South Turner Mountain

South Turner Mountain offers some of the finest direct views of Katahdin's East Face and Pamola Peak from any trail in Baxter State Park, without the extreme crowds and permit pressure of the summit routes. The trail departs from Roaring Brook Campground and immediately passes Sandy Stream Pond, a shallow glacial kettle lake that is arguably the best accessible moose habitat in all of Maine. Moose sightings are nearly guaranteed at dawn and dusk throughout the summer months, with bulls sometimes visible from the parking area. Beyond the pond the trail climbs relentlessly through old-growth spruce-fir forest and across talus fields, gaining most of its 2,100 feet of elevation in roughly three miles. The open rocky summit of South Turner at 3,122 feet delivers an unobstructed panorama of Katahdin's entire eastern escarpment, including the Great Basin, Chimney Pond, and the Cathedral Slides — providing a perspective unavailable from Katahdin itself. On clear autumn days the hardwood ridges of the Penobscot River watershed blaze with foliage visible in every direction. This is an excellent alternative for hikers who cannot secure Katahdin day-use reservations.