National Geographic names Katahdin Top 10 Hikes in the World

In a recent article National Geographic profiled their picks for the Top 10 Summit Hikes in the World and our very own Katahdin made the list at number 2! Chosen for its scenic beauty and connection to the local people and culture. The article refers to Katahdin as the “most inspiring peak in Eastern North America” and for good reason. It is well known that Katahdin has inspired countless writers, poets, and artists for many years. One of the most notable being Henry David Thoreau. There are several different routes which lead to the summit, including the Appalachian Trail. The AT follows the Hunt trail and leads you past Thoreau Spring in the Table Lands. There is also the infamous “Knife Edge” trail which is a draw for some and a trail to avoid for others. However you get there, the summit of Katahdin is a truly special place.

Read the full article on National Geographic Adventure right here.  Katahdin and Baxter State park offer hundreds of miles of stunning hiking trails in a large remote wilderness area.  Baxter Peak and Katahdin are one of numerous mountains in the park, the two most notable clusters being the peaks comprising and surrounding the Katahdin massif and the cluster of peaks in the northern part of the Park consisting of the Traveler Range.

There is a surprising amount of rockey surfaces in the park with pink and white granite making up the rugged mountains on the southern end of the Park while the Traveler range further to the north is composed of Rhyolite with prominent columnar jointing visible in many places. The north end also features sedimentary rock in certain localities. Glacial features are abundantly evident throughout the Park in the form of kettle ponds, eskers, moraines, erratics, the Knife Edge arête, the glacial cirques of Katahdin and the splendid U-shaped valley running north to south from the Travelers to South Turner.  Read more about the Nature of The Park here on the Baxter State Park Authority Website.

We recently took a trip up the Hunt Trail and snapped a few photos along the way.

Planning a trip? We have camping and lodging options just a few miles from the Park entrance. More details here.