Trails to the highest points

Aroostook County has a number of day hiking options great for the family and their four-legged friends. A quick hike up Haystack Mountain in Castlehill may seem simple enough - but overcoming the steep terrain and rock face make the panoramic views well worth the effort. The multi-use trails systems provide access to all sorts of outdoor enthusiasts with hundreds of miles of looping trails that bring you into many of the communities of the region. Our communities each have their own pocket of trails, some are better known than others – but all provide a great escape.

IAC

The International Appalachian Trail (IAT) crosses over the summit of Mars Hill Mountain on its long journey from Baxter State Park to Fort Fairfield, Maine. Hikers seeking to day hike Mars Hill Mountain follow a very short section of the IAT from the base to the summit.

The trail up Mars Hill Mountain leaves from the lower parking area at the Big Rock Mountain Ski area and heads up the wide ski slope before turning and following narrower trails to the top of the mountain.

Arooostook Valley Trail, Bangor & Aroostook Trail

The Aroostook Valley Trail gets as much use from ATV riders and snowmobilers as it does from mountain bikers as it winds through the forests and potato farms of northeastern Maine. It’s so far north that the United States and United Kingdom both laid claims to the area in the late 1830s in a dispute dubbed the Pork and Beans War, which ended without combat. Today the 28.8-mile trail connects with the Bangor & Aroostook Trail in Washburn and is part of the Interconnected Trail System, which comprises thousands of miles of ATV and snowmobile track in the state. Although it passes through towns with food and lodging, most of the trail is remote