Baldpate Mountain West Peak

Baldpate Mountain's West Peak at 3,662 feet is one of the great open bald summits of western Maine, its massive exposed granite dome offering 360-degree panoramas extending from the White Mountains of New Hampshire to the south to the peaks of Quebec's Eastern Townships to the north. The Appalachian Trail approach from Grafton Notch climbs aggressively through spruce-fir forest before bursting onto the open ledges of the West Peak, where the views across to Old Speck and south toward the Sunday River ski area in Newry are spectacular in all seasons. The alpine tundra environment on the summit supports arctic plants including three-toothed cinquefoil and alpine bilberry, relict communities from the post-glacial period. A half-mile traverse across open granite leads to the slightly higher East Peak at 3,812 feet, the true summit, with even more expansive views and a summit cairn. In late September and early October, migrating hawks — including sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper's hawks, and broad-winged hawks — funnel through the notch below and past the summit ridge, making this an exceptional raptor watching site. Blueberries carpet the open ledges in late August.