Bigrock, Scopan offer vistas
The cooling weather and promise of fall foliage offer peak walking and hiking at dozens of miles of trails in central Aroostook County’s mountains.
In Presque Isle, Aroostook State Park offers the classic short, steep ascents of Quoggy Jo Mountain’s south and north peaks and the one-mile-long ridge trails, plus the more accessible Notch trail following a brook gradually up the mountain and connecting to the ridge trail.
Quoggy Jo Mountain offers multiple viewsheds, with sights of other worthy hikes: the Quoggy Jo Ski Club and Nordic Heritage Center hills, Haystack Mountain in Castle Hill, Scopan Mountain in Chapman and Mars Hill Mountain to the south. Between the South and Notch trails is a robust chaga mushroom growing on a birch tree, and all around the park are a diversity of forestlands, including cedar and red pine plantations that the park’s winter trails tour through.
Further south on U.S. Route 1 is Mars Hill Mountain, aka Bigrock, at 1,749 feet, where nature, outdoor recreation and a 28-turbine wind farm share a three-mile-long ridge. The mountain is surrounded by fertile limestone and hosts Bigrock Ski Area, the International Appalachian Trail, and an abundance of maples and oak. The slopes of Big Rock offer both gradual and grueling options for hiking the three-quarters of a mile up to the summit. Straight up might take about 45 minutes or an hour, and coming down about 20 minutes.
It’s worth spending a day, or even two, hiking Bigrock using the IAT camping shelter at the south peak. Along with fall tree colors may be interesting wildflowers and a chance to collect lupine seeds.
For a morning or afternoon, try walking the IAT’s rolling three-mile ridge line of the mountain, turbine to turbine. The ridge often has a steady breeze and a soundscape from the turbines, as well as expansive views of the surrounding landscapes.
Another hike to try is the Scopan Trail, a 3.5-mile round trip ascent of Scopan Mountain’s 1,440-foot north ridge, with a seasonal waterfall, views of Mt. Katahdin and Alder Lake, some old growth hemlock and wetlands. The trail opened in 2013 and is accessed off of West Chapman Road in Chapman.
