BSP / Mt Katahdin

[jonKranked]

any monkies here been there before? Only been to baxter once and i was probably 12 or 13. Katahdin has been on my to-do list for a while now, and my schedule is looking like I'll have an opportunity this summer. I know parking & camping require reservations. Planning on taking knife's edge. anyone do that route or spend any time in the park?

[RoboDonkey713]

Try to Get a campsite @Chimney Pond. It might be really hard to obtain one but it is 1/2 way up Katahdin and it it beautiful. From there you can do the North Basin>Summit>Knifes Edge>Dudley trail back to campsite.

I grew Up in that area so I can help you as much as I can.


The Mosquito's are pretty fierce in June BTW.

[jonKranked]

thanks for the info. chimney pond is exactly where I was looking at staying. i'd likely stay at least 2 nights. get there day 1 late afternoon, hike to chimney pond, sleep, do the climb day 2, stay another night, then hike out day 3. I have a family cabin that's around 4 hours from the park, so climbing katahdin and driving the same day aren't something i wanna deal with. Wife and I are gonna be up for 10-12 days, looking at maybe august or early September. We did the first week of September last year and it was really nice. Spent 4 days 3 nights down on mt dessert / acadia. no crowds. was awesome.

[jonKranked]

also, i'm looking at going mid-week, so the chances of being able to reserve a site at chimney pond would probably be a little better than on a weekend. They only take reservations 4 months in advance right?

[C.P.]

Try to Get a campsite @Chimney Pond. It might be really hard to obtain one but it is 1/2 way up Katahdin and it it beautiful. From there you can do the North Basin>Summit>Knifes Edge>Dudley trail back to campsite.

I grew Up in that area so I can help you as much as I can.


The Mosquito's are pretty fierce in June BTW.

Good info. keep your sanity by getting a bug net & hat if you go during the black fly / mosquito peak times...

Hoping to get back up there next summer, with kids in tow. It's been at least 15 years since I last summited.

[jonKranked]

Good info. keep your sanity by getting a bug net & hat if you go during the black fly / mosquito peak times...

Hoping to get back up there next summer, with kids in tow. It's been at least 15 years since I last summited.

you gonna take the kids on the climb? my wife and possibly her sister & her husband are gonna be on this vacation. not sure if this is something that they'd be up to doing. my wife has hiked with me before, but nothing more than 1000' of elevation.

[Polandspring88]

Good timing, you'll have to post up what you find. I'm thinking of headin up that way this summer with the GF/fambly to hike Katahdin too. Might end up staying at the same campsite and doing the Knife Edge trail too. Might as well make it well worth my time!

[jonKranked]

poland - when are you considering going? i've got a buddy from college on board already too. would be fun to have a bigger group as i'm not sure if my wife is going to join in. fwiw they limit the group size to 12

[Polandspring88]

Thinking some time in August. We want to skip the black flies and hotter temps. Still not 100% on the plan however, but that seems to make sense in my mind.

[jonKranked]

Thinking some time in August. We want to skip the black flies and hotter temps. Still not 100% on the plan however, but that seems to make sense in my mind.

Gotcha. Depending on if the wife's sister and husband come, we're looking possibly august.

[C.P.]

you gonna take the kids on the climb?

I hope to. We did a backpacking trip last year in the NH White Mtns, up in the Presidentials - we took it slow, and b/c it was summer, I carried most of their gear so they only needed to carry water & a few other things. The 5 yr old carried nothing and did spend some time on my shoulder (yes that took a toll on me with a backpack & a kid!). The 8 & 10 yr old did great! I realize Katahdin is a much higher level of backpacking, for now I can dream I guess...

[Da Peach]

My now-wife and I hiked katahdin on one of our first "dates".

It was fvcking amazing.

I'll post pics later. I'm getting hepatitis vaccinations at the moment. Fun!

[jonKranked]

My now-wife and I hiked katahdin on one of our first "dates".

It was fvcking amazing.

I'll post pics later. I'm getting hepatitis vaccinations at the moment. Fun!

must've been one hell of a date if you're still getting hep shots from it

[johnbryanpeters]

you gonna take the kids on the climb? my wife and possibly her sister & her husband are gonna be on this vacation. not sure if this is something that they'd be up to doing. my wife has hiked with me before, but nothing more than 1000' of elevation.

I don't think you want to be doing knife's edge with kids. It's quite exposed.

[StiHacka]

I was there a couple of years ago and IIRC, they would only let X hikers in the park before they would shut the gate so made sure to arrive at 6am (is that what they call the parking limit?). On my way back to Millinocket, I gave a lift a young lad who had just finished the whole Appalachian trail. If you have kids, moose spotting is a quite popular adventure in the area, the locals turned it into a sophisticated business.