Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
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43.90342°N / 70.18095°W |
County:
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Cumberland |
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Elevation:
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485 ft / 148 m |
|
Overview
Bradbury Mountain is a medium sized hill. Whoever decided to call Bradbury a mountain must have been in a very generous mood. That being said, Bradbury is still an excellent hill with a great network of trails. The park encompasses 610 acres of forest near Freeport. It is not an expedition or strenuous hike; it is an easy/moderate day hike. Biking, skiing, horseback riding, and snowshoeing are, though restricted, allowed.
The park (Bradbury is a State Park) is divided by route 9 into an East side and a West side. The mountain itself is on the west side along with the parking lots, park headquarters, bathrooms, picnic areas, and campground. The South Ridge trail begins at the southern parking lot while the Summit, Switchback, and Northern Loop trails begin at the northern lot. From the Northern Loop trail, the Boundary, Terrace, Tote Road and Boundary trails branch off and lead to the summit. The Tote Road and Boundary trails loop around the northern and western parts of the park before circling back to the summit. Despite its low elevation, the summit of Bradbury offers panoramic views of the surrounding area from the bare rock on the eastern side. These trails are, overall generally hiking trails but Northern Loop, Tote Road, Boundary and Ski trails are open to bikes, skiers, and horses.
The West side of Bradbury Mountain SP has nine looping trails through the hills and streams. The O Trail, Lanzo Loop, and Ragan Trail, are designed for mountain biking. The Team Argyle biking team maintains the O Trail. Knight Woods and the Snowmobile Trail are wide and well marked, as are all of the trails on the western side. The more bike-oriented trails are nice singletrack hikes but are sometimes hard to follow without a concentrated effort. These trails wind through very scenic woods and are easy to connect and string together for a longer walk without having to do an out-and-back or laps of a single loop. The western trails are open to any use and snowmobiling is allowed on the Link and Snowmobile trails.
Please look at the attached maps for a detailed view. The trails can be confusing and trail maps are available at the park, but these include several official trails that do not appear on the maps at the trailhead.
Mountain bikers: Bradbury is apparently a great spot for biking both wide, fast downhill trails and difficult twisting single track.
Getting There
From the the south: Take US 295 north and get off at Exit 22 for ME 125 towards Freeport. Turn right at Mallett Drive/ME 125 then make a quick left at Durham Road and a slight right onto Pownal Road. Pownal becomes Elmwood Road. Make a right at Hallowell Road/ME 9 and then a left into the park. There are road signs as you get close to the park.
From the north: Take US 295 south (towards Freeport) and follow the same instructions as above, leaving the highway at Exit 22.
If you want to Mapquest directions from a different spot, enter Pownal Center, ME as your destination. The directions will put you at the intersection of Elmwood Road and Hallowell Road. From there, just go north on Hallowell about half or three quarters of a mile.
Red Tape
There is a $3 fee for people over 12, children 5-11 are $1 and under 5 are free. It's not much and it helps keep the park open, so hike around and make it worth it.
NOTICE: HUNTING IS ALLOWED MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. While hunting season is open, please think about what you wear (orange please) or hike on Sunday.
Bradbury Mountain State Park 528 Hallowell Road Pownal, ME 04069 (207) 688-4712
Camping
Both picnicking and camping facilities are available. There are 41 campsites in the park. Both the east and west sides have camping available. There are bathrooms, drinking water, and a telephone on the east side.
Bradbury Mountain SP is open year round from 9 AM to sunset.
External Links
Official Park Bureau site for Bradbury: http://www.state.me.us/cgi-bin/doc/parks/find_one_name.pl?park_id=12
Trail Conditions: http://bradburymountain.com/
State Park site for Bradbury: http://www.stateparks.com/bradbury_mountain.html
Mountain Bike trail reviews: http://trails.mtbr.com/cat/united-states-trails/trails-maine/trail/PRD_168157_4552crx.aspx