Mount Zircon

By CAREY KISH

Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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Trail name: Mount Zircon Nearest town: Peru Region: Western Lakes/Mountains Length: 6 miles roundtrip Difficulty: Intermediate More: The unmarked trailhead is tricky to find. Travel west from Rumford along the Androscoggin River on South Rumford Road. Just beyond the intersection with Hall Hill Road, look for a green and white "Tree Farm" sign that says "Rumford Water District," next to a gravel road and a gray house with red shutters. Park here, but please don't block the road. Use the DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map No. 19 as a guide and you'll have no problem. Maps: Get driving directions from MapQuest. View a topo map from Maptech MapServer.

Dozens of interesting and scenic mountains with miles of lightly traveled trails dot the Oxford Hills from the Androscoggin River west to the Maine-New Hampshire border. And poking around on the back roads of the region tracking down new hikes and revisiting some of my old favorites is always a fun summertime adventure.

Mount Zircon and Speckled Mountain, both in the town of Peru, are a couple of 2,000 footers that I visited not long ago. They offer short, moderately challenging walks with far ranging views from their open peaks. Bag them both in a one healthy day or make an enjoyable weekend out of them. There are a number of private campgrounds in the area if you choose the latter option.

Mount Zircon rewards hikers with exceptional views in every direction from its craggy alpine summit at 2,240 feet. Allow three hours or so to complete this six-mile round-trip hike.

The unmarked trailhead is tricky to find. Travel west from Rumford along the Androscoggin River on South Rumford Road. Just beyond the intersection with Hall Hill Road, look for a green and white "Tree Farm" sign that says "Rumford Water District," next to a gravel road and a gray house with red shutters. Park here, but please don't block the road. Use the DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map No. 19 as a guide and you'll have no problem.

Begin by walking south on the gravel road past a locked red gate, then uphill at an easy but steady grade. Bear left at a fork and shortly, pass a spring house. This remnant of the old Zircon Water Bottling Company is fenced-in, but just across the road, cold, clear water gushes from a spring pipe.

Nearing the height-of-land, look for the white "Mt. Zircon Trail" sign. Bear left into the woods on a wide track through a forest of poplar, birch and beech. The trail becomes steep as the canopy changes to spruce and fir. Contour up on a slippery trail over roots and rocks and make the final pull across slabs to the top.

Settle in near the large summit cairn and the downed, rusting hulk of the old fire tower and enjoy a well-earned lunch. Drink in the scenery from Mounts Chocorua and Kearsarge to the peaks of the Presidential Range to the Mahoosuc Mountains and Grafton Notch. Speckled and Bald Mountains appear just a stone's throw away, while Rumford and the meandering waters of the Androscoggin River beckon just below.

Carey Kish of Portland is a Registered Maine Guide and enjoys exploring off the beaten path all over Maine. He can be reached at: maineoutdoors@aol.com.