The Great Circle Trail is an easy ~30-mile loop through Maine’s wild and isolated Nahmakanta Public Lands, with every campsite by a pond and loons serenading you at night.
Region: New England (Nahmakanta Public Lands, Maine)
Length: ~30 miles (2-4 days)
Physical Difficulty: Easy
- Most of the trail is on soft pine duff; some rooty, rocky, and ledgy sections.
- The only summit is Wadleigh Mountain at 1,866 feet.
- Trail can be wet in sections.
Logistical Difficulty: Easy
- Loop hike with several trailhead parking areas.
- No permit needed; camping is free.
- This is a new trail and some sections are not clearly marked.
Total Elevation Gain: ~3,000 feet
Hiking The Great Circle Trail
The Great Circle Trail links 14 miles of new trails with existing trails in Maine’s Nahmakanta Public Lands, 43,000 acres of state-owned wilderness within the vast 100-Mile Wilderness. The trail connects seven pond-side campsites with options for exploring side trails that lead to other ponds deep in the wilderness.
The route was conceived in 2005 and finished in fall 2021, linking the Turtle Ridge Loop Trail, the Debsconeag Backcountry Trail, and two sections of the Appalachian Trail with newly carved-out sections. Seven primitive campsites are on ponds along the trail, making this an easy loop hike taking 2 to 4 days. The highest mountain on the loop is tree-covered Wadleigh Mountain at 1,866 feet.
The new trail sections are clearly marked as the Great Circle Trail, but the established sections carry their original names, making it difficult to know that you’re on the right path. Trail creator Jay Hall, whom I met during my hike, says GCT signs with mileage will be put on the older, established trails.
I used the Nahmakanta Public Lands map to follow the route, but still missed a trail turnoff at one junction. The new and established sections of the Great Circle Trail are marked with blue blazes, but so are other trails throughout the area. And the AT is white-blazed, with no indication that the GCT follows it.
I hiked the loop going counterclockwise in four days, taking my time to explore side trails to ponds, Tumbledown Dick Falls, and viewpoints, and climbing the rocky ledges of Turtle Ridge for a view of Sing Sing Pond below. The trail could be hiked in as few as two days, but what’s the rush?
Day 1: Park at the Turtle Ridge Loop Trailhead on Jo-Mary Road, and turn left (north) out of the parking lot onto the road. The Great Circle Trail-Tumbledown Section enters the woods on the right after about 100 feet and is marked with a sign. After about half a mile you’ll pass Leavitt Pond and a small campsite. Shortly afterward is the Tumbledown Dick Pond campsite, and a short distance later is Tumbledown Dick Falls. I recommend hiking a steep ~400 feet down a side trail to a pool at the base of the falls, especially on a hot day when you could take a cool dip.
The Tumbledown Section soon ends at the AT. Turn left (north) onto the AT and follow the white blazes to a dirt road on the south shore of Nahmakanta Lake. The AT continues straight, but GCT hikers turn right on the road, following a sign that points to the Debsconeag Backcountry. There are no blazes on the road. After about a mile reach a parking area on the left, where a sign points to the blue-blazed trail through the Debsconeag Backcountry. Follow the trail past Fifth Debsconeag Pond, over a small ridge, and drop down to Sixth Debsconeag Pond and a campsite on its shores.
Day 2: Continue following the Debsconeag Backcountry Trail, eventually turning away from Sixth Debsconeag Pond and crossing a low ridge to 1,100-acre Nahmakanta Lake. Follow the trail past the north shore of the lake and bear left at a sign for the West Trailhead. Shortly after crossing a log bridge the trail splits, and both trails have blue blazes. Bear left to stay on the GCT; the trail to the right continues to Eighth Debsconeag Pond.
Ford Rainbow Stream a short distance later, and then turn right on a dirt road. Reach the white-blazed AT after about half a mile and turn left on the AT. Right on the AT heads north to Katahdin.
The AT runs alongside Pollywog Gorge, and soon after the gorge you’ll turn right at a GCT-Pollywog Section sign. Once again you’ll be following the blue blazes of the GCT. The trail passes Pollywog Pond and eventually reaches the Pollywog Pond South Campsite.
Not long after Pollywog Pond the trail comes out to a dirt road on the north end of Wadleigh Pond. Turn right here and cross the pond outlet bridge. Left after the bridge leads to the group campsite and tent platform on the pond and right continues on the trail. There are two shelters and an old stone fireplace and chimney at the group campsite in a meadow, and a tent platform in the woods. Wood steps lead down to the pond and a great view.
Day 3: A woods road behind the shelters leads back to the trail, where you’ll bear left. After a short distance bear left again, following GCT signs. At another woods road bear left, and then make a quick right. The climb to tree-lined Wadleigh Mountain is moderate, and a side trail below the summit leads to a view of Katahdin.
The descent from the summit is briefly steep, then levels out through wet areas near Third Musquatch Pond. A short trail at the pond’s southern end leads to the Third Musquatch Pond campsite.
