Maine occupies the northern part of the Appalachian Highlands region of the United States. Its physical features were determined by continental glaciers more than 10,000 years ago, which eroded and smoothed the hills and in places leveled the land. When the glaciers receded, they dammed rivers to created lakes, and left widespread debris in such forms as moraines, eskers, and drumlins.
I thought I would briefly introduce you to the wide variety of gentle mountains in Maine, which
range from the eastern White Mountains to the peaks of the Rangeley area to the remote Baxter State Park. Within these regions lie 14 of New England’s 4,000 foot peaks.
Geographically, Maine itself is divided into three major regions: the Seaboard Lowland, Longfellow Mountains, and New England Upland. The scattered Longfellow Mountains, the state’s major range, are considered an extension of New Hampshire’s White Mountains. In
1959, they were named by the Maine Legislature for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet and native son. This range is composed of widely-separated, low, glacier-rounded mountains extending northeastward across much of the state. Mount Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak, rises to 5,267 feet above sea level. The other major summits are also fairly low, between 3,000 and 4,200 feet.
The Longfellow Mountains contain the terminus of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, a 2,155 mile footpath that runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park in Maine. Maine is considered by many to have the most difficult, rugged, and beautiful part of the trail.
New Hampshire’s Mount Washington was originally considered to be the northern terminus of
the Appalachian Trail, but Myron Avery, the first 2000 mile hiker of the trail, spearheaded the effort to carry the trail across Maine. His efforts included creating locations for camp sites, measuring the original 269 miles of trail, and recording data on the path. In 1937 the trail in Maine was connected to the trail south to Georgia by the Civilian Conservation Corps, thus accomplishing Avery’s goal. The Trail is a little different today than it was in 1937, although 180 miles of it were relocated in 1968 to enhance its appeal.
The mountainous region of the Maine Appalachian Trail amazes everyone who walks its path. For anyone who’s into hiking, Maine is a great place to visit.
Don’t forget to make your best guess (or several guesses) as to which two places of A-Z I’ll be visiting this summer; the winner(s) get a free book!
I have been to Mount Washington, many years ago.
Hope you got a stunning view!
Ah the Trail. I love a good walk (or hike or tramp, whatever is your preferred term) and ever since the delights of Bryson’s A Walk In The Woods, doing some part of the trail is in the top five. I’d not thought of Maine before your tempting post. But now…
I have a friend with a relative who hiked the whole length of the App Trail, He and his wife went to meet her at various stops along the trail, bringing food and supplies.
Wow that is serous. I did 200 miles with dad, coast to Coast across England but that is some effort.
Yup, it’s serious, as are the injuries and sometimes the danger. This gal actually found a dog on her way and took it with her but had to send it home about halfway because of the heat.
Looks beautiful 🙂
Gorgeous in the winter, too!
You sound so enthusiastic when you talk about Maine. It looks and now sounds beautiful.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
Thanks, David. Maybe the Maine Tourist Bureau should hire me! Honestly I do love this state – but not in the winter!!!
🙂 Hugs
I’m going to be very unhappy when this tour is over.
I’m sure I can continue it (pant, pant) after I’ve taken a little rest!
Lol…I hope so. Of course, the alternative is to pay another visit to my favorite vacation spot.
Looks fabulous! I’ve been trying to talk my partner into a road trip down the coast from Maine to maybe Delaware (and then another down the Southern coastline)… I think I might be getting somewhere 😉 Great post!
Guilie @ Quiet Laughter
If you go further south to North Carolina, where I live now, you will find some of the most beautiful beaches anywhere. The Outer Banks rock!
They all look beautiful. Maine is going to have a lot of visitors this summer with all the interest you’re generating. 🙂
And I want a cut of the revenue they generate! 😉
I had a boyfriend once who was quite convinced that we were going to hike the Appalachian Trail from start to finish once we graduated college. Needless to say that relationship didn’t work out! All that aside the mountains of Maine are beautiful! I’m already planning my trip in my head!
You may have lucked out- such trips take enormous preparation and involved all sorts of support people along the way. Not something to be taken lightly! But day hikes in Maine are just fine.
Oh~ those are some beautiful mountains. I haven’t traveled much in America, but I do love a leisurely walk through mountains. The air just cleared up enough over here to actually SEE the mountains again.
The air is always clear in Maine, except for fog along the coast!
Lucky. The day before yesterday was clear because of the rain, but yesterday all the dust and pollen had rolled back in again. 🙁
What a beautiful blog. I have seen some of the east coast but I would love to see Maine someday. I live on the west coast in the Seattle area. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
I’ll continue stopping by. I love the Northwest – have been there several times and always had a great time.
Those mountains are gorgeous! Fitting that they would be named after a poet. I’d love to see them someday!
These are very gentle mountains, Alex. Easy to hike – very much like the Smokies, which the App Trail leads from.
Awesome!
Thank you for introducing us to the beautiful mountains of Maine, Noelle. The images sure look spectacular, and I love the fact that the mountains were named after a local son, a poet no less.
Thanks, Sylvia. I thought it was pretty neat, too.