Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Maine / Western Maine Mountains

Appalachian Trail: Four Ponds and Sabbath Day Pond

Appalachian Trail between Route 17 (Height of Land) and Route 4, Four Ponds Public Reserved Land

North of the Height of Land on Route 17, the Appalachian Trail drops off the Bemis Range and wanders past a string of backcountry ponds to Route 4 near Rangeley. Much of it crosses the Four Ponds Public Reserved Land, which the Natural Resources Council of Maine puts at about 6,000 acres. The Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce calls the section “moderate hiking, with no significantly steep sections.”

It works as an easy overnight to Sabbath Day Pond, under 4 miles from Route 17, or as a two-day point-to-point of about 13 miles.

The hike

From the Height of Land overlook, walk about 300 feet south along Route 17 and climb stone steps to the AT, Maine by Foot says. Maine Trail Finder warns to stay behind the guardrail and take care crossing the highway.

The trail climbs over Spruce Mountain, which Maine by Foot calls viewless, then crosses a woods road about 1.25 miles in and passes through lowland spruce-fir along Moxie Pond, about 1.7 miles from the road. Maine Trail Finder says this stretch can be wet and muddy in spring or after rain. The trail then climbs over Bates Ledge, which Maine Trail Finder describes as steep and rocky, before dropping to Long Pond. Maine by Foot found a narrow beach with clear water and a sandy bottom at its far end, about 3.5 miles in.

Sabbath Day Pond is 0.3 miles farther. The lean-to sits on a side trail just after the AT reaches the pond, per Maine Trail Finder, and N2Backpacking put it “about 200 yards from Sabbath Day Pond.” Maine by Foot mentions rough pond-side benches and good swimming, though the bottom isn’t sandy.

Continuing north toward Route 4, N2Backpacking’s 2009 group reached the Little Swift River Pond Campsite by noon on day two, about 4.8 miles from Route 4. Maine by Foot, working from the Route 4 end, describes Little Swift River Pond as a small, circular backcountry pond, then South Pond, an undeveloped pond with good shore access, about 2 miles from Route 4. Along the way are a split boulder on an unnamed 2,938-foot peak, a transmission-line clearing, and a viewpoint about a mile above Route 4 looking toward Saddleback and Mount Abraham.

A Views from the Top hiker who walked the whole section in a day put it at about 13 miles and 1,600 feet of gain and called it “so easy,” though N2Backpacking described the footing as “rocky and rooty,” which it called “characteristic of Maine.”

South of Route 17, the AT climbs onto Old Blue and the Bemis Range. North of Route 4, it reaches Piazza Rock and Saddleback.

Tips

Camping

Overnight options on this section are the Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to and its camping area and the Little Swift River Pond Campsite, which Maine by Foot says has several tenting areas near the water. Maine by Foot also notes a small spot cleared for a tent behind the Long Pond beach. Maine Trail Finder says fires are allowed only in the provided fireplace ring at established campsites; the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Maine rules also limit fires to designated sites and prohibit camping above treeline. No permit or fee was found. The Maine Appalachian Trail Club maintains the trail.

Inside Intel: N2Backpacking’s 2009 group camped at the Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to after a 3.8-mile afternoon from Route 17 and wrote that “the loons were plentiful and noisy as we watched the sunset.” They shared the site with seven thru-hikers in mid-September, so expect company in thru-hiker season.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

A soft spot beside Sabbath Day Pond:

The lean-to sits a short walk from the shore, where hikers have tented in September sleet and watched loons at sunset. See the sleeping pads testers favor for cold ground.

Compare the top 5 →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.