It’s probably not a hike most people would consider, since it is the portion of the Mahoosuc Trail that lacks the big punch of the higher altitude peaks and views to the east. However, there is a certain wilderness joy and embracing of the suck along the way on this route. A portion of the route also follows the Appalachian Trail, which is the reason most people hike through this area.

The 26.6 mile long Mahoosuc Trail runs from Gorham, New Hampshire eastward across the Mahoosuc Range to the summit of Old Speck Mountain above Grafton Notch. The Appalachian Trail follows the Mahoosuc Trail for all but the first 2.7 miles of trail.

For this hike we’ve patched together a few trails and a road walk to make a 13.5 mile loop on the western third of the Mahoosuc Trail. We started at the trailhead at the intersection of North Road and Hogan Road and took the Centennial Trail to the Mahoosuc Trail/Appalachian Trail. Then we followed the Mahoosuc Trail to the Peabody Brook Trail, descended the Peabody Brook Trail to North Road, and then walked North Road back to our car at the trailhead located at the intersection of North Road and Hogan Road.

From the trailhead parking, we were following the Appalachian Trail as we walked Hogan Road to where the Centennial Trail turns north off the road and begins to climb Mount Hayes (which is also the route of the Appalachian Trail). The true start of the Mahoosuc Trail is several miles down Hogan Road, across the Androscoggin River from Gorham, but it’s not a very well traveled route and since the Appalachian Trail follows the Centennial Trail up Mount Hayes and that’s the route most hikers take.

It’s 3.1 miles of steady climbing up the Centennial Trail to Mount Hayes and the intersection with the Mahoosuc Trail. There are some nice views right around the trail junction. From the trail junction, it’s 1.8 miles to the summit of Cascade Mountain, then 1.2 to Trident Col, another mile to Page Pond (we didn’t know the name in the video), 0.6 miles up to the Wocket Ledge viewpoint, and then 1.1 miles down to Dream Lake and the intersection with the Peabody Brook Trail. 

At this point, we took the Peabody Brook Trail 3.1 miles down to North Road and we walked the mile or so on North Road to return to the trailhead at the intersection of North and Hogan Roads where our car was waiting.

All told this difficult loop hike was 13.5 miles in length with about 3,900 feet of elevation gain along the way. There’s plenty of mud, rocky sections, and overall this is a difficult hike that will take longer than you expect.