The Mahoosuc Range is the most rugged section of AT in the state of Maine. A lot of elevation is gained and lost. The mountains in this chain are all over 3,500 feet in elevation. Because you will be hiking along the crest of the ridge, water will be scarce. Be sure to carry plenty.

The treadway is often wet and rough, and the trails cross many boggy areas, high on the ridge and in the sags. Because these areas can get so muddy, many bog bridges have been installed to protect the delicate ecosystem. Please remain on these bridges.

	Trail at a Glance Length: 15 mile, 13.7 mile, or 9.4 mile traverse Difficulty: Strenuous Trailhead Directions: Success Pond Road, which provides access to the trails used for all three hikes  Speck Pond, Mahoosuc Notch, Goose Eye and Carlo Col  can be reached from Berlin, New Hampshire. Cross the Androscoggin River at the 12th Street Bridge on Upper Main Street. Turn right on Hutchins Street and drive .4 mile to Morris Lumber Company. Then, turn left at the stop sign, cross the railroad tracks, and turn right at Liberty Market. Continue for .4 mile and take the second dirt road in the mill yard of the James River Company. Cross the yard and continue along Success Pond Road. A radio tower is visible on the left and you will soon cross a power line cut through. It is about 9 miles down Success Pond Road to the trailhead (on right) for both the Carlo Col and Goose Eye Trails; 12 miles to the trailhead (on right) for the Mahoosuc Notch Trail; and 14 miles to the trailhead (on right) for the Speck Pond Trail. If you pass Success Pond (on left), you have gone too far.

The most outstanding feature of the Mahoosuc Range is Mahoosuc Notch. This deep cleft between Mahoosuc Arm and Fulling Mill Mountain is filled with enormous boulders that have fallen from the sheer cliffs on either side of the notch. Even in July, you can find ice in some of the caves formed by the boulders. The moss and boulders are slick and wet. Be careful. This is not the place to have an accident! Once you're down among the boulders, there is no way around them except over, under and to either side. Although less than 1 mile in length, Mahoosuc Notch can take several hours to maneuver through. Be sure to account for the extra time.

All three of these hikes begin and end on Success Pond Road and use side trails to get to and from the AT However, there are several miles between where the hikes begin (Speck Pond Trail) and where they end (Carlo Col, Goose Eye, and Mahoosuc Notch Trails), so you will need a shuttle, drop off/pick up, or two vehicles.

The Hikes: Speck Pond Trail to Carlo Col Trail (15 miles): Hike 3.3 miles up the Speck Pond Trail to reach Speck Pond, a mountain tarn between Old Speck and Mahoosuc Arm, and the AT The Speck Pond Trail and AT join at the Speck Pond Campsite. From here, follow the AT sharply left and skirt the eastern side of Speck Pond. The AT follows the Appalachian Mountain Club's (AMC) Mahoosuc Trail along the crest of the ridge.

After crossing the outlet of Speck Pond, you will begin your ascent up Mahoosuc Arm (elevation 3,777 feet). Less than 1 mile after passing the junction with the Speck Pond Trail, the AT tops the open summit of Mahoosuc Arm. From here, descend gradually, then more steeply, over ledges into Mahoosuc Notch, which is 1 mile further.

Before entering the notch, you will cross a brook, turn right, and head upstream along the Bull Branch of the Sunday River. The route through the notch is both difficult and dangerous and care should be taken. Follow the white blazes through the notch for 1 mile, and at its western end, reach the junction of the Mahoosuc Notch Trail. The AT turns sharply left and begins its ascent of Fulling Mill Mountain. The Mahoosuc Notch Trail descends out of the range to Success Pond Road 2.8 miles away. (This is where the Speck Pond Trail to Mahoosuc Notch Trail hike ends; a total of 9.4 miles.)

Continue on the AT and reach the crest of the South Peak of Fulling Mill Mountain (elevation 3,420 feet) in 1 mile. From here, turn right and descend, passing the Full Goose Shelter just past the bottom of the sag. There is a short side trail at the shelter that leads to water, a scarce commodity along this hike. Beyond the shelter, the AT ascends steeply for .25 mile and then levels off a bit. One mile past the shelter, you will reach the summit of the North Peak of Goose Eye Mountain (elevation 3,680 feet).

Turning left toward a long line of cairns, descend and ascend out of the sag ahead and reach the summit of the East Peak of Goose Eye Mountain (elevation 3,794 feet) just over 1 mile later. Turn right and descend into the col. About .25 mile later, you will reach the junction with the Goose Eye Trail. The Goose Eye Trail tops the summit of the West Peak of Goose Eye (elevation 3,860 feet) in .1 mile. Descend west off the range for 3.1 miles to Success Pond Road. (This is where the Speck Pond Trail to Goose Eye Trail hike ends; a total of 13.7 miles.)

The AT turns left, bypassing the west peak, and descending steeply into a sag. From the bottom of the sag, the AT ascends for .5 mile to the summit of Mount Carlo (elevation 3,565 feet). Then, the AT bears right, descends toward the col ahead, and meets the junction with the Carlo Col Trail less than .5 mile later. Follow this trail for .25 mile to the Carlo Col Shelter. Hike another 2.3 miles on the Carlo Col Trail, descending off the range to the northwest, to Success Pond Road. (This is where the Success Pond Trail to Carlo Col Trail hike ends; a total of 15 miles.)

Using the above description as a guide, follow the Mahoosuc Notch Trail out of the Mahoosuc Range to Success Pond Road at the point in the text that notes the end of the third hike.