A fiery sunset over Wadleigh Pond on the Great Circle Trail, northeast of Millinocket. Photo by Carey Kish
The skies ablaze with pink, orange and purple as I shiver in the autumnal chill on the pristine shore of Wadleigh Pond. One last look, and I turn to return to camp and my companions. The blazing fire warms us, as does the pinch of bourbon which passed amid the jokes of good friends gathered for a few precious days on the track.
It’s the second day of a four-day adventure through the public lands of Nahmakanta, a 43,000-acre state-owned and managed land in the heart of the 100 miles of wilderness northwest of Millinocket. We are enjoying a taste of it. This is Maine’s newest hiking route, and with every mile we revel in the remoteness, raw beauty and wildness of the place.
The Great Circle Trail, as it’s now officially called, was still a work in progress when I forged these memories in late October a year ago. But I had gleaned enough information, including a GPS track, from my friends at the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands to follow the route and see well. And as I described it, I really liked what I saw. Surely you will too.
At the end of September, Parks and Lands officials announced the opening of the Great Circle Trail, so the word was finally out. The 30-mile route connects several existing trails and a segment of a new trail amidst the rolling terrain that surrounds the 1,100-acre expanse of Lake Nahmakanta. Walk the full length like my group did last fall and you’ll gain a good 3,000ft rise along the way.
Hikers take in views of the 100 Mile Wilderness from the ledges of Mount Wadleigh on the Great Circle Trail. Photo by Carey Kish
The Great Circle Trail has been in the works since it was designed by Jay Hall, the forester of the Nahmakanta unit of Maine Parks and Lands, in 2005. The idea was ambitious: a long trail that would encircle the entire T1 R11 WELS and the southern part of Rainbow Township. The route would connect sections of the Turtle Ridge Trail and the Debsconeag Backcountry Trail, which were each completed in the early 2000s, and use a few miles of the Appalachian Trail.
To connect the dots and include other important recreation features – Tumbledown Dick Falls, Third Musquash Falls, Third Musquash Pond, Wadleigh Mountain and Pollywog Gorge – over 14 miles of new trail needed to be built, with bog bridges, steps stone, water bars, log ladders, bridges and signage. This extraordinary work was carried out over 12 seasons from 2006 to 2021 by teams from the Maine Conservation Corps, the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Caribou Parks & Recreation Department and Unity College.
Scattered along the Great Circle Trail are eight primitive campsites, each with a picnic table, fire ring, and simple toilets. At Wadleigh Pond, the site also includes two log shelters as well as an old fireplace and stone fireplace. At least nine trails with parking serve as access points. For the record, we hiked the trail counterclockwise starting and ending at the popular Turtle Ridge trailhead on Jo Mary Road.
Tumbledown Dick Falls is one of the many highlights of the Great Circle Trail. Photo by Carey Kish
The Great Circle Trail is a big addition to the inventory of multi-day hiking opportunities around Maine, like the Grafton Loop Trail, Deboullie, Baxter, Cutler Coast, Little Moose, and the AT. The view of Lake Nahmakanta from its southern beach alone is worth the trip, but so are the small backcountry ponds of Debsconeag and Turtle Ridge, the rushing waters of Nahmakanta and Pollywog creeks, as well as Pollywog and Wadleigh Ponds. Never mind the dark skies.
“Why hiking trails, you will ask? “Hall writes in his recent summary report,” Maine Gains Another Backpacking Trail, “on the Great Circle Trail Project. “Trail enthusiasts yearn for the adventures and challenges that await them around the next turn and the next peak. But more fundamentally still, I think the trails with trees touch us deep within us. “
There are many ways to enjoy the new Great Circle Trail, from a day hike to overnight camping to a three to four day hike. Whichever way you choose to explore the wild country it traverses, I hope you are as thrilled and moved as my friends and I were on our trip. It is a truly special experience.
Get more information and a trail map for Nahmakanta public lands at parkandlands.com and start planning.
Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island is the author of AMC’s Best Hikes along the Maine Coast and editor of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide. Follow Carey’s adventures on Facebook @CareyKish
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