For through-hikers on the Appalachian Trail, the 100-Mile Wilderness—the extremely rugged, remote stretch between the town of Monson and Baxter State Park in north-central Maine—represents a formidable challenge lasting a week or more. Luckily for day-hikers, there are several places where you can sample bite-sized chunks of the Wilderness without having to pack in a week’s supply of food!

One is Barren Mountain (2,670’), just a short drive northeast of Monson in the Moosehead Lake Region. I had previously climbed Barren as a teenager (when I wasn’t exactly keen on hiking), so I relished the opportunity to revisit the mountain, this time on a hike led by Brad Deane and Bud Lemieux of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club.

The trailhead to Barren Mountain is a bit tricky to locate. It can be accessed via Elliotsville Road, which bears northeast from Greenville Road (Rte. 15), shortly after leaving Monson Center traveling north. Just after the bridge over Big Wilson Stream, take a left on Mountain Road, which leads past the Borestone Mountain trailhead. Continue on Mountain Road, which becomes Bodfish Valley Road, for another 2.2 miles. A half-mile after crossing the small bridge over Long Pond Stream, take a left on a narrow dirt road. This road continues .6 mile to a small parking area at its end.

From the parking area, the marked trail leads through dense woods for a half-mile or so before joining the Appalachian Trail proper and continuing steeply uphill.

After 1.8 miles, a marked side trail branches off to the overlook at Barren Slide. This overlook marks the remains of a large rock slide featuring massive granite boulders. Watch your footing here. This is apparently near the site of a nesting pair of peregrine falcons, and hikers should keep their distance to avoid disturbing them. The slide, as well as Barren Ledges a bit further up the trail, offer magnificent views of the valley, Onawa Lake, and nearby Borestone Mountain.

As we hiked along, Brad Deane pointed out the moss-covered stumps along the trail. He explained that these were left from when the mountain was logged in the 1930s by the Seaborn Corp. for its high-altitude spruce, which have denser wood than trees found at lower altitude, and were therefore considered more valuable.

The summit of Barren Mountain lies another 1.8 miles past the Barren Ledges overlook. At the top you will find a lookout tower, which you can climb for even more magnificent views of the surrounding landscape. If you continue along the AT for another mile, you’ll arrive at Cloud Pond, where you can cool off with a swim before making the return hike to the trailhead.

Plan on a total hike time of around five hours to the summit and back. Add another hour if you visit Cloud Pond.

For more information on hiking the Maine AT, including shelter locations, distances, elevation gains, and more, visit the Maine Appalachian Trail Club website.