Aroostook County Highpoint Trip Report
Peaked Mtn (2,220+ ft)
Date: June 21, 2006
Author: Michael Schwartz
As noted in other reports, the entry fee for out-of-state residents is $8.
This is per person, not per carload. Roy Schweiker is correct that the immediate
left turn after the checkpoint is onto Pinkham Road. Mileage to the Machias
River bridge is 7.9 miles (not 9.1 as listed by Fred Lobdell). The road may
have been rerouted. Once on Jack Mountain Road, the fork described by Fred at
3.5 miles is really more going straight through an almost three way
intersection. At any rate, stay on the main road. As you approach the very
obvious pointed summit of Peaked Mountain, look for the good quality logging
road heading north along the east side of the mountain. The road has been
extended and goes close to a mile uphill.
We parked at about the 0.5 mile mark and set off west into the woods, maybe 100-
200 yards north of the clear-cut, looking for the orange-ribbon flagging
mentioned by others. We quickly found it and followed it through an area of low
undergrowth, eventually coming to an old logging road. The ribbons followed the
road but, after some time, we lost the flagging. Don't know whether it heads
into the forest or follows another road. Since the road appeared to be the one
shown on the topo heading west from spot elevation 1209 up to the 1800-foot
saddle between the true and false southern summits, we stayed on it.
It gets more overgrown but provides easy ascent to the saddle.
From there, we struck north, fought our way through a very thick belt of spruce
much higher up, and were pleased to find the sharp summit and small cairn.
On the descent, we got too far east and ran afoul of the cliffs on the southeast
side of the mountain. A bearing of due south off the summit should return one
to the road without problem.
This was prime black fly season and their deer fly and mosquito allies were out
in full force as well. Despite frequent and liberal applications of repellent,
we were savaged by the six-leggers.