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The Importance of The High Peaks Region
The 32.2 miles of the Appalachian Trail, which traverse the High Peaks Region, from Route 4 in Rangeley to Route 16/27 in Carrabassett Valley, is unsurpassed in Maine for high-mountain hiking. It is the most difficult stretch of hiking in Maine, with an elevation gain that totals more than 10,000 feet. The Appalachian Trail here passes over or comes close to seven 4,000-foot peaks and crosses three other peaks over 3,000 feet.
From the treeless alpine tundra ridges of Saddleback Mountain, Mount Abraham and other mountains, hikers can enjoy some of the grandest vistas of mountain, forest, and lake landscape in the eastern United States. For more than thirty miles, unbroken by a single public road, the trail passes through a region of spectacular geologic features—glacial cirques, avalanche slides, falls, gorges, and mountain ravines. Here lie the headwaters of several important rivers—the Kennebec, the South Branches of the Dead and Carrabassett, and the Sandy. Remote streams, such as Nash Stream and Orberton Stream, drain the area. The view from numerous points along the Appalachian Trail, including extended above-tree-line walking over Saddleback and the Horn, are tens of thousands of acres that are devoid of man-made structures and lighting. From most points along the Trail, the ski areas of Saddleback and Sugarloaf are blocked from view.
The area provides habitat to rare species of flora and fauna. The Maine Natural Areas program lists eight rare plants on the summit of Mount Abraham. The presence of Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Northern Bog Lemming and Yellow Nosed Vole has been noted here. The Bicknell’s Thrush, a species of “special concern” frequents the area. The Vermont Institute of Natural Science has mapped suitable habitat for this species and found that the area, including Redington Peak, contains a significant percentage of suitable habitat in Maine.