5 Maine Hikes To Do With Your Dog(s)

If you’re like me, you might have adopted a dog with the expectation of hiking together. And…if you’re like me, maybe you adopted a second dog shortly after and was overwhelmed by the prospect of hiking solo with two dogs. In this blog post I’m going to share my experience, tips, and top 5 hikes in Maine you and your furry hiking buddy can do together.

Prepping For The Hike

Are Dogs Allowed Where You’re Going?

Dogs can be a great hiking companion but there are some considerations to make before you hit the trail. Always confirm that dogs are allowed. Some places, like bird sanctuaries or preserves, don’t allow for dogs as their presence can influence wildlife behavior. Maybe dogs aren’t prohibited, but the trail isn’t recommended to do with dogs. This could be due to ladders on trail, bouldery sections, water crossings, etc. For hikes in Maine, I personally love Maine Trail Finder for searching new trails in my area and checking which ones are dog friendly. Alltrails is another great resource for checking length, elevation gain, and reviews of trails.

Proper Gear

Know what you need for both you and your dog. I definitely recommend a day pack with a hip belt for clipping in retractable leashes (which get a lot of hate in the dog training world but when used properly, can’t be beat for hiking). To my pack I clip on a collapsible bowl so they can have water breaks as needed.

Your dogs may use harnesses, leashes, or a variety of other accessories for walking. Regardless of how well trained your pup is, it’s important to have a leash with you for emergencies or if they are required by park rules. Another accessory that is so important for fall is an item of blaze orange for both me and the dogs, so we can alert hunters in the area that we are not their desired target.

Lastly, have an emergency kit for you and your dog for small injuries on trail. A wish list item of mine is the Airlift by Fido Pro, an item I hope to never need, but would be necessary if your dog couldn’t walk back to safety. Depending on how far you are traveling for a hike, it may be wise to search emergency vet hospitals in the vicinity before your trip, especially as some areas lack great cell phone service.

*Pro-tip: A completely unnecessary piece of gear I have is a tripod and blue-tooth remote camera trigger that I can fit in my backpack so I can take pictures of me and my dogs at the summit. Mainers, and generally people who hike, are so nice and have offered to take photos for me. But that’s not always a guarantee, so if photos are important to you, I definitely recommend the tripod and remote.

Training

Your dog is probably more athletic than you realize, but if you and or your dog have never been hiking before, some training may be necessary before you tackle your first summit.

Nature walks are a great way to ease into hiking as they are relatively flat, but offer similar terrain and experiences. Personally, I love taking my dogs to the local ski hill in the summer and snowshoe trails in the winter. We get exposure to wildlife (good way to test/train recall), trail conditions like rocks and roots, and all the benefits of being immersed in nature.

If you have a dog that is reactive to people, other dogs, or the leash, training before the trail is essential. The last thing you want is your dog to react negatively while hiking, as trails can be narrow, slippery, and crowded. Reactive dogs deserve adventure too, but it’s important to do everything you can to make the experience safe and fun for you, your dog, and others around you.

Now For The Hikes

The following hikes in Maine are all ones that I have completed solo with my two dogs, who are 4 and 3.5 years old, and fairly athletic. Most of these hikes I would consider moderate, with a few having sections of advanced trail. Many in New England focus on the 4,000 footers, and while peak-bagging can be fun, my primary focus lately has just been getting back into hiking.

Streaked Mountain, Buckfield

Do not be deceived by the seemingly short distance and low peak elevation. If there was ever a trail to perfectly emulate “short but steep”, it’s Streaked Mountain.

The 0.6 mile trail to the summit (1.2 miles round trip) is wooded for about 1/3 of the distance, then pops up onto the bare granite bedrock for the remaining 2/3, climbing approximately 700 vertical feet to the summit. It will be important to have good footwear on days when the rock might be wet or moist, as it gets slick.

Cell phone/radio towers populate the summit, but so do impeccable views of the surrounding valley and mountain ranges of western Maine and even New Hampshire. On a clear day you can see Mount Washington.

Distance: 1.2 miles round trip (out and back trail)

Summit Elevation: 1,770ft

Elevation Gain: 730ft

Difficulty: Moderate to Advanced (but short)

Rumford Whitecap Mountain Preserve, Rumford

My first time hiking here was this summer (2021) and it instantly became a favorite. This trail was a consistently moderate climb, and while everyone’s perception of difficulty varies, I was surprised when I got to the summit how quick the hike felt.

This trail is moderately trafficked, though in late July and early August is fairly popular for berry picking as blueberry thickets cover the mountain. Additionally, this hike offers spectacular 360^o views, and is great for fall foliage viewing.

This hike can be done as a loop, hiking the red/orange blazed trail up to the summit, and taking the yellow blazed trail down, taking the short connector back towards the end of the loop to get back to parking. Since many people do hike this as a loop, and in this order, it’s less common to encounter people on the trail coming the opposite direction as you. It does happen, but not frequently.

Dogs are allowed but must be kept on leash for this hike. I have encountered a few off-leash dogs that did not have good recall, so just be aware that may happen.

