Four Ponds Public Reserved Land

East of Mooselookmeguntic Lake in the Western Maine Mountains region sits the 6,000-acre Four Ponds Public Reserved Land, home of gorgeous mountain views and a meandering stretch of the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail. Long-distance trekkers on this portion of one of America’s most famous hiking trails can stop for the night at the lean-to shelter at Sabbath Day Pond, or at the primitive campsite at Little Swift River Pond. If you visit Four Ponds to hike just this stretch of the AT, know that it’s a full-day, intermediate, point-to-point hike.

Despite its name, Four Ponds Public Reserved Land is actually home to at least six named ponds (plus a bog), which means that swimming, canoeing, and fishing are very popular in this quiet corner of the state. Products of glacial activity, several of the ponds are as deep as 2,300 feet in some places. Fish include brook trout, rainbow smelt, and lake chubb.

The public land welcomes visitors to its hiking trails and network of old logging roads for outdoor activities year round, from snowmobiling and snowshoeing to hunting and primitive camping. And at an elevation of 2,921 feet above sea level, Four Ponds Mountain stands as a silent guardian over the public land from just north of its boundary.

Latitude: 44.916
Longitude: -70.625