The Camden Hills are a wonderful place to hike. I began trekking in the scenic coastal mountain range with friends and family when I first moved to the midcoast area almost 50 years ago.
Like most hiking enthusiasts, we started out climbing mounts Megunticook and Battie in Camden Hills State Park. Outings to Bald Rock, Ragged, Spruce, Pleasant and Bald mountains soon followed.
Although my wife, Nancy, and I now live more than an hour away, returning to the hills several times each year is a regular part of our outdoor routine.
The phenomenal views they offer of the surrounding peaks and nearby Penobscot Bay never get old.
After years of exploring them, I thought I knew all the trails and summits in the Camden Hills. When friends, Diane and John Stokinger, invited me to join them for a trek on Rheault and Hodson trails, I realized I had never heard of either.
I was also unfamiliar with Howe Hill, a small summit situated at the top of Rheault Trail in the approximate center of the Camden Hills. Intrigued with the prospect of a new hike with the company of good friends, I enthusiastically accepted their invitation.
The trailhead is located on Molyneaux Road in Camden, just a few miles from the downtown area. We met at a small parking area on the north side of Molyneaux Road on a cool, cloudy day.
A large Coastal Land Trust sign next to the parking area marked the beginning of the trail network, and a kiosk with a map of the Hodson Preserve and Rheault Trail was a short distance away.
We began hiking on Rheault Trail, marked with blue blazes, in a mature, predominantly hardwood forest. The path joined Sucker Brook immediately below a scenic waterfall. The turbulent whitewater freshet was the site of a former historic mill.
Proceeding adjacent to the brook in an easterly direction, we soon crossed a rugged wooden bridge. Shortly after, we passed over another well-built bridge and began climbing steadily up a narrow serpentine path to the junction with Hodson Loop Trail on the left.
A thin blanket of snow covered much of the surrounding terrain as we continued northwesterly on Rheault Trail in a sparsely wooded area.
Several interconnecting stone walls in this sector of the preserve were evidence of working farms in centuries past.
Persisting diagonally upward along a southwest-facing slope, we emerged onto a steep open field on the south shoulder of Howe Hill.
The remainder of the ascent continued through a managed blueberry barren where the trail transitioned to a wide path that appeared to be the remnants of an old farm road. Signs in the area warned hikers to remain on the trail.
The road turned left and we progressed easily uphill while enjoying a view of the distinctive Bald Mountain in the west. Angling right, the path led more steeply to the top where a giant rock engraved with the Howe family name marked the summit.
This was a remarkable location situated between mounts Megunticook and Battie in the east, Hatchet Mountain north, and Bald Mountain west.
Glimpses of Penobscot Bay could be seen south. The three of us agreed this was one of the most scenic locations in the Camden Hills.
Following a pause to embrace the wonderful views, we gradually descended to Hodson Loop Trail junction on the right. We explored the loop traveling clockwise.
The lower level passed an ancient apple orchard that was likely part of the erstwhile Hodson farm. Soon after, the path curved right and rose moderately before it continued adjacent to a venerable stone wall in a stand of tall hardwoods.
After finishing the one-half-mile loop, we returned on Rheault Trail to the Molyneaux Road trailhead.
Hikers in search of an easier trek than climbing the taller Camden Hills or looking for a less time-consuming shorter outing should consider this excellent hike.
John measured the distance of our trip on his GPS to be about 3.5 miles, a little longer than the signage indicated. We completed the picturesque journey in about two hours traveling at a moderate pace.
My book, “Maine Al Fresco: The Fifty Finest Outdoor Adventures in Maine” narrates nine hiking expeditions around the state, many in winter.