Distance: 5.8 miles (loop)

Summit Elevation: 2,214ft

Elevation Gain: appx 1,600 ft (sources vary slightly)

Difficulty: Moderate

Mount Zircon, Peru

Mount Zircon is located near Rumford Whitecap, but is a completely different hiking experience. The parking lot is located just a few hundred feet up the road from the trailhead, which is actually a shared use trail commonly used by ATVs and snowmobiles.

The trail follows this gravel road for approximately 2.2 miles of gradual incline, passing an old spring house where hikers can fill up on water, then breaks to the left where the trail starts to more steeply ascend through the woods. From this point, it’s about 0.7 mile to the summit, a similar short but steep climb as Streaked. However, the longer approach makes this hike more advanced.

My dogs had a fairly easy time with this hike, although it was pretty hot when we hiked it this summer, so having a collapsible water bowl for your pups will be a good consideration, as you can fill it up at the spring on the way up and back down. There was one section towards the top as you climb out of the trees onto the rock that was steep and tall, which your dog may need a small boost for.

Once at the top, there is quite a bit of room to explore around the summit, where an old fire tower lays on the rock. The viewshed does partially overlap that of Rumford Whitecap, with the Andover wind mills visible from each, but both offering unique perspectives of the region.

Distance: 5.8 miles (out and back trail)

Summit Elevation: 2,240ft

Elevation Gain: appx 1,700ft (sources vary slightly)

Difficulty: Advanced

Mt. Blue, Weld

Located in Mt. Blue State Park, northeast of Rumford, Mt. Blue is one of many peaks in the park/surrounding area. This trailhead to this 3.2 mile out and back trail is rather elusive. I had driven all the way down the road that the trailhead was supposedly on, going miles with no indication that I was in the right spot or how far ahead parking was. I ended up turning around about 200 yards before the sign for the parking lot. Definitely look up ahead of time directions for this one and have a printed version just in case.

From the parking lot the trail is a consistent, moderately steep climb. There’s not much to look at on the way up, no water features or pit stops, but once at the summit there is a nice fire tower with wide stairs that are easy for you and your dog to climb for 360^o views of the Weld area.

This is a great day hike, but if you’re visiting Maine, Mt. Blue State Park offers camping so you can stay overnight and do more extensive exploring of the area.

Distance: 3.2 Miles

Summit Elevation:  3,187ft

Elevation Gain: 1,783ft

Difficulty: Moderate to Advanced

West Baldpate Peak, Grafton Notch

Located in Grafton Notch State Park, this hike follows along a portion of the Appalachian Trail (AT). As a popular hiking destination, showing up early is the best way to guarantee a parking spot. From the parking lot, follow the small trail through the woods which then crosses the road, with the trail marked by a large AT symbol.

This 5.8 mile round trip and and back trail is pretty much steep from the get-go. The trail climbs about 1,200 feet over the course of 1.5 miles and then flattens out for approximately another mile which is a nice break on the legs and lungs. The trail then ascends again another 1,000 feet over 0.8 miles to the summit of West Baldpate. There are quite a few rock stairs and exposed bare rock sections which make this portion particularly difficult.

If you do have an athletic and agile dog, the views from East Baldpate are even better. The trail is 0.9 miles and drops down the 222 ft col between the two peaks, crossing through some boggy terrain. Shortly into the trail there is a wooden ladder down a 15 or so foot drop of ledge. There is a slight pitch to the trail, so I took the ladder and my dogs just scrambled the rock. In the boggy section, try and get your dog to walk on the wood plank bridges, as one of my dogs learned the hard way, dropping down into over a foot of sphagnum moss muck. The climb to the summit of East Baldpate is all ledge, which is easily navigable in dry conditions but slippery when it rains.

*PS I also included Table Rock on the way up, which my dogs and I were able to navigate but I do not recommend. It was very bouldery, technical and challenging for both me and my dogs. At one point I had to pick them up and over a short vertical ladder portion. Going down would be equally challenging on this route therefore I would suggest to opt out of this detour.

Ultimate this hike had me and my two boys EXHAUSTED but it was so rewarding in the end. Make sure to plan a recovery day after this one!

Distance: 5.8 miles (out and back trail), 7.6 miles if adding East Baldpate

Summit Elevation: West Peak (3,680 feet,shown below on left) East Peak (3,812 feet, shown below on right)

Elevation Gain: West Peak – 2,166ft, East Peak – 2,506ft

Difficulty: Advanced

In Conclusion

These are just five of the dozens of hikes you can do solo with your dogs, and all of these are within a 1-2 hours drive of Maine’s biggest metropolitan areas.

Remember, leave no trace, so that means picking up after your dog. Some of the trailheads have facilities like bathrooms and trashcans, but others don’t, so you may need to be prepared to bring that waste back with you.

While Maine doesn’t have grizzlies, we do have black bears and other wildlife, so bring some form of personal protection with you.

Lastly, HAVE FUN! Hiking is a challenging but rewarding activity for both you and your dog. Nothing beats the feeling of reaching that summit.