Editor's note: This article originally ran on July 24, 2004.

TOWNSHIP 6 — Topping out at a modest 3,068 feet, Tumbledown Mountain doesn’t even make the top 10 highest peaks in Maine. But when it comes to providing climbers a memorable hike, put it near the top of the list, right up there with larger mountains like Katahdin, Bigelow and Saddleback.

For what it lacks in height, Tumbledown, located in the western-most corner of Franklin County, about a 90-minute drive from Augusta, makes up for with beautiful trailside scenery, jaw-dropping views and some downright gnarly terrain. There’s even a small pond near the summit.

Now, how many mountains can match that?

I’ve hiked Tumbledown five times and I never grow tired of it. Most recently, my father and I climbed it about two weeks ago on a slightly overcast day. Dad and I try to go on two or three outdoor adventures per year. In recent years, we’ve gone hiking, camping, paddling and skiing.

On this day, we decided to ascend the super-steep, boulder-strewn Loop Trail, the toughest of Tumbledown’s three main trails. We opted for the easier Brook Trail on the descent to give our aging knees and ankles a break. A third route, the Parker Ridge Trail, is longer and slightly steeper than the Brook Trail.

Dad and I arrived at the Loop trailhead just before noon. Even though I’ve been to Tumbledown several times, it took some effort to find the entrance. There were no other cars or hikers around to provide a clue as to where the Loop Trail might be. We drove by the entrance the first time because the tiny hand-written sign which marks it is almost impossible to see from the road. I happened to catch a glimpse of a familiar looking boulder out of the corner of my eye on our second pass, otherwise we might have been stuck going up the Brook Trail.

The climb begins with a series of short up and downs that meander through hardwood forests and some wet areas. It was a little buggy in spots in these lowlands, but thankfully there were no black flies.

After about a half hour we came to the biggest boulder I’ve ever seen. This massive rock, roughly the size of a U.S. Navy destroyer, looks to have tumbled down from God knows where and landed smack in the middle of the forest. Small trees and plants of all sorts have come to make their homes on the boulder (my estimation puts it at some 30 feet high by 50 feet long), which unofficially marks the start of some really tough climbing.

From the huge boulder, the route gets steep in a hurry. The terrain grows rockier as you ascend and there are a few places where scrambling is necessary. Loose rocks and bare roots add to the challenge. We huffed and puffed our way upward, and in about 30 minutes we reached the flat area below the summit known as the Great Ledges. Here you are treated to your first clear view of the mountain and it is impressive. As you gaze northward, the mountain rises abruptly out of the earth.

The East and West peaks and their sheer bare-rocked south-facing cliffs rise 700 feet above the ledges like a giant, impenetrable castle wall. It was 1 p.m. and time for some lunch. We wolfed down a couple of bologna sandwiches and some fruits and water. I reached into my daypack for my bag of trail mix, only to discover in horror that I’d left it in on my kitchen counter. Fortunately I had remembered to bring a small bag of cheetos which would have to sustain me the rest of the way.

Just as we finished our meal and remarked on having the place all to ourselves, two groups of hikers came strolling through. A family of four — the Dortons from Pennsylvania — stopped by as we were putting our daypacks on. We chatted briefly and they followed us as we walked east along the ledges to the base of Tumbledown’s front face. We let them pass as we were in no particular hurry. From the ledges, the trail cuts up between the East and West peaks. Once again, the climbing got tough with lots of spots where you had use your hands to grab rocks and trees to continue the ascent.

At Tumbledown, the higher you go, the steeper it gets. In spots the vertical seems to be close to 90 degrees. After about a half hour of rugged going, the climb appears to end. Massive boulders hang over the top of the cliff and are wedged together in a manner that seems to block the trail. This dead end is an illusion and this is where the climb really gets fun, at least to those hikers svelte enough to fit through a small cleft between the rocks.

The cleft, roughly four feet wide by two feet high, is known as the “Lemon Squeezer.” Dad approached the Squeezer first to survey the situation. It was dark under the boulders and he didn’t notice the iron rungs on the rocks to the right that allow hikers to pull themselves up through the narrow passageway. “There’s nowhere to go,” he yelled back to me. I was a little miffed. I was positive we’d stayed on the right trail. I walked up for a look and saw that the rungs were still there. I could see a bit of light coming down through the hole. There was no turning back. We took turns awkwardly slithering up through the Squeezer. In order to pass through, you grab the rungs with your hands and push up with your legs. The rock is at an odd angle which puts you on all fours initially and then you end up on your belly like a snake.

Once through the hole, it’s only a few steps to the top where you have your choice of two different peaks. To the left is the 3,068-foot West Peak. The slightly shorter East Peak is to the right.

Both peaks are easily reached via a 5-10 minute hike. We went straight for the East Peak and its stunning views to the south toward Webb Lake and to the mountain’s small alpine tarn — Tumbledown Pond. It took us about two hours to reach the summit.

We might have stayed longer to admire the views, but it was hazy and difficult to see much beyond 20 miles. On clear day, Tumbledown offers brilliant views of New Hampshire’s White Mountains and scores of other smaller Maine hills.

After another short break on top, we hiked a quarter of a mile down to the pond where we were greeted by a couple dozen campers from the Camp Winnebago boys summer in Fayette. We didn’t linger long as the usual tranquility you enjoy at the pond was missing on this day so we headed down the Brook Trail.

This trail isn’t nearly as steep as the Loop Trail. It’s a good trail for families or less ambitious hikers, but it is slightly longer and quite rocky at the top. Tumbledown Brook criss-crosses the trail several times and you frequently hear it cascading down the hill through the rocks before you actually see it. As we continued down toward hardwoods, we started hearing many songbirds.

Dad recognized one of the more melodic sounding species as a wood thrush. It made a beautiful flute-like noise. It took us about two hours to reach the base, descending on the Brook Trail. From the Brook trailhead, we had to walk about another mile on the Byron Road back to our vehicle.

Total time for the hike: Just over five hours.

Tumbledown is in kind of a no-man’s land, both in location (Western Lakes and Mountains of Maine) and management. The mountain and its network of trails is located on a combination of state-owned and privately-held property. It is well off the grid so to speak. The nearest town is tiny Weld, about 10 miles away from the Loop trailhead.

The roads in are good, but there are few signs and no facilities, i.e., information kiosks, restrooms, parking lots, etc., to speak of which isn’t surprising because Tumbledown, unlike many of Maine’s popular hiking mountains, is not managed by any of the state agencies. In fact, many hikers mistakenly think Tumbledown is part of the nearby Mt. Blue State Park.

A group called the Tumbledown Conservation Alliance has been working with the state to purchase more property in the area and protect it from logging. The Alliance has a web site (www.tumbledown.org) with limited information on the mountain and its trails.

Overall, the trails are pretty easy to follow. They’re well-marked, but some of the blazes were worn down and not always easy to see, so you have to pay attention. But that’s Tumbledown. It’s a little rough around the edges and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Ben Sturtevant — 621-5763 bsturtevant@centralmaine.com

Directions: Take Route 4 north to Wilton. From there Route 156 leads to Weld, where signs lead to Mount Blue State Park. At the crossroad, take Route 142 almost four miles to Byron Road. Go less than a mile to where the paved road veers to the left and becomes West Road. At this juncture, Byron Road becomes a dirt road. Take it about four miles, past Mountain View Cemetery and Morgan Road over a wooden bridge to a culvert. There the trail head for the shor ter, and easier, Brook Trail is on the right next to the culvert. Farther down the road is the longer Loop Trail.