the small parking lot via Hairpin and Ring Trails.
This adventure took me about two hours and 15 minutes.
Mount Agamenticus is part of the 10,000-acre Mount Agamenticus Conservation Region that dates to 1897, when the York Water District acquired land around Chases Pond to protect the source of drinking water. Over the years state agencies, water districts, towns and conservation organizations have added to the region. Volunteers help maintain the trail network.
The region is home to a wide variety of animals, birds, plants, trees, reptiles and insects. Four thousand raptors – peregrine falcons, bald eagles, osprey – fly over and stop during their fall migration. A half million people visit the area annually.
Mount Agamenticus is open daily throughout the year from dawn to dusk. A few trails are for hiking only; most are for hiking and biking. Some are for multiple use. Snowshoeing is popular in the winter.
So, if Mt. Washington is too big and Mt. Katahdin too far, check out Mount Agamenticus for a moderately challenging hike. You can also drive to the top, but what’s the fun in that?
Mike Szostak can be reached at mszostak@thepublicsradio.org.