Saturday, October 7, 2023

Bald Ledge, Porter (1,187') & Douglas Mountain, Sebago (1,382') 5/6/2023

View east from the summit of Bald Ledge

Yesterday, we did two hikes in Southern Maine before heading to an event in Sebago that evening. We hiked Bald Ledge in Porter before hiking Douglas Mountain later in the day.

Bald Ledge is a small peak with a 0.7 mile long trail up it, maintained by the Francis Small Heritage Trust. The most challenging part of this hike was getting to the trailhead.

The parking area for Bald Ledge (note the road surface on the left)

The parking lot is up a narrow road, and parking is discouraged on the more major roads before it. This narrow road recently had a bunch of dirt mixed with large sharp rocks dumped on it, which was never compacted. Good clearance was a must for getting to the parking area, which was half mud itself. I imagine this situation will get better as more people drive on it to compact it.

The trail itself was well marked and relatively straightforward.

On the way up

At the summit, a clifftop viewpoint provides a beautiful view east over Colcord Pond to the surrounding hills. This hike is now included in the Maine Mountain Guide, and it's a great hidden gem.


After lunch, we headed to Douglas Mountain, and hiked a loop over it, utilizing the Ledge & Eagle Scout Trails.

The Ledge Trail trailhead on Douglas Mountain 

The mountain wasn't particularly busy, which was unusual for Douglas Mountain, and we had the summit to ourselves for quite a while.

The summit tower on Douglas

Although there were lower clouds in the distance, we were treated to good views over Sebago Lake to the east and of the mountains to the north. This hike completed the last few sections of trail on Douglas that I had not yet done.

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