Continue on the GCT to the Katahdin View parking area, bear left onto the road and then right into the woods. Follow the GCT to the junction with the Turtle Ridge Loop Trail, where you’ll bear right. Shortly afterward cross the Sing Sing Pond outlet and bear left to the campsite. It’s about 3 miles from the campsite to the car, easily done in 90 minutes. I chose to camp at the pond and climb the Turtle Ridge Trail to Turtle Ridge and a great view of the pond.
Day 4: It’s ~3 smooth miles to your car on Jo-Mary Road. Continue alongside the pond and turn left at the sign for Rabbit Pond, then right at a second sign for Rabbit Pond. At this second junction I went left on day 3 to climb Turtle Ridge. The GCT crosses steppingstones at the Rabbit Pond outlet and climbs gradually along ledges, where you’ll have to keep an eye out for the East Trailhead sign on the left. (This where I missed the sign and continued straight by mistake.) After this junction it’s a quick walk to the road, where you’ll turn left to reach the parking lot a short distance away.
How to Get to the Great Circle Trail
Easiest Access: Turtle Ridge Loop Trailhead on Jo-Mary Road in the Nahmakanta Public Lands. I plugged Turtle Ridge Loop Trailhead into Google Maps and followed the directions from my home in Connecticut to the trailhead.
Katahdin View Trailhead: Located here on Google Maps.
From Greenville: This state brochure has complicated directions from Greenville.
Closest Towns: Millinocket, Greenville, Brownville
When to Hike the Great Circle Trail
The trail can be hiked June through October, though September and early October are probably the best months. June can be brutally buggy, and July and August can be uncomfortably hot and humid. The weather cools and the bugs mostly disappear in September and October. Light snow is possible in late September and early October, and heavier snow is always a chance in late October.
Great Circle Trail Terrain
The tread is mostly soft pine duff, with some rooty and rocky sections. There’s very little elevation gain, making this a great trail for a relaxing hike.
Logistics: Camping, Fees, Water
Camping: Seven pond-side campsites are spaced less than ~8 miles apart; Wadleigh Pond with its two shelters and wide open pond access is the jewel of the sites. Camping is free at all sites, and all have fire rings, pit toilets, and water access; some have picnic tables.
Hiking counterclockwise from the Turtle Ridge Loop Trail parking area the campsites are at Leavitt Pond, Tumbledown Dick Pond, Sixth Debsconeag Pond, Pollywog Pond, Wadleigh Pond (referred to as group site on signs), Third Musquatch Pond, and Sing Sing Pond.
Fees: Jo-Mary Road is a private road maintained for commercial logging, and recreational users pay a fee. Find information about the road here. There’s a checkpoint registration and pay station just north of the Jo-Mary Road junction with Route 11, and from there it’s a slow 16 miles to the Turtle Ridge Loop Trailhead parking. Logging trucks travel fast on the dirt road so it’s best to keep to the right and be alert.
Water: Every campsite is on a pond, which makes gathering water for meals easy, and there are frequent stream crossings. I carried a liter of water, filling up as needed when I passed a pond or stream.
Great Circle Trail Know Before You Go
Fishing: Because the ponds are close together it’s possible to arrive at camp early and spend time fishing. Information about Maine fishing licenses is here.
Maps: The GCT is marked on a map of the Nahmakanta Public Lands found here.
Trail History: Work on the GCT started in 2005 under the guidance of Jay Hall, Maine Parks and Lands’ Nahmakanta Unit forester, with help from the Maine Conservation Corps, the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, Caribou Parks & Recreation Department, and Unity College. Several years ago professional trail contractors were brought in. The trail opened in September 2021.
Jay says his trail planning, construction and maintenance experience in California, Oregon, Colorado, New Hampshire and Maine allowed him to pioneer trail routes efficiently, saving time that he needed for his timber management obligations in Nahmakanta. His youngest son helped finish some key projects, such as packing in and installing 120 trail signs and building the stone staircase at Wadleigh outlet.
Now retired, he plans to volunteer a few days each year to complete some items left from the final “punch list” of trail work.
Some of that work involves putting up GCT trail signs on old trails, and moving the trail off Fourth Debsconeag Lake Road from Nahmakanta Stream Bridge to the southeast Debsconeag trailhead. Because the bridge is in the AT corridor, relocating the trail will require coordination with MATC and National Park Service staff.
About the Nahmakanta Public Lands: The state-owned land encompasses 43,000 acres of forests and low mountains, streams and brooks coursing down steep slopes and running through narrow gorges, 24 ponds covering 10 or more acres, and more than 50 miles of undeveloped shoreline. Within the Nahmakanta Public Lands is Maine’s largest ecological reserve, 11,802 acres that include much of the 9,200-acre roadless area known as the Debsconeag Backcountry. Read the state’s brochure about the land here. Note that the map with this brochure does not show the new sections of the GCT
About the 100-Mile Wilderness: Since the Appalachian Mountain Club began its Maine Woods Initiative in 2003, the organization has acquired and permanently protected more than 100,000 acres of forest and fish habitat in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness. The Wilderness stretches from Monson, Maine, to Baxter State Park, and surrounds the GCT. The AT is the most popular trail for hiking through the Wilderness.
Resources
Download a map of the trail here
Check the weather forecast here.
