Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Maine / Western Maine Mountains

Grafton Loop Trail

Grafton Notch area, Newry

The Grafton Loop Trail circles Grafton Notch in western Maine, using about eight miles of the Appalachian Trail and roughly 30 miles of newer trail to make a 38.6-mile loop, according to Maine Trail Finder. Northeast Explorer says it “has only been fully open since 2007,” and its campsites were “purposely situated at least a good half-day hike from the road.”

Maine Trail Finder rates it strenuous. It crosses Puzzle Mountain, Long Mountain, Baldpate, Old Speck, and Sunday River Whitecap, and Northeast Explorer’s writer came away praising its “solitude and remoteness.”

The hike

Maine Trail Finder splits the loop into two halves, both starting on Route 26. The eastern half, 21.1 miles, starts at the southern trailhead, about 4.7 miles north of the Route 2/Route 26 junction in Newry. It climbs over the open summit of Puzzle Mountain, crosses Long Mountain and Lightning Ledges, and joins the Appalachian Trail at the East Peak of Baldpate Mountain. Backpacking Routes recommends hiking clockwise from this eastern trailhead because the first climbs are more moderate.

Campsites along the eastern half, according to Maine Trail Finder, include the Stewart Campsite near Puzzle Mountain, two sites near Wight Brook (one by a waterfall and pool), the Lane Campsite, and the East Baldpate site. Backpacking Routes warns that water at Stewart is unreliable and suggests refilling about a mile west or on the approach to Puzzle Mountain, but says that otherwise water is “usually reliable at all campsites,” with frequent stream crossings in the east.

From Baldpate, the loop follows the AT down into Grafton Notch, crosses Route 26 at the northern trailhead, and climbs Old Speck, which Maine Trail Finder lists at 4,180 feet and as the third-highest mountain in Maine. Backpacking Routes notes the Baldpate Shelter’s reputation for mice.

The western half, 17.5 miles by Maine Trail Finder’s count, leaves the AT near Old Speck and heads south across Sunday River Whitecap, where a “unique raised walkway” protects rare alpine plants, then descends over Sargent and Bald Mountains to the Bear River and Route 26. Campsites on this side, per Maine Trail Finder, are near the Old Speck summit area and on Slide, Sargent, and Bald Mountains. Backpacking Routes puts Slide Mountain about 10 miles from its start, with dirt tent sites, a bear box, and reliable water.

Northeast Explorer’s writer did the loop over Labor Day weekend in 2007, staying at the Knoll campsite, the Baldpate Shelter, and the Slide Mountain campsite. He called the summit views “stunning” and wrote that the trail offers “all the rewards of a classic northern New England mountain hike” with few crowds.

The loop shares its climb of Old Speck with the Grafton Notch to Mahoosuc Notch section of the AT.

Tips

Camping

Camping is allowed only at the designated campsites, because the trail crosses private land, and no fires are allowed on the trail or at the campsites, according to Maine Trail Finder and Backpacking Routes. No camping permit is needed. The state map also lists AT lean-tos at Baldpate and Speck Pond nearby. The loop is managed by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, the Appalachian Mountain Club, and the Maine Appalachian Trail Club.

Inside Intel: Backpacking Routes recommends the East Baldpate site for views, and Bull Run, with two large tent platforms, a bear box, and reliable water, as a good balance of distance and amenities.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Dirt tent sites and platforms around Grafton Notch:

Three nights on the loop's tent pads and platforms go easier with a pad that insulates and packs small. See the pads reviewers like.

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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.