The Mahoosuc Traverse is a 31-mile section hike along the Appalachian Trail in Maine. It is quite rocky, steep, and challenging, and can be completed in 2-4 days
Region: New England (Mahoosuc Public Lands, Grafton Notch State Park, private land in ME / NH)
Length: 31 miles (2-4 days)
Physical Difficulty: Difficult
- Mahoosuc Notch: Called the most difficult mile on the Appalachian Trail.
- Mahoosuc Arm: Steep terrain on ledges. Treacherous when wet.
- Relentless climbs and descents
Logistical Difficulty: Easy
- Point-to-point-hike. Line up a shuttle so you can hike back to your car.
- Well-marked trails
- Good campsites spaced well apart
Season: Summer, fall
Elevation (average): ~2,200 feet
Total Elevation Gain: 9,657 feet
Hiking the Mahoosuc Traverse
This is not a hike for the fainthearted. Just when you think it can’t get worse after squeezing and pulling yourself and your pack through Mahoosuc Notch, Mahoosuc Arm and its ridiculously steep, rocky climb loom ahead.
I’ve been both ways through the Notch, and can’t say either way is harder or easier. I definitely preferred climbing Mahoosuc Arm to descending, but for this trail description I’ll go southbound.
Starting at the parking lot on Route 26 at Grafton Notch State Park in Maine, the Old Speck Trail / AT climb steeply for 3.8 miles over rocks through a series of switchbacks, and ups and downs. The trail passes the falls of Cascade Brook, and crosses the brook one last time above the falls. This is the last water until Speck Pond.
The Old Speck Trail ends at the junction with the Mahoosuc Trail / AT. Bear left for a .3-mile hike to the summit of Old Speck Mountain (4,170 feet), where climbing an old fire tower provides fantastic views, especially of Mahoosuc Notch and the mountains you’ll be crossing. Continuing beyond the fire tower is the Grafton Loop Trail.
At the trail junction continue straight on the Mahoosuc Trail / AT for the 1.1-mile steep descent on rock ledges to Speck Pond. Hikers with strong legs and an early start continue on to Mahoosuc Arm, the Notch, and Full Goose Campsite. Hikers who don’t fit that category (me) stay the night at Speck Pond and swim in the pond. Bears frequent the campsite, and if the caretaker is on duty you will get a detailed talk on precautions to take.
After Speck Pond the trail climbs to open ledges near the summmit of Mahoosuc Arm (3,765 feet; the true summit is .3 miles on the May Cutoff), crossing plank bridges through sensitive alpine areas. I was the first one out of Speck Pond on my 2018 traverse and saw what appeared to be bear prints on the wet planks.
This is where the fun (or hell) begins, depending on your view.
The descent of Mahoosuc Arm is steep and slippery on rock slabs. I slipped onto my butt, and shortly after went flying through the air in a fall described as “elegant” by a thru-hiker coming up the Arm. I still have a scar on my leg.
After descending the Arm there’s a short break before entering the Notch, where the trail winds under and over huge rock slabs that have fallen from the cliffs of Mahoosuc Mountain (3,470 feet). My first reaction on entering the Notch was that it wasn’t so bad. And then it was.
I cursed and swore during my first hike through the Notch, and was determined to have a better attitude this time. I did, but it still wasn’t easy. I didn’t track my time through the Notch, but I know that it was long.
After the Notch there’s a steep, rocky climb on ladders and rock steps to the summit of the South Peak (3,395 feet) of Fulling Mill Mountain. Stop here for a break and look back at Old Speck, Mahoosuc Arm, and down into the Notch. The wow factor is incredible. You’ve finished the hardest part of the trail, although the mountains to come can’t be called easy.
The trail passes through a mountain meadow before reaching Full Goose Campsite. I stopped here on my traverse, and enjoyed the company of a shelter full of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers.
The trail ascends steeply after the campsite to the North Peak (3,675 feet) of Goose Eye Mountain. It crosses several boggy areas with planks and knee-deep mud on its way over the East Peak (3,790 feet) of Goose Eye Mountain and finally ascends the rock face of the West Peak (3,870 feet) of Goose Eye Mountain. Navigating the bog planks, some of them submerged in mud, between the peaks can be tricky. And wet.
All three peaks you just crossed have great views, especially the west peak. From there the trail descends steeply on ledges and ladders. After crossing another wet mountain meadow the trail reaches the bare summit of Mount Carlo (3,565 feet) before dropping to Carlo Col, where the Carlo Col Trail leads .3 miles to Carlo Col Campsite.
The climb out of Carlo Col starts with a short but vertical rock wall. Thru-hikers with Georgia-to-Maine legs navigated it with ease. I struggled up.
In a short distance the trail crosses the New Hampshire-Maine border, a milestone for NOBO thru-hikers entering their last state.
Mount Success (3,565 feet) provides another fine view from its rock ledges, which the trail descends steeply before entering woods. Then it’s up and down to Gentian Pond Campsite
From here the trail passes Dream Lake, Page Pond, and Trident Col Tentsite, and crosses what seem like lesser mountains—Cascade Mountain (2,631 feet) and Mount Hayes (2,555 feet)—but the ups and downs are still relentless, often on steep rock ledges. At Mount Hayes, the Mahoosuc Trail continues right and the AT joins the Centennial Trail for the final leg to Route 2.
On my 2018 traverse I passed waves of NOBO thru-hikers heading up Mount Hayes, carrying heavy packs after their resupply in Gorham. I was glad to be heading down, and nearing the end of my hike at the now-closed Rattle River Lodge on the AT, where I left my car. By the end of the day, I was enjoying town food in Gorham, sore but satisfied.
How to Get to the Mahoosuc Traverse
Nearest City: Gorham, New Hampshire
Northern trailhead can be found here
Southern trailhead can be found here
Catch a Concord Coach Lines bus from Portland, Maine, or Boston, Massachusetts, to Gorham. Arrange a shuttle from Trail Angels Hiker Services in Berlin, New Hampshire.
I paid to park at the now-closed Rattle River Lodge (southern trailhead area), which is right on the AT, and took a shuttle from the lodge to the AT crossing at Grafton Notch State Park (northern trailhead) on Route 26 in Newry, Maine, for an easy to arrange point-to-point hike. I started from this trailhead and hiked south back to my car. Now cars can be left at the AT / Centennial Trail trailhead parking area on Hogan Road for a southbound hike.
When to Hike the Mahoosuc Traverse
Spring: Probably not the best time to hike. Spring is black fly and mud season, and snow and ice linger in the Notch.
Summer: Trail conditions improve, but there’s heat and humidity to deal with. And the bugs remain persistent.
Fall: The best time to hike in New England. The weather is usually cool and dry, but mud persists, and significant snow can fall at any time. The bugs are mostly gone. And it’s a great time to meet NOBO AT thru-hikers as they push for Katahdin.
One-Day Itinerary: Yes, people do the traverse in one day. See the Mahoosuc Traverse Fastest Known Time (FKT).
Two-Day Itinerary: Grafton Notch to Carlo Col Campsite; Carlo Col to Route 2.
Three-Day Itinerary: Grafton Notch to Full Goose Campsite; Full Goose to Gentian Pond; Gentian Pond to Route 2.
Four-Day Itinerary: This is the hike I did. Grafton Notch to Speck Pond Campsite; Speck Pond to Full Goose; Full Goose to a legal dispersed site off the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire; dispersed site to Route 2.
Mahoosuc Traverse Terrain
Mahoosuc Notch is called the hardest mile on the Appalachian Trail for a reason: it’s unfathomably tough. But the Notch is only part of the grueling Mahoosuc hike. Mahoosuc Arm is a vertical knee-killer. Wooden ladders and rebar steps take hikers up and down the Goose Eye Mountain peaks. And even the easier section of the trail is a rugged rock scramble. Total elevation gain? More than 10,000 feet.
Logistics: Permits, Camping, Water
Permits: None needed to hike the traverse. There is a fee to camp at Speck Pond Campsite and to park at Grafton Notch State Park.
Camping: Allowed on the Appalachian Trail section through New Hampshire except within .25 miles of shelters and campsites; fires allowed only at campsites. Camping above treeline in the Maine Public Lands is allowed only at campsites; below treeline, camping is allowed but not fires.
Speck Pond Campsite: Shelter, tent platforms, outhouse, bear box, water, caretaker. Fee.
Full Goose Campsite: Shelter, tent platforms, outhouse, bear box, water, no fee.
Carlo Col Campsite: Shelter, tent platforms, outhouse, bear box, water, no fee.
Gentian Pond Campsite: Shelter, tent platforms, outhouse, bear box, water, no fee.
Trident Col Tentsite: Tent pads, outhouse, bear box, no fee, intermittent water.
Water: Available at campsites, but few other spots to fill up.
Know Before You Go
Weather: Ice and snow can linger in Mahoosuc Notch into June. The summits of Goose Eye and Old Speck mountains are open and exposed to bad weather.
Hike South or North: Hiking north from Route 2 in New Hampshire leaves the hardest sections for last. But leaving a car near Route 2 at the southern end of the traverse puts you close to Gorham or Bethel, Maine, for a post-hike meal. It was definitely a joy to get in my car at the end of my hike and head to Gorham for town food. There is a fee to park at Grafton Notch State Park.
